Hollywoodivers
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Thermaxx by Henderson Wetsuits is our favorite for ease of getting in and out.
Wetsuit for Plus Size Woman
- Thread starter snorkel16
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Thermaxx by Henderson Wetsuits is our favorite for ease of getting in and out.
A mens wetsuit is a bad idea (been there, done that)! Custom is good, also consider a drysuit since you will be diving cool water anyway. A drysuit is really nice to have, very possibly no more expensive than a custom wetsuit, hugely decreases the need to pee problem (a bigger problem for women IMHO) and with variable undergarmets is good for anything from 35F to 80F. Drysuits can also be tailored to size but size has much more leeway than with a wetsuit that needs to be warm enough. If not drysuit, at least semidry (meaning a wetsuit that traps water well so you don't keep flush "new" cold water into the suit).
I dive a membrane drysuit, my daughter uses a crushed neophrene suit. They are comfortable at 35F and comfortable at 80F.
I dive a membrane drysuit, my daughter uses a crushed neophrene suit. They are comfortable at 35F and comfortable at 80F.
If she's too large for the women's sizes, go with a Henderson hyperstretch in men's sizes. It's going to be a little tight through the chest because men don't have boobs, but it's much cheaper than going the custom route.
fisheater
Contributor
Just remember, all that stretching is making the wetsuit thinner. Also, to get that "stretchability," the neoprene used is more easily compressed at depth. All this adds up to it being colder, in all conditions.
Bunnymom9
Registered
I know this is an older thread, but it was the start of my odyssey into finding a plus-size wetsuit so thought I'd share for the next newbie to come along.
I've rediscovering diving now that my daughter is certified (and having spent last summer doing marine research is already a better diver than I'll ever be). Unfortunately, I weight 230lbs now instead of 160, and diving in a men's xxxl shorty in Roatan didn't help my struggle with buoyancy. This year, having been diving more in the last 12 months than in the previous 10 years, I'm determined to gear up with mine own wetsuit. Although I'm still in the shopping phase, one of the first places I found was iSnorkel in Michigan; they sell Henderson Thermoprene 3mm women's front or back-zip shorties in, ahem, *27* sizes, with sizes 10 through 20 coming in both tall and petite. Their size chart covers hip/bust measurements from 30 to 60, with waists 10-11" narrower. Once I find one that fits (instead of being gathered around the waist and loose at the neck like that man's xxxl) I believe it will be warm enough for me down to at least 65 degrees. After all, I have all that natural insulation, and I also like to wear surf leggings/swim capris or a diveskin, as it makes it much easier to get the suit up and over the cellulite.
I'm actually worried that the 3mm will be too warm for Roatan (78 - 82 degrees). Intense on-line research turned up a 2mm from Xcel that goes up to a nominal size 16 (bust 47.5, hips 48.5") and a Bare 14 which is beautifully proportioned but unfortunately doesn't go up quite as large though the hips as I'd like --we'll see.
Active comparison of measurements tells me that Roxy and Bare are the most hourglass-shaped of the off-the-rack suits, with the Bare line going a couple of sizes beyond Roxy. Roxy is primarily a surfing line, and it taps out at about a real women's size 12, but petites might find fits in their line of components (neoprene capris and jackets, for example).
For colder water, iSnorkel offers a Neosport 3/2 up to a 55" bust, with some bigger sizes in petite but no talls. Xcel offers a limited number of suits in their size 16.
Happy shopping, and if you find something I missed please post it here!
I've rediscovering diving now that my daughter is certified (and having spent last summer doing marine research is already a better diver than I'll ever be). Unfortunately, I weight 230lbs now instead of 160, and diving in a men's xxxl shorty in Roatan didn't help my struggle with buoyancy. This year, having been diving more in the last 12 months than in the previous 10 years, I'm determined to gear up with mine own wetsuit. Although I'm still in the shopping phase, one of the first places I found was iSnorkel in Michigan; they sell Henderson Thermoprene 3mm women's front or back-zip shorties in, ahem, *27* sizes, with sizes 10 through 20 coming in both tall and petite. Their size chart covers hip/bust measurements from 30 to 60, with waists 10-11" narrower. Once I find one that fits (instead of being gathered around the waist and loose at the neck like that man's xxxl) I believe it will be warm enough for me down to at least 65 degrees. After all, I have all that natural insulation, and I also like to wear surf leggings/swim capris or a diveskin, as it makes it much easier to get the suit up and over the cellulite.
I'm actually worried that the 3mm will be too warm for Roatan (78 - 82 degrees). Intense on-line research turned up a 2mm from Xcel that goes up to a nominal size 16 (bust 47.5, hips 48.5") and a Bare 14 which is beautifully proportioned but unfortunately doesn't go up quite as large though the hips as I'd like --we'll see.
Active comparison of measurements tells me that Roxy and Bare are the most hourglass-shaped of the off-the-rack suits, with the Bare line going a couple of sizes beyond Roxy. Roxy is primarily a surfing line, and it taps out at about a real women's size 12, but petites might find fits in their line of components (neoprene capris and jackets, for example).
For colder water, iSnorkel offers a Neosport 3/2 up to a 55" bust, with some bigger sizes in petite but no talls. Xcel offers a limited number of suits in their size 16.
Happy shopping, and if you find something I missed please post it here!
CarapaceDiver
New
Hello Jon,
I hope you were able to find a wetsuit that fit your fiance. I wanted to be fully transparent and let you know that I am the founder of a custom wetsuit company Carapace Custom Wetsuits. We use computer CAD technology to build precise patterns. We just released this article that covers our process and why we are passionate about custom sized wetsuits. Check it out here Plus Size Wetsuit - We make every size and shape wetsuit
I would also be thrilled to hear what option you went with and how it turned out!
CarapaceDiver
New
Please check out our website we create custom made wetsuits for every size. We just release an article which i posted in the reply above that explains about our process and how we are creating wetsuits for every size. Feel free to call us and check us out online as well at www.carapacewetsuits.com
I don't see it mentioned much, but apprently Henderson will do custom sizing:
Size Chart | Special Fit Information
Size Chart | Special Fit Information
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