Short but not small women wetsuit problems

[MLagore]

Hi I am wondering if there are any women out there who are short and have womenly curves that prevent them from fitting a small size wetsuit fitted to their height. I am five foot tall but am not 100 lbs and therefore have a terrible time fitting wet suits that are my height. What I have done is bought a wetsuit that fits me BUT is way too long in the arms and legs and gives me bunching problems that prevent me from kicking and bending my arms properly. Has anyone out there had this problem and how did you fix it??? I was looking at how to hem my suit perhaps? Anyone done that? Any help would be appreciated!!

 

[rhwestfall]

wife (5'-2") just hacked the arms and legs off her 7mm with scissors (litterally cut 4"-6" off the arms and legs). Taped and glued the seams, and is seeing how it holds up.....

Other than custom, or sending it out to be tailored, it seemed to be the best solution.....

 

[spectrum]

Mlagore,

You sound like a perfect candidate for a custom suit. If you shop around you can find some brands that have variants like a "Medium Short" which can help with moderate curves. There are also stretch suits but stretched material will not be as warm and may still be a poor fit. Unless you are borderline off the rack custom is the way to go. Current suggestions will follow from others.

A custom suit will have a cost comparable to a top quality off the rack suit and when compared with the overall investment in diving any overage is a drop in the bucket. Also, nothing will do more to enhance your comfort, enjoyment and safety than a quality well fit wetsuit.

More here

Pete

 

[diversteve]

Custom for not much more than the price of a stock suit - Welcome to Wetwear - Custom Wet Suits of Rubatex Neoprene for Scuba Diving and All Water Activities

 

[Manneca]

I am 5'4 and have wet suit that must have been made for a 5'8 woman. I turn up the cuffs on the legs and wrists. It works fine for me. I used to just let it bunch up, but it wouldn't keep me very warm with so much water sloshing around. It fits really well just with turned up cuffs.

 

[rhwestfall]

I am 5'4 and have wet suit that must have been made for a 5'8 woman. I turn up the cuffs on the legs and wrists. It works fine for me. I used to just let it bunch up, but it wouldn't keep me very warm with so much water sloshing around. It fits really well just with turned up cuffs.

In a thicker suit, the narrow wrist/ankle cuff being further up on the arm or leg and being overlapped on the suit itself, cut the circulation off in my wife's hands/feet....

 

[MLagore]

Thanks for the replies...problem about custom wetsuit is the cost. As far as turning it up at the ends I tried that but it cuts off my circulation. If I lost 30lbs I probably could fit a small I am just not built that small! lol

 

[thez_yo]

Try an O'Neill wetsuit if you can before you go to specialty-made. Most of the wetsuits I tried on assumed you had no umm.. backside, but O'Neill is actually cut not just straight up and down. I normally dive their Sector 7mm wetsuit here in SoCal.

 

[Jax]

wife (5'-2") just hacked the arms and legs off her 7mm with scissors (litterally cut 4"-6" off the arms and legs). Taped and glued the seams, and is seeing how it holds up.....

Other than custom, or sending it out to be tailored, it seemed to be the best solution.....

This is the BEST answer I have ever seen!

Thanks for the replies...problem about custom wetsuit is the cost. As far as turning it up at the ends I tried that but it cuts off my circulation. If I lost 30lbs I probably could fit a small I am just not built that small! lol

Agree! And if you cannot afford to be comfortable, it tends to turn you off diving.

What RH said -- Go to a dive store, and try on wetsuits that fit you in the body. Try both men's and women's - the manufacturers forget women have hips!

Once you have one that fits in the body, cut off the extra length, and then use Aquaseal on the seams and cut edges - make about a 1/4 inch 'cuff' on the extremities. It will do well for you.

 

[Stoo]

As mentioned. simply cutting the arms and legs off might do if you aren't too much "off size". A dab of Aquaseal at the seams will keep the thread from coming undone. However if you are considerably larger than you perhaps should be, the suit is going to be a bad fit in places other than just the length of the arms and legs. For example, if the suit is several inches too long in the torso, you'll end up with a whack of water pooling around the groin area, and under the arms. Both of these areas are high heat-loss areas.

A custom suit is really the only way to go, and relative to all of the other costs associated with diving, the additional cost is peanuts... Being cold is no fun. If you don't have any plans to shed the extra pounds (or add more "bioprene"), then a custom suit will last you for years. The "extra" cost per year for custom is probably going to the equivalent of an airfill!