I'd take it back to the shop you bought it from and ask them the same questions. I'm sure they'll have someone there who can talk to you about fit and comfort and make sure you're in the right size suit.
New Wetsuit Very Very Tight Please Advise
- Thread starter scubadude223
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hdtran
Geography Police
scubadude223:
A 7mm (which is what the Arctic is) is not uncomfortably tight when on. However, it is difficult to put on. The trick to putting on a thick wetsuit is to actually put it on wet! A little moisture helps lubricate (or a skin, or talcum, but when I was renting 7mm's, wetting the wetsuit worked wonders!). The other lubricant you might use is hair conditioner. The hair conditioner won't harm the neoprene or nylon, but it'll help lubricate you into your wetsuit. Lubricants that you want to avoid include mineral oil and vaseline.
You will not be able to do a split in a 7mm (shoot, you might not be able to do a split without the wetsuit), or assume the lotus pose, or other 'stretchy' activities--especially a two-piece 7mm. But in the 'neutral' position (e.g. Michelin man), you should be able to breathe easily.
No, the wetsuits won't break in. But underwater, they will feel looser. You don't want them loose on dryland, because then, you'll be exchanging cold water when you're moving underwater.
tjmills
Contributor
I have a Bare Velocity 5/4 that was hard to get on the first few times and now it is much easier. It actually took a little breaking in I guess. I also have had a Bare 7mm and the same was true for the first couple of times I put it on. I haven't tried the Arctic but I would suspect the same is true to a degree but don't wear something that makes you exhale.
scubadude223:
I know this wetsuit. I rented one from a diveshop in Vancouver once. I don't remember many suits that I've rented but I remembered that one. Putting it on feels just like I think being born would feel like.
Having said that, once it's on you should have a full range of movement and there shouldn't be any restriction on your breathing. In the water if felt good and it was very good at keeping water circulation down. Amazingly I was comfortable in 8C water. I would die from hypotherma if I used my own wetsuit in 8C water....
(BTW the next day I rented a drysuit....
) R..
miketsp
Contributor
Provided you can move around and breathe once it's on then OK.
I have a 7mm SEAC-SUB semi-dry that took at least 30 mins to put on the first few times I used it. But once it's on it's fantastic. Good freedom of movement and probably the nearest thing to diving dry there is. Generally at the end of the 2nd dive I start to feel a small trickle of water down my back and that's it.
Nowadays I can put it on in about 5mins because I learned some tricks. Think about it. When you take your suit off I'm pretty sure that most people don't pull it off they roll it off, right?
So to put it on, first, turn it almost inside out leaving just about 8 inches at the ends of the arms and legs the right way. Put a cut-down plastic bag on each foot and slide your feet into the leg holes. The plastic bags should be cut so they just cover the foot and a little of the ankle. Once the foot is through they can easily be removed.
Then just roll the suit up your legs and keep rolling until the bottom of your breast bone.
Then a similar process with each hand in a plastic bag, push each hand in to its arm hole and then just stick out both arms.
The rolling process will continue on the arms and chest and the suit is on.
I then use the same plastic bag to get my head through the neck seal.
This sounds more complicated than it is, but I can assure you that rolling rather than brute force pulling works really well.
If you're doing a dive trip and have to keep getting in and out of the suit you really get much less tired.
I have a 7mm SEAC-SUB semi-dry that took at least 30 mins to put on the first few times I used it. But once it's on it's fantastic. Good freedom of movement and probably the nearest thing to diving dry there is. Generally at the end of the 2nd dive I start to feel a small trickle of water down my back and that's it.
Nowadays I can put it on in about 5mins because I learned some tricks. Think about it. When you take your suit off I'm pretty sure that most people don't pull it off they roll it off, right?
So to put it on, first, turn it almost inside out leaving just about 8 inches at the ends of the arms and legs the right way. Put a cut-down plastic bag on each foot and slide your feet into the leg holes. The plastic bags should be cut so they just cover the foot and a little of the ankle. Once the foot is through they can easily be removed.
Then just roll the suit up your legs and keep rolling until the bottom of your breast bone.
Then a similar process with each hand in a plastic bag, push each hand in to its arm hole and then just stick out both arms.
The rolling process will continue on the arms and chest and the suit is on.
I then use the same plastic bag to get my head through the neck seal.
This sounds more complicated than it is, but I can assure you that rolling rather than brute force pulling works really well.
If you're doing a dive trip and have to keep getting in and out of the suit you really get much less tired.
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