Proper Wetsuit Fit Question

[Shangrl]

Thank you! I will take that advice.

 

[lilycat]

I'm sure this won't help the person with the orginal post, but for those who stumble across this I'd like to share: I had a similar experience last w/e. I was told by one person that the fit of a too-tight suit was "good." I told them that I would like to try the larger size anyway.

When I tried the larger suit, it fit in the shoulders very well, but the arms and legs were too long. So, I tried more...

Almost all the suits I tried were cut for someone shorter in the torso and they pulled my shoulders down when they fit in the legs.

I ended up with the Henderson and it is great. It's like wearing long underwear. I feel like I have a full range of motion and I don't have to lurch around.

 

[dirthead]

My wife is just a bit smaller than you but she really liked the Bare
Velocity 3/2 full suit. Bare has lots of sizes but she was kind
of inbetween sizes so she opted for the slighty tighter one.
She thought it was pretty tight at first especially when she first
tried it on. She did notice that once
it got wet and she dove with it once, it loosened up and hasn't
been as tight or as tough to put on as the initial fitting.

And hey, since you are local to Carrollon/Dallas, you can go over
to ScubaToys and try on all kinds of brands and sizes - Which is
what my wife and I did. Larry has a pretty extensive inventory.

--- bill

I had the same experience with my 3/2 Velocity suit. It was very tight the first few times I put it on,but after several dives, it has loosed slightly and now fits great. I felt a lot of arm restriction and chest tightness at first, but now it fits perfectly with no restriction at all.

Shangrl, I don't know how many dives you have on the suit, but if your experience is the same as mine, it will loosen a little after 5-6 dives.

 

[mcclete22]

When buying a suit, should you take into account how it feels then compared to how it will feel if it loosens? I had a guy at the LDS tell me when I buy one to get one that is snug because with use it will loosen up. I thought it might have been a little too tight, but I could move and it did not fell extremely tight, little hard to zip up though. Is there like a happy medium to consider when buying? Should you treat a wet suit like Levi's and buy knowing the comfort will fluctuate a bit?

 

[spectrum]

When buying a suit, should you take into account how it feels then compared to how it will feel if it loosens? I had a guy at the LDS tell me when I buy one to get one that is snug because with use it will loosen up. I thought it might have been a little too tight, but I could move and it did not fell extremely tight, little hard to zip up though. Is there like a happy medium to consider when buying? Should you treat a wet suit like Levi's and buy knowing the comfort will fluctuate a bit?

In wetsuits fit is everything. It wants to fit like a second skin, a slight hint of compression is a good thing. It must not help you exhale and you must have full range of motion. A tight suit can put you in a world of hurt.

Be wary of shops trying to sell what's on the rack.They can be persuasive and we somehow get to thinking of them as guardians since they may also be our reveered instructors. You can try every size from one maker and not find a fit. Suit proportions vary as do divers. Trust yourself.

Pete

 

[howman]

Folks:
I was trolling for similar answers - thanks. I am not a textbook body shape (my waist is smaller than sizing charts have for my shoulders and height, yet I am not skinny either). I just got a new 3/2 neo-sport and it fits snugly on my legs and chest. I have room to "grow" in the waist, but not much. However, the sleeves feel a bit restrictive. I am not concerned after readign your advice because 1) I have a full range of motion, 2) I can pull the sleeves up (when wearing my rash guard) and get a more comfortable fit and 3) I can expect to get used to the fit once I dive a few times (and it may "loosen"). I am pretty sure that the initial awkwardness of the fit is because I am not sued to snug clothes.