Poor guy choosing a wetsuit

[GlockDiver]

I'm still in PADI OW training, and will be checking out near the end of this month. Because Great Lakes water doesn't stay warm for very long (couple of months), I'm thinking of buying a wetsuit.

My OW instructor has recommended the Henderson hyperstretch. Witnessing the less effort and time is takes him to put on his wetsuit compared to me putting on just a supplied neoprene farmer john, I can certainly see the advantages.

However, he said that such a wet suit can cost in the range of almost $500. Being a college student who will be paying tuition again in a couple of months, that is quite a bit more than I can ask myself to pay.

I am willing to forgo hyperstretch and go with a traditional neoprene wetsuit if that means a substantial reduction in cost. What are some good makes, and what would an appropriate cost be?

 

[scubasean]

I can sympathize, in that I've been a poor college student also...

Too bad, since the hyperstretch is quite a decent wetsuit....I use the jumpsuit with the hooded vest in our 52deg F Monterey waters, and it keeps me plenty warm.

As I am not familiar with other makes, I can't help ya....Sorry!


Good luck!

Sean

 

[wch]

If you are looking for a new suit check out the Bare line of suits. Here is a link. Scroll down to the Arctic full suit. It is a ways down the page. $164.00

http://www.diverswholesale.com/cgi-...mplate=usa/cat-usa.html&1_option=3&1=Wetsuits

LeisurePro also carries them for the same price. Here is the Bare website to find sizing info.

http://www.bare-wetsuits.com/

Ebay is the place to go for used. Hope this helps.

Bill

 

[divegeek]

I may get this one myself

http://s1059kxm.leisurepro.com/weba...lay?prmenbr=946&prrfnbr=88905&merchant_rn=946

Charlie...=-)

 

[Lemonade]

to go under the suit.

The skin is ~$30 and it will make huge difference in putting the suit on. So you won't need hyperstretch.

There is a number of good, no-gimmicks 7mm wetsuits that can be bought new for under $150.

 

[amelo1999]

Go to diversdirect.com and check out their house brand EVO. Extremely inexpensive. My 3mm full jumpsuit cost me 80 bucks. Very high quality as well.

 

[GlockDiver]

Bought a akona 3mm shorty. Will probably pick up a 7mm full so I can dive more here in the Great Lakes. Hyperstretch looks nice, and I'm sure it's a lot easier to don, but for the price, I'll stick with neoprene.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

 

[Windwalker]

I use a Bare Farmer John 7mm in the sound. At around 70 feet the water is low 40's (41-42) I was quite comfy.. Just don't take your mask off! :wacko:

I figured out the trick to minimize crotch and underarm air spaces quickly and have had no problem since. I bought the whole outfit for $160 through LP. I also went with the deep sea gauntlets.. a point that I now regret because they are harder then hades to get on. The cuff is hard to get straight, even though the dexterity is amazing. I think next pair are going to be the shorter version as gloves.

Hope this helps.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Fit is critical in a wet suit - more so than brand. Consequently I would not buy one off E-bay, leisure pro or any other form of mailorder unless I have tried one on already.

Trying on a freinds wetsuit to see if it fits is ok, trying one on at the LDS and then buying mailorder is not.

I bought my ScubaMax semi-dry at the LDS for $185, which really is not much more than mail order price, so I would check the LDS first for lots of reasons.

 

[Windwalker]

Yup! I could just imagine how much a poor fit can make a difference. There is a real good article at Rondale's http://scubadiving.com/gear/exposure.shtml

There is also some good information about "First Gear" that I found helpful on the same site. http://scubadiving.com/gear/firstgear/

There are various articles that explain and debunk many myths of how exposure suits work that I thought were fascinating.