Wetsuits: Farmer John vs. Jumpsuit

[TennDECA]

Friends,

I have been out of the sport for about 15 years and I'm looking to hit the water again. Part of that is buying all new gear. I dive primarily in cold water, so I'm looking at 7mm wetsuits. In the past, I had a two piece Farmer John. Now it seems like most I've seen for sale are jumpsuits.

Is there any practical difference between the two (ie, comfort, warmth, flexibility, etc) or do they both work equally as well?

Thanks and best regards.

 

[spectrum]

I am partial to the full suit and hooded step-in vest and have had great results with Bare products. I'm consistently one of the warmer divers in the group. Personal nature and a modest excess of bioprene may be part of the equation. See here.

In terms of rubber coverage it is comparable to a john and jacket set. However having the hood integrated into the vest does a better job of shutting down the neck opening as a source of cold water. In milder conditions the full suit can be paired with a chicken vest or bibbed hood as desired. It ends up being a pretty flexible ensemble.

A farmer John/Jane bottom provides the least coverage where you need it the most so IMO it's not an ideal item to use by it's self. Likewise for the jacket, it will be cut to be comfortable over the John/Jane. I know some will post they make good use of the John and jacket parts independently but use and effectiveness are 2 different things. Also with the farmer John set and a bibbed hood you can end up with 3 layers of neoprene up on the shoulders.

Pete

 

[jar546]

Farmer john- bulkier, need more weight to sink you, warmer than jumpsuit due to doubled insulation in the torso

 

[diverrex]

I use a 7 mm farmer John with a hooded vest. No problems at all with that setup. I like to be able to easily take off the jacket between dives, hang it up and get into my dive coat for the SI.

 

[Wetwear]

With a farmer john and Long sleeve jacket you always have to wear both pieces in order to have full coverage. Sometimes you do not need that double layer on your chest and torso.

We like to recommend wearing a full jumpsuit in the thickness that will keep you warm most of the year. Then you can layer up from that for your colder dives. For instance a diver in Florida may wear a 3mm full suit most of the year, but in the colder months add a 3mm short sleeve shorty, short john or hooded vest over top for additional warmth. This gives the diver 6mm in the chest and torso during the colder temperatures and the flexibility to wear one layer or both and still have full body coverage. You can layer with any thicknesses you want. A diver in a colder climate might start with a 5mm or 7mm full jumpsuit, and then layer on top with another 5mm or 7mm.

Hope this helps...

 

[diverrex]

You really just need to try on different suits to see how they fit and what is comfortable. I originally went with a farmer John two piece because in the full suit I was between a small and medium. The medium was a little too loose but the small felt too restrictive. But I felt fine in the small two piece.

 

[live_2_dive]

For me, IF I'm wearing a wetsuit it's a full body Hendrickson or ScubaPro. That's because those fit me and feel great. Like diverrex said, it's all about how they fit you. Try on different ones and make sure they won't restrict your movement.

I personally wouldn't be concerned about weight as much because if you need more weight but it's a better fit, win


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PADI Rescue/DM 09100Z7445
Dr Dive/Wet Dream/Sea Cobra/Y-Knot/H2OBelow

Diving is my passion...I live to dive!

 

[NAM001]

I recently got my first farmer john. I am not sure why but i somehow thought my 3mm fj gave me 3mm on the core. I was wrong. it was 3mm onthe legs and arms but 6 mm on the core ansd the entire suit was 3mm. I fugure that i need 5 more # of weight than with a junp suit. It was warm in 70ish water a little restrictive in movement but then again it was not a full blown taylor fitted suit. i am 6 ft and 250# and it need 19 # weight for the suit. but then i need 19# for the dry suit also.

 

[spectrum]

With a farmer john and Long sleeve jacket you always have to wear both pieces in order to have full coverage. Sometimes you do not need that double layer on your chest and torso.

We like to recommend wearing a full jumpsuit in the thickness that will keep you warm most of the year. Then you can layer up from that for your colder dives. For instance a diver in Florida may wear a 3mm full suit most of the year, but in the colder months add a 3mm short sleeve shorty, short john or hooded vest over top for additional warmth. This gives the diver 6mm in the chest and torso during the colder temperatures and the flexibility to wear one layer or both and still have full body coverage. You can layer with any thicknesses you want. A diver in a colder climate might start with a 5mm or 7mm full jumpsuit, and then layer on top with another 5mm or 7mm.

Hope this helps...

Often when layering the biggest benefit is not from the added insulation but in forming a labyrinth seal that water must pass through. Less water exchange = warmer diver.

Pete