Need Advice on 1 or 2 piece wet suit

[MarkyW]

Good afternoon,
I'm in the process of looking for my 1st wet suit. I'm so far interested in either a Henderson Gold Core or a Bare SGS. Both in 7MM. Not committed to those 2 though, just initial 1st choice. Anyhow, I'm going to be doing alot of quarry diving as I live in Ohio, and will probably go to the tropics once or twice a year. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of 1 and 2 piece suits? The 2 piece appear to me that you can wear either the bibs or the jacket alone in warmer weather. But do you sacrifice heat loss? And are the bibs and jackets usually both 7MM or combined do they add up to 7MM. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and it seems that the 2 piece are quite a bit more money than the one piece. But if your getting a more versatile suit I would'nt mind the added cost
Thanks
David

When I started UK diving last year, pre-drysuit, I used a 5mm full suit with a 5mm shorty over the top. This had the benefit of giving me 10mm over my body but still only 5mm around my 'bendy bits' (arms, legs, etc) so did not reduce flexibility like a 7mm can. Also, unlike a farmer john, you can wear the 5mm suit without the shorty and still have full suit exposure protection for warmer climes. I bought a drysuit last October and use this if there is any chance the water will be below 16 degrees. I have also bought a new, better 5mm semi-dry full suit that has a 6mm spine pad. This is as warm as the 5mm + 5mm I was wearing, so the shorty is now reserved for the pool, while I use the new suit for holiday diving in the 18-25 degree range.

Look at the temp of the water you will be diving in and decide from there. Having dived dry I would now never consider a wetsuit in cooler waters.

Hope this helps

Mark

 

[Tanked Monkey]

I tried on both the Oneill 7 mil and Henderson Hyperstretch 7 mil. I eventually bought the Henderson, and have used it for 15 dives so far. I also have an Oneill 3 mil for warmer climates. With the Oneill 7 mil suit, I found it much more difficult to get into than the Henderson, and was nearly exhausted after putting it on. The hyperstretch was easy to get into, and I have been down to mid 50's (with 5 mil hood and gloves) without being too cold. I also wear the 7 mil alone when diving in the Florida springs (72 deg), and found it was fine.

I too contemplated buying a farmer john, thinking I could just use 1/2 of it for warmer water, but changed my mind when I saw the price. I like using a 1 piece hyperstretch, as it provides me enough warmth, and is pretty easy to get into/out of. I also like full arm/leg protection when diving in warmer water that my 3 mil Oneil provides over using 1/2 of a farmer john.

 

[Randy43068]

Hi David,

I live in Van Wert, OH not far from you and also just entered the realm of cold water diving. All of my experience until last weekend was in St Croix, USVI (sister lives there). I just purchased a 7mm suit from Aquaflite (www.aquaflite.com) in FL and am very pleased with it's fit and warmth. I had mine custom fit for an extra $89 so of course it fits well. They were super people to deal with and I had my suit in a week. US made of very high quality materials. I have heard that the Bare suits are a much heavier density than some others and don't compress as much resulting in less bouyancy compesation problems. They are located in Canada so they should know a thing or two about diving in cold waters. Maybe I'll run into you at Gilboa sometime.

Bob Jacobs

Hi Bob and David,

I live in Columbus but get to Lima and Gilboa quite often. Maybe I'll see either or both of you there soon. Well, perhaps next year. I should be there the 30th if the weather isn't too bad.

Good seeing posts from you,

Randy

P.S. I too, need to get a really warm wetsuit. Can't afford a dry suit at the moment.

 

[The Great Orca]

David ..

You don't see many people using just the john. It looks cool, but it's just a huge water scoop and doesn't work all that well. But you can where a shorty over it.

Have you tried the suits you're looking at on?
I found that evan after a lot of research, Fit, and ease of donning were key issues that you just can't get from a spec sheet.

The goldcores are expensive, but have a good reputation for warmth, fast drying and ease of donning. The fast drying may become invaluable when putting on the suit for the 2nd dive on a cool wet day.

Don't know about the Bare. I did try an Oneil 7000. I'm sure it would be a verrry warm suit, but I was exhausted after trying to get it on in the store.
I couldn't imagine trying to put it on with sweaty skin, on a rocking dive boat.

That O'neal is the same suit I tried on at Sports Chalet, WOW I couldn't even finish putting it on, I'm skinny and I had to go to an XL and my feet still couldn't go in. It does feel warm but the worst thing to ever put on.

 

[The Great Orca]

I tried on both the Oneill 7 mil and Henderson Hyperstretch 7 mil. I eventually bought the Henderson, and have used it for 15 dives so far. I also have an Oneill 3 mil for warmer climates. With the Oneill 7 mil suit, I found it much more difficult to get into than the Henderson, and was nearly exhausted after putting it on. The hyperstretch was easy to get into, and I have been down to mid 50's (with 5 mil hood and gloves) without being too cold. I also wear the 7 mil alone when diving in the Florida springs (72 deg), and found it was fine.

I too contemplated buying a farmer john, thinking I could just use 1/2 of it for warmer water, but changed my mind when I saw the price. I like using a 1 piece hyperstretch, as it provides me enough warmth, and is pretty easy to get into/out of. I also like full arm/leg protection when diving in warmer water that my 3 mil Oneil provides over using 1/2 of a farmer john.

Mid 50's? With Bare Alpine w/ attached hood I've been down to the low 40s and still hott. On another thread someone posted that XCEL is warm and stretchy. Try that one out if you want comfort and warmth, though it comes in 7/6/5. He aslo said they made a 9/7/6.