Wetsuit recommendations for specific diving environments

[boat sju]

Mike,

Someone posted this link in another thread. It explains "gray market" goods. It may interest you. Leisurepro sells gray market while Scubatoys is an authorized dealer.

Not to start another debate about on-line vs. brick and mortar purchasing, personally I feel there's room for both, but this gray market stuff was an eye opener to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_market

 

[MasterGoa]

Mike, I dive using the Pinnacle Extreme - it's a 8/6 "semi-dry" with attached hood. You'll get a lot of "semi-dry is like semi pregnant..." comments. The concept is it has seals at the wrist and ankles to restrict water flow through the suit. Yes you get wet. I use it year round diving at Dutch and the Jersey shore. I love the suit and it keeps me very comfortable. The coldest water I've dove with it is 40 F.

JR

It is recommended to prime your suit with
warm water before you hit the lake.


Just a thought

 

[joe rock]

Mike, sounds like you're making a good decision. Good luck, let us know how you like the suit.

JR

 

[NJMike]

This morning I was thinking about my plan to buy a Pinnacle Elite. The Elite is a7/5 mil with Merino lining in the torso.

Then I looked at the Pinnacle Arctic. It's also a 7/5, but with Merino throughout the entire suit. It looks like everything else about the two are the same. And it will only cost $37 more than the Elite.

Hmm. Think I may have changed my mind.

 

[jeraldjcook]

If you have the money, I would go for the Elite over the Cruiser. Not for the Merino but because of the seals. The Cruiser has no seals on the ankle and barely 1cm of "skin" material on the wrist to keep water out. The water I dive isn't too cold and without the seals the suit is MUCH easier to put on. One negative, in my view, with the seals is that if you are one of those people who pee in your suit it is much harder to flush the suit underwater.

 

[NJMike]

The choice now is either the Elite or the Arctic. I'm not considering the Cruiser. The LDS has Elites in stock, hope they have at least one Arctic to look at. But either way, they will order it so it will be there when I go to make the purchase. Then, if I don't like it, I'll just get the Elite.

I found out today that the Arctic has a "batwing gusset" over the rear zipper. It's suppose to fold open like a fan when you get in the suit, the fold close when you zip up and it becomes the spinepad.

Can't see any good pictures of it, but not sure how that will work.

Anyone have a Pinnacle Arctic?

 

[atedeschi]

When I go to DS I wear a two piece 7mm w 5mm boots from June-Sept and have a hood just incase but it is usually pulled down. In May I use my drysuit but when I did not have one I used a two piece 7mm. Check our BARE wetsuits, they have some nice options, you could go with a semi dry they are nice.