Proper wet suit fit

[Outlaw14]

My friend and I are both OW divers and perhaps not too savvy! We recently purchased wet suits from our LDS. She has not worn her suit diving yet.

We are both females, but she got a better fit from a mens small suit (Seaquest isoflex 3-5-3) which I think must be last years' model as I don't see this on their web site.

Anyway, it looked nice on her in the store, but she didn't try it on with her booties (nor was this suggested by the salesperson). It has zippered ankles and when trying it on at home she couldn't get either zipper to close over her boots. Should she return it or is there a secret we don't know? Should the salesperson have done anything else to help determine proper fit? Thanks for any advice on this situation or things to look out for when wet suit shopping in general.

Lauren

 

[Marek K]

Hi Lauren--

I'm not an expert, but...

It's not absolutely vital that booties go under a wet suit, but as you probably know it's generally considered better. That way less water drains down into your booties. But I'd suppose that's a concern mainly after getting out of the water.

I can see where a bulky leg zipper might have trouble fitting over a bulky bootie zipper. I assume you tried shifting the leg so that the two zippers weren't right on top of one another?

How much help did you get from the salesperson? I would think that for something like a wet suit, where fit is pretty important, you should have gotten a lot of fit assistance. Like, making sure the suit doesn't leave air spaces where cold water can get in... like around the waist (men's suit on a woman?), or up the spine (that's what a spine pad on a suit is for -- to fill that space).

And on the other hand that the suit isn't so tight that it constricts your movement too much (though wet suits tend to loosen up a bit in the water).

If you have any doubts, like with the ankle fit, by all means take it back and talk with the shop. I'd be wary of a glib "Hey, that's the way it's supposed to be!", and wouldn't hesitate to ask for an exchange... particularly since that suit hasn't been worn yet.

--Marek

My friend and I are both OW divers and perhaps not too savvy! We recently purchased wet suits from our LDS. She has not worn her suit diving yet.

We are both females, but she got a better fit from a mens small suit (Seaquest isoflex 3-5-3) which I think must be last years' model as I don't see this on their web site.

Anyway, it looked nice on her in the store, but she didn't try it on with her booties (nor was this suggested by the salesperson). It has zippered ankles and when trying it on at home she couldn't get either zipper to close over her boots. Should she return it or is there a secret we don't know? Should the salesperson have done anything else to help determine proper fit? Thanks for any advice on this situation or things to look out for when wet suit shopping in general.

Lauren