Wetsuit Sizing

[syruss32]

Hey can everyone give me your opinion on this, with as many divers on here maybe we can be a force for change in the dive industry!

First off I have to tell you that I am a relatively new diver. I have been diving since August and have only 21 dives in.

I have been diving mostly at a local scuba park here in Texas and have met some really good people. I have also met quite a few divers at ScubaBoard. One thing that I have noticed is that there are a lot of people who are of large stature diving. Most of the dive buddies I have dove with are large guys and of the 4 women that I have dove with 3 of them are pretty large too.

My question is why is the dive industry so limited in options for us? My wife is going to start diving soon and needs a wetsuit in the say 18/20 size. NOBODY makes them and many of the girls that I have dove with are as big as my wife and they have to get mens sizes.

Then there are the men. I am 6' 1" and just a tad over 300 and a 4X shorty fits pretty well. But would like to get a full suit, and almost nobody makes anything larger than a XXXL unless you go with a custom made one or a 6.5/7mil farmer john.

This is not very helpfull. At my size I have all the boyancy I need I don't want to add more with a wetsuit that is twice as thick and would cause me to be hot all the time.

So I am posting this so that maybe the makers of wetsuits could see that there is a market here that no one is catering too.

If you question this go to some local dive sites, heck come on down to Texas and I will take you to meet the locals so you can see these people spend a lot of money on gear and such and often end up spending hundreds extra to go with a custom fit when you can make it for half of that and sell them and make your profit margin.

I would recommend being to first to make womens sizes 18-22 and mens 3mil full suits to say 5x. I will be the first one in line to buy one of each!

Please pass this on to your marketing staff!

 

[martinjc]

I agree!! I am also larger than the average bear (I currently own one wetsuit - a 5X Akona Shorty) and when I first went into my LDS to sign up for OW certification, I was given a quote of $700 for a custom Harvey's wetsuit! Luckily I found the Akona brand through Divers Direct and Leisure Pro on-line. I have also found many other on-line sources for custom suits (Liquid fit, Aquaflite, tc.) that come in a lot lower than $700.

I don't want to get into the on-line vs LDs argument here - but I would think the LDS could at least consider that they may not have the best option available for the larger-diver, and steer them toward an on-line source. I certainly would have appreciated that level of service from my LDS - and it may have convinced me to pay a little more for other equipment at the LDS, rather than buying more equipment on-line.

 

[Dee]

I'm really tired of having to buy mens suits and having to deal with the too-long sleeves and legs. Until the designers that produce women's suits realize that very few have a shape like Barbie, regardless of our size, we're still stuck with mens suits. Even the skinny ladies don't fit the shape of those suits!

Luckily there's new neoprene being made that's alot thinner than it used to be yet provides the same warmth. One advantage to the extra insulation is I can dive in water temps to the mid 60's in my .5mil steamer so my diving year covers about 9 months of the year.

Another section of the diving community not being served well is the extra tall folks. Beast is 6'6" and he has no clue what it feels like to have his ankles and wrists covered in neoprene!

 

[Butch103]

Syruss...........go getem tiger.....hehehe

 

[DivingGal]

OK Syruss you and I have had a similar discussion outside the board -- I agree that the larger versions of divers need to be addressed in a more economical manner.

I do not possess (nor wish to) a "Barbie" figure. At just over 5'8", I don't consider myself tall -- I am the shortest in my family after all, and I don't consider myself "large" although, according to industry standards I am. Although I was able to get a woman's 3/2 mm off the shelf at my local store, when I tried to get a 7mm.... no such luck. I ordered a custom made from Atlan Atlan for approx 600 $Cdn. Fits like a glove.

just my 0.02 worth

 

[artsprite]

Us short folks have a problem, too. I'm only 5' tall, and the wetsuit manufacturers all think if you're as short as me, you MUST be about toothpick size. I just ordered a custom wetsuit because I don't fit any of the sizing charts. I'm not exactly fat, (hope I don't offend anyone) but I'm not super thin, either. I tried several brands of wetsuits, and to get one to fit, it would be sized for a woman that is at least 5'4". The torso is so long that when I zip it up to my neck, it comes up too high. Have you ever tried to breathe with a big rubber band around the middle of your throat? Why can't they make short, reg, and tall, too?

 

[bottom_sucker]

Wifey has same problem, she's 5' tall but not structured to fit the pencil thin requirements built into suits of this height. I've been cruising the depths of the web looking at ladies suits and most start their height/weight charts at 5'4" or 5'6".

She's wearing a mens suit now and I have the fun job of getting the tuck & roll on the sleeves and legs in the right place.

We're likely going to invest in a custom suit over the winter in preparation for next spring ice-out.

At least it should be fun with I get to take the measurements! :mean:

Dave

 

[syruss32]

Come on guys I know there are more opinions out there than the few that have been put here! The more people that put their opinions on these issues the more likely someone in the manufacturing end will listen.

Another good point has been brought up! Shorter sizes for the comfy people!

 

[artsprite]

Ok, Bottom_Sucker, I'll let you know how my custom suit does. I'm getting it from Aquaflight. They were very helpful on the phone, and they're even fitting it differently on each side to match my differences in size from having orthopaedic surgeries. I can't wait to try it. Have a look at their site on the internet.

 

[bottom_sucker]

Thanks Artsy, I'll be sure to pass on the info.