Newbie looking for gear advice - wetsuits

[tank29]

Hello all! I have been thinking about all of the advice I got in the other threads and I haven't quite made up my mind about what to buy first. I've definitely narrowed it down to wetsuit, BC, and reg, but I'm still not sure about what order. For better or worse, cost is largely going to determine what the order is (cheaper first, then more expensive). I hope this isn't too bothersome, but I thought that in order to keep the posts a bit more focused, I would just do a seperate post for each piece of gear. If anyone has strong objections to me posting that excessively, please let me know and I will try to consolidate.

Ok, as I said before, I am very excited about the pretty good number of options available to me to dive right here in TX, especially close to Houston. Dry suit diving is not an option at the moment, so I am trying to think about how to maximize the time I can dive throughout the year in wetsuits. I am fairly cold-blooded and tend to be warmer than most people in the water. So here is a suggested getup:

Tilos 3/2 full + Akona 5/3 hooded vest

I already have 3 mil gloves (if needed) and 5 mil boots. I know that in large part water temp comfort varies from person to person, but what does everyone think about the proposed setup and what range of water temps I could dive in? Comments on the brands are also welcome.

Again, thanks for everyone's help and comments. This is a fairly daunting sport to get started in and I appreciate the patience.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[joetex0777]

If you truely dont get cold easily like me, that set-up should be fine year round in the gulf, rivers, and springs. In Texas lakes it should be alright from about April thru late December. If you make multiple dives in the lakes in early spring or late fall you will probably get chilled. But, all in all, that is the most versatile set-up for this region.

Check the online stores like ScubaToys. They have some great deals going right now.

 

[PvilleStang]

I'd get a full three mil all around for the wetsuit. Check out the henderson hyperstretch, its easy on and off, and very durable.

 

[NadMat]

Sounds like a good setup for a start, will work well in about all local conditions, depending on your tolerance to cold. I have used many setups over years, just about everything except a drysuit. Currently I have a new full 4/3 neo, and am getting a hooded vest for it soon. With gloves and good booties, that works well for as cold as I want to dive wet, especially if I use a warm water precharge and between dive recharge.

In summer I dive without wetsuit at all when fresh and staying at 60' or less, or a shorty if doing multiple dives. As for which thing to buy first from other thread, I went with regs, then bc and then w/s, since summer diving required no wetsuit at all, and that was when I dove most often. So reg purchase meant I could dive for cost of air fill as had a tank, backpack and horsecollar bc I could borrow pretty much at will.

Good luck with your purchase choices, and good diving

Matt

 

[Willie]

I am in similar circumstances as you, a close budget for diving. This is the suit that I bought.

6.5mm Two Piece Suit
​

I have found it quite satisfactory. I have used it down to 53 df on the Pacific Coast and in local lakes. I dove all last winter with it. I definitely recommend a good hood. That makes a huge difference. Originally, I just dove with a cap. That works fine for me down to about 70 df water, then the hood is a must. I have a 5mm hood. This particular suit has very good seals and therefore there is very little water movement in the suit.

I havent been diving long and therefore havent tried a lot of different brands or styles, but this one has served me quite well. If schedule permits I will be diving it again before the year is out.

Willie

 

[Jarrett]

Do you put the vest under or over the other suit?

 

[joetex0777]

You would probably want the vest on under the suit.

I also bought a 2 piece 7mm suit. It is a great Texas winter dive suit as well as California suit. But....I can not stand wearing any of it during the other 8 months as it too warm & its a pain in the arse to take off.

 

[sealskin98]

Wetsuits?

In my humble and inexperienced opinion...get one that fits (3mm.). And think about the layering concept, which it looks like you are already doing.

I have a hard time getting a wetsuit that fits good with my body shape...either too loose in the hips or too tight in the chest.

I ordered a Oceanic 6.5 mm. online from the size charts and it works just fine, but the Akona line I looked at and ordered a 1 mm. from fits my shape better. That's just me.

My personal order of buying equipment...mask, fins, booties, snorkle (I think I still have my snorkle somewhere around here).

Then I went with new regs. (your main life support system), and got a 3 mm. two-piece wetsuit from my LDS at the same time that was selling the rental wetsuits (Hey, I washed it).

Got the 3 mm. beaver tail wetsuit for cheap and got the regs. that I ordered new for $25 over wholesale. And later got a bc (new) for the same deal. That was just luck though (LDS owner was a friend of mine for years before I started diving).

Then bought a used back inflate bc for cheap.

Get a back inflate bc...it seems to work better for me. Then think about the backplate/wings thing later.

Then I had a Tusa reg., an old ScubaPro orange bc with the CO2 cartridge (that I first started diving with), and another beaver tail wetsuit given to me. Reg. works great, use it as a back-up or sometimes use the set as a primary. Never had a problem.

Then I got dive lights...dive knives...extra masks...more fins...more booties...more gloves...other wetsuits...camera and housing...etc. :11:

What ever order you get stuff in...get them when you can. I'd go for regs. first after a jumpsuit 3mm. wetsuit. It really doesn't matter what order as long as you end up getting it all.

Just my O2, and listen to the experienced people on the board. There are a lot of pros. on here.

Looks like you are hooked...Join the club!

 

[ZzzKing]

Just my O2, and listen to the experienced people on the board. There are a lot of pros. on here.

And a few Cons as well.

Sealskin, are you and Timeliner still in the tunneling business?

 

[theatis]

Hi Dave,

Since you have about half a dozen threads going (!) here's a comprehensive response to tank29 threads:

1) Wetsuits: Here's what i use: Bare 3mm suit, Henderson 5mm suit, Bare 7mm hooded vest (3mm hood), 5mm boots, 3mm gloves. I can combo the vest with either suit for a variety of conditions. Heed the common advice that everyone gives; fit is the most important consideration. I like Bare more than Henderson because of their size range which is more extensive. If you have any deviation from an "average" body type check it out. I didn't consider Tilos, Akona, O'Neill and many other brands that tend not to accomodate my bodytype (short, broad). Also, consider the stretchy neoprenes many companies use, they do help with minor fit irregularities.

2) BCs: You start out with a prime consideration of price. If you mean price is an issue right now (and may not be in the future) go with a relatively cheap jacket to get you started since the additional expense won't be that important later on. If you mean that you want to save in the long-run, research as much as possible and try to anticipate what will yield the most use for the longest time. That's what i did and ended up with a BP/W. I know that maybe this isn't what you want to hear but that's my experience. I plan to transition to doubles within the next year so this creates a seamless path for me. That maybe in your future, but maybe not.

Others have advised you to try different types and that's the best advice at this point. For example, while i love my DSS setup, i also really like a friend's Seaquest Pro QD+ and a friend's Cressi Aquapro but hated most rental BCs (which usually means lower-end jackets) that i tried. Unless you try, you won't know what your own preferences are. For example, i hate the squeezing sensation of most jackets but i've heard of others who actually prefer it since they use the level of squeeze as an indication of air in the BC, thus an intuitive indication of depth.

3) Buoyancy and related issues: It's a great sign that you're thinking about these issues at this early stage, you're ahead of the game in that respect. Lung buoyancy control is a very useful skill and in the long-run you won't see your lung capacity as that much of an issue. Once you can establish neutral buoyancy you'll find that you add/dump very little amounts of air at a time; in fact, with a larger volume in your lungs you may need to add/dump none. However, it's more important at the early stages to focus on not holding your breath and risking injury. Once you have full control over air exchange, you can work on using your lungs. As someone said in the other thread, it's all about anticipation; exhale just before you start rising, inhale just before you start sinking; when is that point in time? Only underwater experience will teach you that.

As for weighting, there are no universal formulas since there are so many variables as others have already told you. It's interesting that you discuss this in terms of rentals, since once you buy your own gear some of those variables are set (exposure protection, BC, tank (full/empty), regs, lights, other accessories).

BTW, some of these threads may not get much exposure being in the Texas forum; you might try the Equipment forum to solicit more responses.

Hope this helps.