Wetsuit

[dhuskins]

Routinely, my advice to people is rent first. There are so many variations and things to consider to simply jump in and buy something.

First: figure out if you like the activity (in this case cold-water diving)
Second: figure out what you want to do in that activity
Third: Based on a few rental experiences and talking with others, find out what works best for your needs.
. . .
Last: Match up you wants/needs with price/features and buy what comes from that decision.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah, obviously you need to (rent?) try the 7 mil wetsuit first. For me 50F is balmy, 45 is OK and below that is doable down to freezing, but I have to watch my hands getting cold. Everyone's different. Drysuit solves it all, but costs a lot and is fussier to maintain--so I hear.

 

[Prostar]

Whereabouts are you in Oregon?
Things are warming up now so I'll probably set aside the drysuit in favor of my 7 mil. But that's just me. I have a whole rack of different suits to handle whatever water I end up in.
Welcome to the pond.

 

[ScubaRok]

I live in the Gresham area, BORING Oregon to be more specific. After reading the responses I have recieved, I think I will give a 7 mil a try. I got one message that highly recommended the Scuba pro line so I think I will look into that. This is the first time I have used this site, and it has really been helpful. Thanks again.....ScubaRok

 

[el_guapo]

Have you seen this?
NOVA SCOTIA - SCUBAPRO-UWATEC

I was at one of my LDS and a couple people there mentioned that they know some folks who bought this semi-dry and actually installed inflater valves on them to turn it into a full-on drysuit. The wrists, ankles and neck all have double gaskets, and the sipper is literally a drysuit-style zipper.

I'd buy one myself, if I didn't already own an AquaLung SolAfx. I'm warm in Monterey, where the temps have been between 49-54 F. Gotten a little chilled once, but I will be trying a 1mm neoprene shirt underneath this weekend.

Safe diving!

 

[ding dang]

In the summertime, a nice 7mm would be fine. Henderson makes a farmer-john styled 7mm for $150 total ($75 top & bottom), found on LeisurePro. Add a cheap 7mm hood, boots, and gloves, and you're good to go.