Wetsuit Selection (Cold)

[redblanket]

Ok, I'm having a little difficulty getting a straight answer out of salesmen regarding wetsuit quality.

I've tried on an Akona 7mm john jacket that was comfortable, and also an XS Scuba john jacket combo that was nice as well.

I've also gotten some prices on BARE full suits with a hooded jacket to layer - and I also have had a look at the pinnicale semi dry's that get a high rating from one shop and a low rating from the other.

I guess I'm askign what's the best bang for my buck that will keep me warm in cold water without getting a dry suit.

Thanks for your help.
gb

 

[red_infinity]

Akona 7mm, but I guess I'm a bit biased because it's what I dive. The suit keeps me nice and warm, and is pretty simple to don and doff. It's a GREAT wetsuit for the money. Especially good for a starving college student such as myself.

-Francis

 

[spectrum]

I'm partial to my Bare Arctic 7mm fullsuit with the Hooded Step-in Shorty as a top layer. Add gauntlet gloves and neoprene socks in your booties and you can go as far as you care to short of diving dry. I don't think twice about using this combo to 50F and I have used it in 40F. Generaly below 50 I'm diving dry.

I do consider a fullsuit and hooded vest supperior to a John, jacket and hood. The closure is much better.

Pete

 

[Wayward Son]

How cold?

I just bought a 7mm Pyrostretch from XS Scuba. Nice & very affordable. I was very warm sunday in 63 degree water, did 4 dives. I recommend a hooded vest rather than a hood with a skirt. The vest will prevent that cold trickle down your back caused by the skirt from the hood messing up the neck seal.

I'll be perfectly fine in this suit down into the 50's, which is all I have to deal with here, and it only cost me about $200.

The semi-dry suits with attached hoods are very nice, I know 3 people who dive the Henderson version. They cost a lot more than this suit did, even if you add in a hooded vest.

 

[ScubaDivaDivemaster]

I know a guy who wore the 7mm Instadry (henderson) while he was doing his instructor training in January in ?50 degree water and he raved about the suit. The other folks and trainers in the drysuits were ready to get out of the water and he wanted to stay in and do fun dives. Stephen Frink wrote an article about them saying they worked great, I believe he could wear a 3mm instadry when he usually wore a 5mm regular suit. I haven't had a chance to check one out yet but I'm considering buying one while crazyscuba.com has a moving sale going on. I'd email britt at crazyscuba.com and ask him about it. He won't steer you wrong. his email is crazyscuba@aol.com. I normally wear a 5mm or more in the Caribbean because I'm so cold natured, so I'm hoping I can wear a thinner suit like Frink did.

Good luck and keep warm!

 

[CrazyScuba]

Here's the info on Stephen Frink and the instadry scubadivadivemaster was talking about:

Stephen Frink Photo Tour, Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, Australia - August 11-18, 2005


Henderson Insta Dry
In anticipation of cooler water in Australia this time of year, I made a call to my friend Joe Polak at Henderson Aquatics. I knew I needed something a little warmer than my tropical wetsuits, and I was very eager to try out their new Insta Dry technology. I had tried the Insta Dry gloves previously in Indonesia, and found they were ultra warm and flexible. I thought at the time an Insta Dry wetsuit had terrific appeal.

The week before leaving I received both 5mm and 3mm Insta Dry suits from Henderson. These suits are just now getting out into their dealer network, and I was thrilled to have an early production suit to try.

First impression ... Holy Cow, Nice Presentation! They come in a really cool storage box, with a special towel to wipe the suit down after the dive, thereby expediting the quick-dry aspect of the suit. The suit itself is very stylish, in a black-on-black kind of way. Nice graphics, quite elegant actually. Guaranteed to put me into "stealth mode" for all those sneaky little macro critters on the Great Barrier Reef.

When I tried the suit on, it felt different than their Hyperstretch, for example. Where the Hyperstretch is very forgiving in terms of sizing, covering a wide range of somatotype with a single suit, the Insta dry really should be properly fitted. They are a little harder to slip into, but more form fitting. The inside is like their familiar Gold Core material, but with Insta Dry on the outside it will not stretch like a conventional suit.

With the baggage restrictions we all face for international travel, I made a leap of faith. I didn't want to take both 3mm and 5mm suits, so I trusted I could get by with a 3mm and a hooded vest in the 74-degree water. Actually, I based this on how warm their gloves kept my hands compared to similar neoprene gloves. But, it was a bit risky. A normal 3mm suit in this environment would be way too cold for me.

Fast forward to the Great Barrier Reef on our first dive of the trip. I leap in with my new 3mm Insta Dry and a hooded vest. Expecting that first blast of cold water down my spine, I am pleasantly reassured. So far so good. I only had to wear 8 pounds of weight, whereas those with 5mm and hooded vests were wearing 20 pounds of lead, and more. After a 50-minute dive I dried off and went to the shipa€™s satellite e-mail service to report in to Joe. Here below are my first impressions of the Henderson Insta Dry:

Joe - I'm writing this from Spirit of Freedom live-aboard, first day out on the Great Barrier Reef.

Details:
74-degree water
3mm Henderson Insta Dry suit with additional hooded vest

Results:
Truly amazing. By far the warmest 3mm suit I've ever worn. People in 5/3mm suits, and even those in brand new 5mm suits purchased specifically for this trip were coming out of the water chilled. It did not even occur to me to think about the cold. I did not know it was cold, totally not an issue. I was truly surprised to see so many shivering on deck after the dive. I was 5mm warm in 3mm comfort. Less weight was required, greater flexibility allowed, and did I mention a€¦ it was warm!!!

Joe ... congratulations. The concept is brilliant. The facts that it dries quickly, doesna€™t hold odor or bacteria, and is stylish are pluses of course. But, the reality is that it does thermal protection very, very well.

My new Insta Dry fits great, looks great, and is clearly a significantly enhanced technological achievement.

Steve

Stephen Frink
www.stephenfrink.com


Hey redblanket,
After you read it check out our “Total Liquidation Blowout” before we move to our new location. For our Best Prices Ever! Type in the word “blowout1” for equipment and the word “camera1” for cameras in to the “Discount Coupon” box located at the bottom of your shopping cart Here's the suit http://www.crazyscuba.com/pd_3mm.cfm

If you have any questions email me, I'll be glad to help however I can.

Britt :fish:
:fish:

 

[bubble-head]

My buddy and I really like our Bare Artic and Velocity full suits. We are currently diving comfortably in 55 degree water.