Pinnacle Merino lined 5mil? or 7mil?

[Dirkadiver]

I'm looking for a thicker wetsuit than my 3mil. I'm going to buy a Pinnacle w/ the Merino lining. I've heard the 5mil w/ lining is as warm as most other 7mil suits. Those that have these suits, what are your thoughts. Water temp. isn't my primary concern as much as the long bottom times. I have a Whites Catalyst DS for the colder/long bottom times. I guess I'm looking for the suit that will be the midpoint of my 3mil Henderson Hyperstretch & my DS.

 

[superstar]

Years ago wet suits had plush linings in them and the claim was to be warmer and easier to put on. Then the trend was thin titanium linings that kept you warmer because the water film between you and the rubber was thinner. I wonder now if the Merino wool claim isn't just a recycling of the plush lining trend of many years ago. The merino lined suits look very nice but I thing the cruiser suit is a better deal.

 

[jimimayes]

I have found the 5mm Merino wool to be warmer than a regular 5mm but not quite as warm as a 7mm, but much warmer than the Henderson 3mm Hyperstrech.

 

[tstormdiver]

Why not use a lighter undergarment for your White's Drysuit? They way a shell Dry suit is designed, you should be able to mix & match what you wear under it to fit your environment. I have 4 undergarments of varying thicknesses for different diving environments. In the summer, the quarries can range in temperatures from 87 degrees on the surface to 42 degrees below 60ft. The different undergarments give me the opportunity to wear what matches what I'm diving in.

 

[CC1020]

I have the 3mm Seal w/Merino, and I honestly don't think that is is a recycling of the "plush lining" idea at all. It really IS almost as warm as my 5mm Bare(non-hyperstretch) suit, even though the the Bare fits a bit better. I highly recommend the Merino lining, and I'm not a Pinnacle rep, nor do I get any kickbacks for saying so... dang it...

 

[Rob9000]

I am in a similar situation. My Pinnacle Seal 3mm is not warm enough for me for warm water diving. I was thinking of doing a stretchy 5mm, but because of the $$ I'll lose in getting rid of the 3mm and buying the 5mm, I think I might just try adding a 3mm shortie over the Seal. I think I'll also be wearing a hood as well.

I have the Seal and the Pinnacle Arctic....both Merino lined. I don't think the Merino adds that much insulation value. I think it just makes the suit easier to put on and helps minimize water flow through the suit since the knit kind of meshes with your skin. Overall you may find the Pinnacle suit to be warmer than others because the quality of construction is really good, but I don't think the Merino itself adds much.

 

[Homunculus]

i have 7 mm pinnacle merino lined. i'm skinny, so i get cold in temperatures below 12 C. the construction is great. the water does leak through opening just above the zipper.
btw, i'm selling pinnacle 7 mm merino lined hood Medium size (used once) and hooded vest (also merino lined pinnacle, used ~12 times) 'cos i want smth thicker.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Based on what you are saying it looks like you are better off getting the 5mm pinnacle merino. You clearly state that you want something in between both your drysuit and your seal. I think the 5mm would be the best choice.

I own a complete setup that is Merino linning on everything. I own the ME-7, hooded vest, heated torso, gloves, and boots.

This setup gives me 7mm in the head, 13mm in the chest, 10mm in the groin, 7mm in the extremeties, 4mm in the hands and 6mm in the boots.

The suit is incredibly comfortable and with ease I don and doff in less than two minutes, I kid you not; that's the entire suit from start to finish.

The material to the touch is like no other wetsuit I have felt. It's not rough but smooth, you can tell they used quality when they designed her. I enjoy my dives to be less restrictive than other wetsuits that are so stiff in both the water and out.

Now for the warmth factor it's awesome as it really traps the water and makes it warm in your suit, you can really feel the warmth as your body shifts the warm water moves around and cold water doesn't over power you at all.

I dove 50 F waters in Monterey Break Water for 35 minutes BT and was warm throughout the entire dive; only my hands got cool.

Monterey water is cold as you can feel it nip away on the outskirts of your mask, or when you do a mask clear watch out!!

MG

 

[DepthJunkie]

With out hijacking the thread, does the effects of the Elastiprene (more compression @ depth) off-set the benefits of the merino lining. If so, it would also be important to factor in overall enviroment as well as avg. max depth.

 

[Rob9000]

I suppose if someone wants to see the difference with and without merino wool, they can get merino undies from Pata-Gucci and use them with a non-merino suit and do some dives with and without the undies.

Patagonia Wool 2 Performance Base Layer - Lightweight Natural Chlorine Free Merino Wool Moisture Management