warmest 5mil wetsuit?

[halocline]

Hello, I'm in the market for a 5 mil suit for use in around 70F temps. I'm currently using an older 3 mil with a 3 mil hooded vest and marginally too cold for the dives I'm doing, Mexican caves. I would like to avoid going to a 7 mil suit if I can and a drysuit is out of the question for me at this time. A 5mil semi-dry, if that's even something that exists, would be interesting to me.

I wonder if the stretchier materials (like Henderson) sacrifice some warmth over denser, less stretchy materials. I welcome any recommendations and/or opinions. I'm a pretty average size person, probably most off-the-rack medium or medium-short suits will fit okay.

Thanks!

 

[Marie13]

I’d suggest looking at the Bare suits with the Celiant lining. I had a Bare Evoke 5mm with the Celiant that was great. It was quite warm. I wore it down into the mid-50s or so.

 

[-JD-]

You might also want to check out Waterproof's line. They have several variants that include inner smooth-neoprene wrist/ankle "seals". Some have neck seals. Keep in mind when you look at their line that there are often 5mm and 7mm versions of each style.

I have their (now discontinued) W3 3.5mm with wrist and ankle and neck seals and zips and really liked it for Cozumel at Xmas time.
The ankle and wrist zippers make it easier to get in and out and get boots and gauntlet gloves tucked in between the inner and outer neoprene. The neck zip is nice for the surface, kitted up and waiting, and if you want some flow when a tad warm.

 

[Marie13]

Thanks for reminding me - the Bare have separate seals at wrist/ankles as well as ankle zippers.

 

[drakcheslav]

My suggestion is get a lavacore hooded vest or similar and a one piece suit.
The vest doesn't give you any additional float, but keeps you quite warm, and especially stops the water rushing in though your neck.

On another note, chest entry suits would be bit better since they have minimal zippers.

Or get a 2 piece spearfishing wetsuit.

And a must is to have a lined wetsuit. Preferably fleece.

I found it the best way to keep warm in a wetsuit is to minimize water ingress. since no matter how fancy the suit is, it will get compressed after 5-6 deep dives.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Hello, I'm in the market for a 5 mil suit for use in around 70F temps. I'm currently using an older 3 mil with a 3 mil hooded vest and marginally too cold for the dives I'm doing, Mexican caves. I would like to avoid going to a 7 mil suit if I can and a drysuit is out of the question for me at this time. A 5mil semi-dry, if that's even something that exists, would be interesting to me.

I wonder if the stretchier materials (like Henderson) sacrifice some warmth over denser, less stretchy materials. I welcome any recommendations and/or opinions. I'm a pretty average size person, probably most off-the-rack medium or medium-short suits will fit okay.

Thanks!

Please take a look at our 5 mm "freedive" suits. If you are looking for a lot of warmth with a minimal amount of bulk and restriction, these are the types of suits to consider.

We use the best neoprene available - Yamamoto, our suits have only one layer of fabric material on them (which improves flexibility) and we have an attached hood which eliminates leakage at the neck, there is NO ZIPPER so there are no leaks there and the ankles and wrists have smooth rubber on the inside which greatly reduces the exchange of water.

Freedivers need a suit that is very flexible to allow good breathing, a minimum mount of neoprene (to minimize buoyancy swings) and a compfortable suit since they are often worn for 4-6 hrs in one session.

These suits are also easy to get into (which might be surprising without a zipper) but, we use a suit lubricant which makes the suit slide on very easily. You don't want to wear a dive skin underneath these suits, since it would affect how the suit slides on.

Edit: I searched for this older thread and found this. A pretty comprehensive review from forum members.

Review: Mako Yamamoto Two Piece Open Cell Wetsuits (3mm and 5mm) MAKO Spearguns

This video probably explains it better than I can.


https://www.makospearguns.com/product-p/m2y3drc.htm
Thanks
dano

 

[halocline]

Thank you for all the responses so far! Has anyone tried the 4th element proteus suits?

 

[CarstenS]

The FE Proteus II 5 mm has been my main suit for the Med in summer for the past two years / about 60 dives (temps 70-75C) Best suit I have owned so far. It is a little more complicated to put on, but I am absurdly skinny and haven‘t found that to be a problem, and the advantage is minimal water exchange even for the scrawny with tendons sticking out at ankles/wrists. There are some reports about iffy stitching, mine is rock solid and basically as new. Pricey but worth it to me. That said, the main thing is fit. I have had cheap suits that were tight and surprisingly warm and expansive ones the water tunneled through.

 

[hedonist222]

The FE Proteus II 5 mm has been my main suit for the Med in summer for the past two years / about 60 dives (temps 70-75C) Best suit I have owned so far. It is a little more complicated to put on, but I am absurdly skinny and haven‘t found that to be a problem, and the advantage is minimal water exchange even for the scrawny with tendons sticking out at ankles/wrists. There are some reports about iffy stitching, mine is rock solid and basically as new. Pricey but worth it to me. That said, the main thing is fit. I have had cheap suits that were tight and surprisingly warm and expansive ones the water tunneled through.

70-75 celcius is a little too warm for anything other than a rash guard IMO

 

[formernuke]

Honestly fit matters more than material or even thickness.

So the warmest is the best fitting.