The Michelin Man

[ScubaSteve]

Yesterday I had the humbling experience of getting fitted for my OW dive, the suit was a somewhat larger size than I had anticipated (I would not describe myself as petite at 5,9", 225 lbs) but the worst part was the actual donning of the suit.

It was a 7mm farmer john & jacket and by the time I was done you would have sworn I had just run a marathon - I was drenched in perspiration and felt very awkward, the suit seemed to really inhibit my mobility (at least on land)

I expect most of my dives will be in Eastern Ontario with the occasion trip somewhere warm. My newbie questions are:

1) How much easier is it to don a lighter suit? I'm contemplating layering with a vest for colder water.

2) Are the hyperstretch/elastek products all that they're cracked up to be? (I'm looking at the Bare product line as they make an XXL Short)

3) Is the difficulty I experienced donning the suit a normal part of the learning curve?

Where in Eastern Ontario? I can only say that depending on where you are, you are destined to wear a 7mm suit. I am in Guelph and dive a lot in Georgian Bay where the warmest it gets is about 68-70 degrees on the surface. For a comfortable and slow diver, that is just about right wearing a 7mm suit with hood and gloves (IMHO). I wear a 7mm John and a 7mm Jane with hood and gloves and am comfortable diving the cold waters of Southern Ontario. If you are Eastern as in Kingston/Brockville, then the waters may be different (I cannot say for sure). The thinner suit is definitely easier to put on but will not likely keep you warm around here.

 

[PatrickDives]

I am also a big guy, 5'10" and 300 (a little under). I had to rent a XXXL wetsuit here in the Seattle area. Always a pain in the rear to gear up and later to strip it off. Sleeves and legs about 6-8 inches too long, so I looked like the Michelan man...but in the shape of an egg. All the folds in the arms and legs got air trapped and that added to my buoyancy problems in the beginning.

Long story short, I just bought a drysuit, custom fit of course. The single most important thing to consider IMO is fit. If it doesn't fit right, you won't enjoy the dive. Although I got used to it and enjoyed the time under water... there was also the time and energy wasted getting dressed before and after the dive, completely and utterly frustrating!

I think the spray bottle w/ soapy water and rolling the suit inside out are great ideas. My instructor told us to bring a thermos of hot water to pour down the inside of the suit before donning. Not only helped slide it on better...it was warm. Like socks fresh out of the dryer on a cold day!

I have even seen some folks bring a cooler filled with hot water to submerge some of their gear before donning (hood, gloves, boots). Funny to see on a cold evening when they open the cooler and all you see is steam rising out of it as they dunk their gear and then put it on.

Hope that helps.

Patrick.

 

[Sas]

I think over time it might get easier to put on your wetsuit. I really struggled putting on my suit at first even though once it was on it fit great (7mm semi dry). It seems to have become a *heap* easier now days though. What is it like once it is on? If it is ok then, then I'd probably just put up with the difficult don. Recently, I started wearing an 0.5mm neoprene skin underneath and that really makes it much easier to put on for sure so the lycra skin is a good idea (though afaik it does not really add any warmth?).

I got fitted for my drysuit today actually (woo! at last), and I found getting it on really hard! Both shops (the place that sold me the drysuit as well as the place I took it to for new boots and neck seal) said it was a really great fit and it feels good once it is on but man, hard to get my hands through the wrist and my head through the neck seal! I was also 'drenched in perspiration' after the don (but I guess that could have been the thermals ) My buddy had to help me do it as well as zip me up and I don't ever see how I will be able to put it on completely by myself! So I don't know if that is an easier option if donning a suit is a problem... Well I have never put one on before so perhaps I am doing it wrong

 

[tstormdiver]

Being that I like to do deep diving in the local quarry where it is a "refreshingly cool" 42 degrees year round, I dive primarily dry, even i nthe dead of summer when it's 95+ degrees out side. I do have a Henderson Hyperstretch 7mm farmer John & jacket as a back- up in case of catastrophic failure of the drysuit, but to be honest, I've never worn it except to check for the fit. If the shallows of the quarry are warm enough, I will occasionally wear a 3mm wet suit & get all kinds of comments about not wearing my drysuit. I wear my drysuit almost exclusively because of the discomfort & confining feeling of a thick wet suit. I have several undergarments of varying thicknesses for different temperatures & have dove year round here in KY. A few tips I have picked up along the way to ease the donning of a thick wetsuit with the "Neoprene Dance" is to use a plastic shopping bag (like you get at Wal Mart or the local super market) to help with getting the arms & legs through. just place the plastic bag over the limb & pull the suit on. I have also heard of a weak solution of baby shampoo or, if you want to have smooth arms & legs, using hair conditioner.

 

[DRsharky]

Wet suit fitting is very important, go to your dive shop and ask for proper fit. Spraing the inside with a soap solution helps a lot.

 

[jeepguy]

Thanks - I have been significantly tempted by the great price on the Thermoprene suits, the only misgiving I have is that the XXL is for someone quite a bit taller than me. The torso would probably be fine but I have shortish legs (very useful having a low centre of gravity when playing rugby) - about a 29" inseam. Maybe this is the incentive I need to drop a few pounds and get into an XL......

Two things. First, go somewhere and try on an XL henderson hyperstrech before buying a XXL thermoprene. I'm 5'10" and about 5lbs heavier than you and love my 7 mm hyperstretch. I have a new (4 dives in fresh water) XXL ECEL vortex 7mm that I can get into but is so uncomfortable do to length that I don't use anymore which prompted me to go out and buy a hyper. Wish I had bought the hyper first as I paid $360 for the ECEL. I originally was talked out of the hyper because was told that they aren't as warm and do not last as long. Ease and comfort outweigh those shortcomings as far as I'm concerned. In the local quarry I've used the hyper with a 5/3 hood vest comfortably to 52 degrees @ 60 ft. Second, Henderson has a program where your LDS can order them shortened in arms and or legs, I believe up to 4 or 5 inches at a resonable cost.:14:
Tom

 

[green_passion]

After wearing-out the skin on my knuckles and cutting-off the circulation in my legs (I had a 4XL men's Farmer-John style on) I'm going to go and try-out the Henderson Hyperstrech. I'm a 5'10" female that's a size 18 so I can completely relate to everyone's stories. Bad-fitting wetsuits are the pits!!

I'm going Saturday to try one on so I'll let you know how it works out!

 

[Brian Sharpe]

A follow up......

My wetsuit arrived yesterday - a Bare 7MM Arctic XXL Short - it was easy (comparatively) to don & fit well and I spent about an hour in my backyard pool - which is a refreshing 65 degrees - and felt very warm & cozy. With the buoyancy of the suit I floated like a cork. At least now I won't need to use the rental suit for my OW dives this weekend!