Wetsuit Recommendations??? - Help a bro out!

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Scoy

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Hello!

Relatively new diver (<15 dives), open water certified. I'm getting to the point where I would like to start buying my own gear and was hoping for some suggestions on the best wetsuits out there.

I'd be looking at a 5mm as I mostly stick to warmer climates and obviously don't go past 18m.

I'm interested in members opinions on:
- Best brands?
- Best features & what do you like about your current wetsuit?
- Worst features & what you don't like about pervious wetsuits?
- Any traps/quality problems a beginner should know to look out for?

I'd like a quality one and don't mind paying up. I just want to make sure I get something that's worth it!

Long post. Thanks for reading!

- Scoy.
 
Knowing your temp window would help.

If I was buying a wetsuit now, I would probably pick up a BARE reactive wetsuit. Bare seem to be the best on the market from what I gather.

I do almost all of my diving (basically anything at or below 25C) in a drysuit, for what it’s worth.
 
Another vote for Bare. I have two (3 & 5), about to buy my stepkids their own.

One thing to keep in mind is only their most expensive suits with omnired are completely lined with it. The less expensive suits have it but only in select panels. It's awesome stuff. They also have always taken care of any issues I've had with the suits in a timely manner (one zipper had a bad tooth after a year and another ripped a bit at the neck).

They offer a ton of sizes which is great but the size chart can get confusing. I made a spreadsheet chart of all of them and ticked off the ranges my body fit into. I then chose the size with the most tick marks in critical areas.

Screenshot 2020-10-05 063718.jpg
 
I have a BARE 3mm and it is a good suit if you're in warmer waters 20C or so; I also have a Hollis semi-dry 7mm and I've dove it comfortably in the 11-15C range. I dive almost exclusively dry suit now as the water in the Atlantic is anywhere from 2C in the spring to 12C in the summer.
 
BARE is great, if you fit into a standard size. Me I'm 6'9"... I started out with a Waterproof, and then got a custom 3mm wetsuit from 7TILL8, and then realized that you can dive without a wedgey.

If you have a standard body type, get a wetsuit off the shelf. If you don't mind paying up - go for a custom wetsuit made to your measurements!
 
Good; fit, features that control water flushing through the suit. The closer you get to semi-dry features the better it will be. There is always the option to give the neck a little tug and get a gulp of water to cool off, not the other way around. The high stretch materials today are very forgiving for small changes in size and for overall flexibility.

Bad. Avoid stiff materials. For 5mm with good stretch there is no need for wrist/ankle zippers. More to fuss with, more to go wrong, more places for water to flush through. If you try the suit on and the suit make you conform to it, don't get that one.

Brands? No idea what is even available on the other side of this marble.

A good 5mm can be very versatile. I have done mine from waters warm enough you don't need a suit at all and with a hooded vest in water cold enough that most are in 7mm if not drysuits. For reference it is a Henderson Aqualock that does a good job of restricting water flow through the suit but is still highly flexible.
 
I've always loved Bare wetsuits. My 5mm Bare Elastek lasted me 9 years. I purchased a 5mm Bare Reactive last fall as a replacement and absolutely love it.
 
Get one that fits. I've noticed small differences between brands, like that Aqualung tends to run small in the wrists and ankles, while Henderson runs large overall but especially in the torso (at least in women's suits.) Try on a bunch and see what works for you.
 

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