Suggestions for new wetsuit
- Thread starter doctormike
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OP
So was the 7 mm too bulky, to buoyant or just to warm? What temperatures were you using it in?
Neither, just wanted flexibility of having both. I use the 7mm in springs, and the 3mm in ocean. 7mm is not too bulky, but it is more buoyant than the 3mm, obviously.
Protondecay123
Contributor
7mm. I've used mostly at Bonne Terre with temps to 55F and was very comfortable. The wrists and ankles have neoprene seals. The ankles have zippers as well. So there is very little in/out flow of water. It keeps me nice and warm at that water temp. I actually use a dry suit hood with it. The Wetsuit hoods have to be tucked appropriately, which I just never seem to get right. I went with the XXL because of the chest mostly. I was XL to L with waist/weight/height. So it doesn't feel constricting to me at all. It's seems to be very durable with no issues after about 17 dives so far. So if you can oversize it a bit, you will obviate the usual complaints about 7's. IMHO. YMMV.
I'm starting to wish deep 6 fit me, and of course needs to come in purple.
I hated all the 7mm suits I have ever worn. My two main wetsuits these days are the Bare Ultrawarmth ones in 3 and 5 mm. I like them a lot. I have worn the 5mm (with 7mm hood and 3mm wet gloves) in mid-50s water and been okay, but not as warm as I'd like.
I got a 3mm compressed neoprene drysuit in January and it is now my preferred suit for water that is low 60s down to around 50. I went very simple on the design to make it as much like diving wet as I could and I love the result. Neoprene wrist and neck seals, so it dons pretty much just like a wetsuit, only easier. And it has thigh pockets. And it was made to measure.
Current price on a made to measure Seaskin Ultra, base, with no options, is running about USD$425 plus shipping...
Neoprene Diving Drysuits - Seaskin Custom Diving Suits
I got a 3mm compressed neoprene drysuit in January and it is now my preferred suit for water that is low 60s down to around 50. I went very simple on the design to make it as much like diving wet as I could and I love the result. Neoprene wrist and neck seals, so it dons pretty much just like a wetsuit, only easier. And it has thigh pockets. And it was made to measure.
Current price on a made to measure Seaskin Ultra, base, with no options, is running about USD$425 plus shipping...
Neoprene Diving Drysuits - Seaskin Custom Diving Suits
OP
Oh, yeah...I really don't like 7 mm suits either. I have a dry suit that I love, it's a Santi. The problem is needing a lot more weight with any dry suit, no matter what it's made out of, and that make it hard to do shore diving.
After trying on a few, I went with the Seac Komodo 5mm. Awesome suit, they use some sort of unique "Yamomoto" neoprene made with limestone?? I don't know if that's for real, but I will tell you that it's very stretchy and comfortable, and incredibly warm. I was in my old Henderson Hyperflex 5 mm a week or two ago, and I was freezing after 20 minutes. With this suit, I could have stayed in the same water all day. Definitely a good thing to check out....
It does require a bit more weight (of course, that's why it's warm!), but certainly not the harness that I need with a single tank and dry suit. Between a weighted single tank adapter and an extra backplate, I was pretty close. Since I was diving shallow, I put a couple of trim weights in the cam pockets, but overall I'm very happy with the purchase.
Nice! The thing I wonder about is how long that really stretchy neoprene will STAY that warm. I definitely think that comparing a new 5mm to an old 5mm that has been compressed a bunch is not a fair comparison.
My Bare suits are very stretchy. They were definitely very warm when I first got them. But, now, my 5mm has 38 dives on it, with most of them being past 100 feet. I wore it in NC over Memorial Day and I got cold on the 2nd dive of the first day - and it was only 71 degrees! I wasn't freezing or anything. But, I felt colder than I remember normally feeling in my old ScubaPro 3/2 in the same temps (when the SP was new). Maybe it was just that day and me. Maybe I was feeling a little puny, a little dehydrated, or whatever. I wore the same suit the next 2 days and temps were 73-76 and I was never cold (but not exactly toasty, either). Regardless, I do think that earlier compression and loss of insulation is the downside to these newer suits with stretchier neoprene.
Also, with my 3mm compressed neoprene drysuit and minimal undergarments, it only takes, at most, 4 # more weight than wearing my 5mm wetsuit.
OP
Right, but it's the undergarments that make the buoyancy of the dry suit. I guess I could try it again with less underwear, but this seems like a good solution. Especially since I'm only using the suit in 6 feet of cold water, I'm not worried too much about compression!
I'm a massive fan of Waterproof as a brand for wetsuits. I've had a W4 semi-dry for years, but know their W50 5mm is also a great suit. They're made in Sweden and designed for the cold water diving around the Baltic, are well fitted and, as I said, last for ages. I think they're quite expensive in the US though (because of import duties), but still well worth it.
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