Wet suit fit question

[DiverGirl82]

Hello I'm new to diving and have a question about the fit of a wetsuit. I just got a 7mm wetsuit through my local dive shop and I'm wondering if it's too big. I looked at the brands sizing chart and told the shop owner what size I thought I needed but she took down my measurements and said she would check with them on the size when she ordered it. Apparently they thought I needed the next size up because that's what they sent. So I tried it on last night with my dive skin and I'm just not sure about the fit. I have excellent range of motion in it which I have not had with suits I've rented in the past. I can do squats in this thing. The neck, wrists and ankles are nice and snug; however, there is some bunching under the armpits. I can easily grab a handful of wetsuit under the armpits and at the tummy. The material is supposed to be super stretchy though so maybe that's normal? Also the entire reason I went with this particular suit is because it has a little zipper in the neck so you can unzip it to give yourself a bit more room in the neck. However when I tried it it felt no tighter with the zipper closed than it did with it open. But when I dive with it I'll have a hood under it so maybe that will make a difference?

I'm afraid that if I go the next size down maybe I'll lose all that wonderful range of motion and it will be really tight on my neck and shoulders which is a problem i've had with ones I've rented. And in order to try the next size down I believe she'll have to send this one back and reorder it. Today is Sat and the shop is closed until Tues. I was hoping to use it for a dive next weekend. So how tight is this thing supposed to be? Should I possibly sacrifice range of motion for a snugger fit?

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Post some photo's of yourself in the suit. A lot depends on your own body dimensions,, I am very "short for my weight" so at 5' 9" (or 8") 225 lbs, I already know that a stock wetsuit is not going to fit perfectly. I must be willing to have a suit that is a little long and baggy here and there if it is going to be comfortable. A lot depends on water temperature. if you are in really warm water, you can easily get by with a looser, thicker suit and it may be very comfortable. Cold water may not be so forgiving...If you need a custom, you will pay a premium. A roll of extra rubber around the gut is not a huge problem, but rolls of rubber under the arms, does sound like it is too big..

 

[oly5050user]

Hello I'm new to diving and have a question about the fit of a wetsuit. I just got a 7mm wetsuit through my local dive shop and I'm wondering if it's too big. I looked at the brands sizing chart and told the shop owner what size I thought I needed but she took down my measurements and said she would check with them on the size when she ordered it. Apparently they thought I needed the next size up because that's what they sent. So I tried it on last night with my dive skin and I'm just not sure about the fit. I have excellent range of motion in it which I have not had with suits I've rented in the past. I can do squats in this thing. The neck, wrists and ankles are nice and snug; however, there is some bunching under the armpits. I can easily grab a handful of wetsuit under the armpits and at the tummy. The material is supposed to be super stretchy though so maybe that's normal? Also the entire reason I went with this particular suit is because it has a little zipper in the neck so you can unzip it to give yourself a bit more room in the neck. However when I tried it it felt no tighter with the zipper closed than it did with it open. But when I dive with it I'll have a hood under it so maybe that will make a difference?

I'm afraid that if I go the next size down maybe I'll lose all that wonderful range of motion and it will be really tight on my neck and shoulders which is a problem i've had with ones I've rented. And in order to try the next size down I believe she'll have to send this one back and reorder it. Today is Sat and the shop is closed until Tues. I was hoping to use it for a dive next weekend. So how tight is this thing supposed to be? Should I possibly sacrifice range of motion for a snugger fit?

The biggest advantage of purchasing a wetsuit at your LDS is that they should usually have it in stock for fitting you correctly. I can totally understand that if a person is an unusual size that inventory can be a problem.But that is the LDS problem, not yours. This is why some people use the internet stores over their LDS. The LDS must have inventory ON HAND for customers and provide superior service for their customer to survive. I really have to wonder how a LDS expects to survive when they have maybe 4 suits in their inventory and have to order anything a customer wants. Keep an inventory of what your customers buy on a regular basis and order in some kind of volume so that you can get free shipping.. LDS I teach out of has a full selection of suits in many sizes and having to order one in is unusual. We sell alot of 3mm suits as more than 1/2 of our customers dive on island trips. If we do not have a 5mm or 7mm suit a customer requires and if it is not in stock we can get a good idea of their size requirements from having customer try on a 3mm suit from the same manufacturer or better yet the customer can try on 7mm suit from our rental stock . Oh, and if we have to order a suit in for the customer and they plan on diving before we can get the order in, which is usually 2 days, they can keep the rental that fits until the new one is in at no charge.

 

[Hatul]

If you can, dive with it once to get a better feel of the fit. Also I'm not sure if it's a good idea to wear a dive skin underneath. Most people I know don't do that.

 

[fisheater]

The way I see it, especially with 7 mm wetsuits for very cold water where fit is everything, if you don't have an "off the shelf" body, you shouldn't buy an "off the shelf" wetsuit.

Go custom and get the right fit for YOU.

I recommend AquaFlite. My 7 mm FJ was ordered on a Monday and on my porch Friday the same week and it only cost a few dollars more than the LDS's "off the shelf" wetsuit that wouldn't fit for a damned.

AQUAFLITE | Custom Wetsuits. Comfortable. Durable.

 

[DiverGirl82]

The shop is an hour away and closed today but one of the trainers and his wife live near me so I think I'll see if they'll take a look. I do feel better about it after trying it again this morning. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. It's a big purchase and I want to make sure it's right before I get it wet. I can't exchange once I've used it can I? I took a picture with my phone but I'm having trouble loading it. The dive skin makes it easier to put on The suit and gives me an added layer of warmth. But I'll check and make sure it's ok.

 

[knotical]

... The dive skin makes it easier to put on The suit and gives me an added layer of warmth. But I'll check and make sure it's ok.

After wearing a skin under my wetsuit for several hundred dives: -

pros
easier to don wetsuit
small thermal advantage
helps hide the ugly

cons
adds time to suiting up (but saves some when putting the neoprene on)
adds time to taking a micturition break

there may be others

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I went full custom on my last wetsuit and will never go back to an off the rack suit. There is no need to. One of the problems today is that divers are more aware of the way things should be or are able to find out with a couple mouse clicks. This is why when I sell a drysuit, even if the chart says stock size, I have them fill out the custom measuring chart. Same with wet suits. If you have someone who can read a tape measure there is no need to have to try on every suit a shop may or may not have. Fact is that carrying a complete selection of every size suit a mfg sells in 3, 5, and 7 mils is not practical or in many cases possible for a lot of shops.

And some wet suit mfgs are seeing that and allowing the smaller guys to carry a representation, send one suit of the proper size, and have a policy of allowing them to return it if someone, somewhere in the chain made an error. That is smart business. If a shop has to tie up thousands in inventory just so that one person can walk in and buy an off the rack suit what are they then not able to stock?

I recommend everyone who asks about wet suits to one local shop that has a few of each size to try on. Then he orders the suit. Or if there is any doubt about being stock. One place IMO - Wetwear. Connie is a genius and service is fast. Like send the measurements in on Monday and you have the suit the following week. And at often less cost than some so -called top of the line suits that are not made out of rubbatex neoprene like Wetwear's are.

www.wetwear.com

 

[tracydr]

If you can, dive with it once to get a better feel of the fit. Also I'm not sure if it's a good idea to wear a dive skin underneath. Most people I know don't do that.

I always wear a skin underneath. Makes getting it off and on easier, if its snug and fits properly.
I think it sounds a bit loose. If this were a 3ml that you were going to use in the tropics, no big deal, but I assume, since its a 7ml, you'll be diving cold water. Needs to fit snug but still able to move around and breathe easily.

 

[gmanstan]

I used to use a dive skin but found its much better when its"skin to wetsuit" ,just use the hair conditioner trick to slide it on easily.Also different manufactures cut there suits differently. Even if it gives weight/height the variables are so many(chest/arms/waist/thighs)not only length but diameter. I had a large chest(48"-50") with a small waist(34"-36") and at 6'2" 210lb it was hard to fit everywhere. I tried on 4 diff suits at LDS, ordered 5 more from Scuba.com(return policy is great) tried 2 more shops until I found which brand fit best. Ended up with Xcel 9/7/6,fits great (glide skin inside) and is warm down to 44º f. I do a lot of diving Calif coast.When doing multi dives some of the "Vets" showed me the hair conditioner trick.(and I smell spring fresh..lol)