Wetsuits: Advice Needed, In between sizes :(

[stakanak]

The last thing the wetsuit should be is "roomy". A suit will never shrink, they always stretch out.
Super stretch does not make up for improper fitting, ever!
Super stretch has half the life of non super stretch materials.
You should always try on a wetsuit first unless you wish to deal with shipping back and forth until you find the right size.
Every manufacturer has their ideal of the anatomy of a man/woman, which in general none of us are. I wear O' Neil/Aqualung because their Large short sizes fit me to a tee.
Good Luck!

 

[rongoodman]

My experience has been that the Pinnacle suits run small, especially the Elastiprene/Merino suits. I'm 5'8" and 160 and ended up in a Lg Short.

 

[RJP]

I'd recommend forgetting about size charts and try on some suits.

Agreed. The main recommendation I would have is to not go by the sizing charts, other than possibly to narrow down the range of what size within a given manufacturer's suits you try on. According to "the sizing charts" I'm way too tall for the DUI drysuit that fits me like it was custom made. According to "the sizing charts" the Bare drysuit I originally bought should have fit me perfectly, which makes it hard to explain why it was about 3" too short on the inseam and about 2" too short on the arms. According to "the sizing charts" the Pinnacle wetsuit I tried on that was way too big around the chest fit me perfectly, yet the Xcel suit I ended up buying had no hope of fitting well.

"Try before you buy."

 

[DiverDave65]

my two cents: buy the slightly larger suit (as long as it is not real loose) and accept the lower thermal protection, but that leaves room for the hooded vest you can get for just a few more bucks and use when you need it!! I've done this for years.......good luck!!

 

[diveprof]

From what I've seen from friends' purchases, the Pinnacle suit runs signficantly smaller than the size chart. As far as size charts go Bare is pretty accurate.

 

[NC Wreck Diver]

my two cents: buy the slightly larger suit (as long as it is not real loose) and accept the lower thermal protection, but that leaves room for the hooded vest you can get for just a few more bucks and use when you need it!! I've done this for years.......good luck!!

I'd run with this idea. The hooded vest I bought really keeps me warm, with an 'average' size wetsuit. I'm about 6'-0" and 205#. If the conditions are too warm, just leave the vest topside, or at worst, just flip the hood back before your dive.

One thing I do is to put my mask on before I flip my hood up from the vest. When diving offshore Jersey, it's not if you get your mask kicked off, but when..............I don't know if conditions up and down the anchor line are the same in your area. Good luck with the suit.

 

[dolphinlover98]

I also recommend Wetwear (Florida) for a custom suit. For large busted women like me, it makes a world of different to be comfortable.

 

[mselenaous]

I also recommend Wetwear (Florida) for a custom suit. For large busted women like me, it makes a world of different to be comfortable.

I concur. Warmth is about fit. Something that can't be judged well from a sizing chart. Gotta try them on, every maker cuts their suits differently. If you are not a stock size (as most of us aren't), then consider a custom suit. The cost is not out of line with any high end name-brand suit.

I second Wetwear. Love my new suit from them, best fit and easy to don/doff with the long ankle and wrist zippers too. www.wetwear.com. Tell Connie and Gene I said hi.

There are at least 3 custom wetsuit makers in your area.

New Wave/Horizon www.horizonwetsuits.com. Theresa can fix you up. I had several suits altered by her as well as have one of her cold water suits.

I have friends who have suits by JMJ www.jmjwetsuits.com and by M and B Wetsuits in Long Beach.

Good Luck and stay warm in those SoCal waters.