Welcome to the JMJ Forum!

[JMJ Wetsuits]

We're glad to be a bigger part of the ScubaBoard community, and appreciate the dedicated forum where we'll be happy to answer any questions and talk about custom wetsuits.

Many of you are highly experienced divers, so I won't bore you with marketing pitch and just get to the facts: if you haven't tried a custom suit, you'll never know just how comfortable a wetsuit can be, and if you think custom suits are expensive, check our prices...you might be surprised.

We've been making custom wetsuits for over 40 years and those who've owned a JMJ know that they are some of the finest quality suits available, and made in California.

That said, thanks for having us and we look forward to your posts.

Derek & JMJ

 

[Divin'Papaw]

We're glad to be a bigger part of the ScubaBoard community, and appreciate the dedicated forum where we'll be happy to answer any questions and talk about custom wetsuits.

Many of you are highly experienced divers, so I won't bore you with marketing pitch and just get to the facts. If you haven't tried a custom suit, you'll never know just how comfortable a wetsuit can be, and if you think custom suits are expensive, check our prices...you might be in for a surprise.

We've been making custom wetsuits for over 40 years and those who've owned a JMJ know that they are some of the finest quality suits available, and made in California.

That said, thanks for having us and we look forward to your posts.

Derek & JMJ

As a former custom made drysuit diver who now dives wet pretty much 100% of the time since moving to Florida, I'm intrigued. How do you handle the sizing? Is that done by the customer based upon instructions provided by JMJ or are measurements taken in some other way?

 

[JMJ Wetsuits]

Hey Divin'Papaw,

Thanks for the question. As you can imagine we need several measurements to make your custom wetsuit fit the way it should- basically you'll fill out the sheet shown on our How to Order page. If you happen to be in Southern California you can make an appointment to get measured at our shop, but most people print the size chart out, grab a friend/loved one and a tape measure, and follow the instructions to take the measurements and fill out the chart. Of course you could always to go a local tailor as well to get measured.

Hope that helps and thanks again for the post,
Derek & JMJ

 

[Boarderguy]

What do you offer in the way of semi-dry type suits? On the full suit with hood does it have internal seals on the forearms/calves like Hollis and Henderson? Diving wet in the PNW needs minimal water exchange or many layers.

 

[JMJ Wetsuits]

Hi @Boarderguy,

Thank you for the question and I've personally been waiting for someone to ask because it's something I've pondered...is a "semi-dry" a wetsuit that doesn't let enough water in or is it a drysuit that leaks? I'm still not sure =)

Anyway, to answer your question, we do not market any of our suits as "semi-dry", and they are different than what's produced by either of the brands you mention. We make custom-fit wetsuits, which means we take the time to cut and build the suit to fit your individual measurements to achieve the ideal fit. These are not "stack cut" mass-produced wetsuits. The result is a suit that works as the ideal wetsuit should to minimize the loss of heat from your body to the surrounding water (see How Wetsuits Work and The Advantages of a Custom Wetsuit). You are right on about the importance of "minimal water exchange" - I completely agree, and that's true in California too. Lastly, if you want to add a "skin-in" material to the inside or just on the calves, forearms or face opening, we can do that, but it does make the suit less durable because of the lack of nylon on the inside, and also makes it harder to get in and out of.

I would be happy to answer any other questions about this, and again thanks for asking.

Kind regards,
Derek

 

[BigViken]

Hello. I’m thinking about ordering a wetsuit. I have a store bought now and it fits terrible. I’ve been going to the dive shops and none of them fit me very well. My question is about the full suit with the hood and front zipper. Do most people order them with the added leg and arm zipper also?

 

[JMJ Wetsuits]

Hey @BigViken

Thanks for the post. To answer your question, now that we have the zippers as options on our website, more customers get leg zips than not, and many get wrist zips as well.

Here is an article that explains the considerations: Should you get wrist and leg zippers on your wetsuit?

Personally I've tried a number of custom and stock sized suits both with and without wrist and leg zips. Now I always get zips...even on my No zip =). They make the suit way easier to get in and out of, and I've never had noticeable leakage with my JMJs.

Hope that helps,
Derek