Wetsuits and body fat/weight fluctuations

[Altamira]

Thanks! I did find a place near me that does this, but they don't have a flat rate for this. They have to quote me for it, which makes sense. Then I would have to compare the cost of that vs a new off-the-shelf suit vs a new custom.

Understand completely. I also did a cost comparison, and Chris at Terrapin Custom Wetsuits, tailored my two older Bare wetsuits for a whole lot less than the cost of buying one new wetsuit, much less two. After four years of wearing the modified wetsuits, I lost all the additional weight I was carrying, and my 3mm was compressed to slightly less than 2mm so I bought a new 3mm and 5mm Bare Reactive that fit perfectly off the shelf, rather than re-tailor the two older wetsuits.

 

[johndiver999]

My suggestion is you get one of these in your current size for $99.

Neosport by Henderson waterman

Waterman" A name given to a person who works or spend his life on, in or around the water, NeoSport couldn't think of a better name for their new 7mm Jacket. With its Trident Waterman Logo, this suit...

www.scuba.com

They also come in 5mm and 3mm.

You can pair it with their Farmer John for another $99 if your Akona won't work

Neosport by Henderson waterman

Waterman: A name given to a person who works or spend his life on, in or around the water, NeoSport couldn't think of a better name for their new 7mm John. With its thermal bonded diamond plate knee...

www.scuba.com

Neosport is Henderson's budget line. Once you get to your desired weight/size, you can splurge on the Henderson Thermoprene version of the jacket.

Henderson Thermoprene Jacket

Divers seeking a great value will appreciate Thermoprene's balance of performance and price. The material combination delivers greater flexibility and improved features not found in standard neoprene...

www.scuba.com

I have one of these in 3mm and I love it. it's so easy to get into, comfortable, and warm enough for the dives I do.

yeah way better than altering an old stiff suit. Diving in a thick suit that restricts your motion and inhibits your breathing is really not smart or safe. Sell the old suit for cheap and buy a new suit that fits, it will be more comfortable and stretchy.

 

[lizardland]

I would not recommend trying to buy a used drysuit. Maybe just my situation, but there’s no definitive test you can do out of the water to make sure it’s not gonna leaks or screw you. I bought a suit and it felt good, fit good. Was only like 3-4 years old, first time I dove it, zipper was leaking, also found a few holes. Ended up at DUI and they basically said it would be $1,000 to get it dive-able, and they said I’d probably have it back in the shop every 6 months with new holes from material wear. Just a warning.

I haven't bought a new suit since 2001. I always buy used and very cheap suits. Drysuits aren't that hard to fix at home. I bought a 10 year old DUI 10 years ago from ebay (I think I paid under $250) and it is still going strong at 20+ years old. Unless you're doing major repairs/alterations then most jobs are a Saturday afternoon. It would have to be a major tear or physical damage to really need to go to a workshop.

Wrist seals are very easy. Neck seals are slightly harder but still not hard. Even changing a zip is something that can be done at home in a few hours. You have to screw things up really badly to be at a point where you can't remove it with a heatgun and start again if things go wrong. Leaks can be a bit harder to track down but leak testing isn't complicated and neither is fixing them.

The key is patience. Dry fit everything before you do it for real so you understand the steps. Learn how to do a leak test and do it after every repair or whenever you get a leak.

It really isn't complicated. Dive shops like to act like it's the inner workings of a nuclear power plant but fixing drysuits is no harder than changing brake pads on a car. It is all right tools, right parts, patience and preparation.

Youtube is full of instructional videos. There's a channel called Dry Suit Projects which has a ton of good repair videos.

 

[bradlw]

I hadn't really considered the idea of altering a wetsuit
and yeah if you could find a place that specializes in it that would probably be a great idea.
But if there's nothing convenient, I'll bet any handy seamstress/tailor could do it.... a little cutting, a little bit of seam seal and stiching. Seems like a great idea...and if it's a DIY hack that doesn't look great, who cares? or look at it as a temporary thing untill you settle in at your new weight

and on that note I'd suggest giving that time... after you lose weight, it's a long process to figure out how to level off and maintain, rather than rebounding. In my experience you'll almost certianly gain a little in the process before it stabilizes

My suggestion is you get one of these in your current size for $99.

Neosport by Henderson waterman

Waterman" A name given to a person who works or spend his life on, in or around the water, NeoSport couldn't think of a better name for their new 7mm Jacket. With its Trident Waterman Logo, this suit...

www.scuba.com

They also come in 5mm and 3mm.

You can pair it with their Farmer John for another $99 if your Akona won't work

Neosport by Henderson waterman

Waterman: A name given to a person who works or spend his life on, in or around the water, NeoSport couldn't think of a better name for their new 7mm John. With its thermal bonded diamond plate knee...

www.scuba.com

Neosport is Henderson's budget line. Once you get to your desired weight/size, you can splurge on the Henderson Thermoprene version of the jacket.

Henderson Thermoprene Jacket

Divers seeking a great value will appreciate Thermoprene's balance of performance and price. The material combination delivers greater flexibility and improved features not found in standard neoprene...

www.scuba.com

I have one of these in 3mm and I love it. it's so easy to get into, comfortable, and warm enough for the dives I do.

I ended up with a Henderson farmer john and jacket in 3mm too... like your last link, not the neosport version. I've only dove it a couple of times but so far like it well enough.

I'm a big fan of the farmer john style of suit. Seems to have gone out of style but It's a versitile suite that has served me well. I like the double layer over the torso when it's cold, the jacket alone is great when it's warmer, and the front zip allows for easy venting if it's too warm. I don't recall ever diving with the farmer john alone without the jacket, but I suppose there could be a place for that too.

 

[grantmac]

Rent drysuits, Wilson's (my preference) or White's have them to fit any body.
Also the local used drysuit market is very good with repairs available locally.

 

[GearheadExplorer85]

Here's my take as I'm going thru the weight loss right now. Down 100lbs in about 9 months (zepbound well worth it if insurance pays for it). Do not buy a drysuit until you have leveled out.i made the assumption when I had lost 60lbs and most of my blubber was gone to order drysuit then so I would have perfect room for thick artic thermals. Yeah that didn't work out, I could wear 2 400g thermals and still have room.
My wetsuit that was a bear to get on is now hilarious loose so water flushing and bunching.
Given that you are in cold country you really dont get the luxury of going cheap suit or poor fitting or you'll freeze your tail off.
Id say the best option for being the most flexible in weight is a used drysuit that fits now. It will still fit as you get smaller. You can add thermal to compensate for extra room. It will be way more forgiving then wet. Just need to handle the air pocket differently

Thanks, but I think I'm going to stick with wetsuits...for now. I'm not against the idea of getting a drysuit eventually. However:

1) Assuming that I had the money for a drysuit (used or new), I wouldn't know what to look for in terms of features and possible defects.

2) A drysuit is a can of worms that I don't want to open right now. I did my first salt water dive this last weekend and I had a hard time managing my buoyancy (I'm out of practice). If I were to get a drysuit now, it would compound my problems.

 

[GearheadExplorer85]

I would not recommend trying to buy a used drysuit. Maybe just my situation, but there’s no definitive test you can do out of the water to make sure it’s not gonna leaks or screw you. I bought a suit and it felt good, fit good. Was only like 3-4 years old, first time I dove it, zipper was leaking, also found a few holes. Ended up at DUI and they basically said it would be $1,000 to get it dive-able, and they said I’d probably have it back in the shop every 6 months with new holes from material wear. Just a warning.

I agree 100%. To add to that, I did my first salt water dive (edit: after 9 year break) this past weekend with a rented 7mm Henderson full jumpsuit. I had issues managing my buoyancy at the beginning and end of the dive. Assuming that I had the means to buy a drysuit (new or used), that would make my problem with buoyancy control more complicated. Even worse if it's a used drysuit that potentially has issues.

 

[grantmac]

A thick wetsuit will fight you on initial decent and then again when ascending.
Plenty of folks do their very first dives here dry. I'd say you have initial instruction issues which would be solved by getting some one-on-one with a good instructor, in a drysuit.

 

[pdwh]

Hi everyone:

I'm looking for advise on what to do for exposure protection while losing weight. I'm located on Vancouver Island, BC. I'm getting back into diving and just finished my refresher training.

I currently have an Akona 2-piece 7mm farmer john (7mm overalls with 7mm front-zip shorty on top). I purchased this back in 2012 when I first got into diving. At the time, it served me well and did a good job at keeping me warm over multiple dives.

However, my body has changed during my hiatus from 2016 to now. I'm barrel chested, heavier, have a bit more body fat, and have more upper body muscle. As a result, my wetsuit doesn't fit me properly anymore. When I pulled my suit out from my closet and tried to put it on dry, I really struggled with getting it on. I was able to get into my 7mm overalls, but it was a battle. The shorty that goes over top was borderline impossible to zip up all the way because my upper body is bigger now. After lubricating the zipper and fighting it some more, I was eventually able to zip the shorty up all the way. But my movement was very restricted and I felt like the Michelin man XD I didn't have my hood on by the way. I dreaded the thought of putting the hood on and passing out from heat exhaustion. It took about an hour to get everything on.

I know dry suits are the ideal choice for diving in my region. The fact of the matter is that I can't afford a good drysuit right now. I do plan to buy one in the future though for diving the Great Lakes. But it's going to take me a few years to save up for one.

So...I'm considering my options for wetsuits

1) Not dive until I lose weight and can fit in my old suit again (Pros: Cheapest option | Cons: Could take a while and I won't be able to dive which obviously isn't ideal lol)

2) Rent suits until I get to my target weight and then buy a new suit (Pros: shop should always have the size of suit I need | Cons: Cost could add up to a lot if I do a lot of diving)

3) Buy a different sized shorty to put over my existing 7mm overalls (Pros: Probably the next cheapest option | Cons: Will have to buy a new suit once I get to my target weight)

4) Buy a new suit that fits my body now (Pros: Will be more comfortable in the water now | Cons: Will have to buy a new suit once I lose weight)

- For this option, I was considering a single-piece front zip jumpsuit like this: TherMaxx® Men’s Front Zip Jumpsuit • Henderson Aquatics​

- At my LDS, I rented a Henderson 3mm shorty back-zip for my pool refresher and really liked it. I also tried on a Henderson 7mm back-zip jumpsuit in the shop and really liked it also. Out of all the suits I tried, the Henderson's seem stretchier and seem easier to don and doff.​

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I'm 100% sure I'm not the first person and won't be the last person to go through this. I would really appreciate other's feedback and experience on this.

Thanks!

I just bought a Henderson Thermoprene 7mm for last winter, size 6XL. Lost a lot of weight. Sold it and recovered enough that I spend about 1/4 of what renting for those dives would have cost me. I'll be ordering a new 7mm for this winter, probably the equivalent of a Henderson 4XL - down 2 sizes. The larger sizes seem to sell well used on Ebay because they don't show up too often. Hopefully when I shrink out of the next one, I'll be at a stable size for the dry suit.