bubble-head
Contributor
I've been diving my Bare Arctic for 4 or 5 years and have really been impressed with it. It's comfortable and warm. Getting in and out of it is fairly easy too.
What is a good 7mm wetsuit?
- Thread starter Abb27ster
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
red hook
Registered
I agree w/ Bubble-Head.. I have a bare 7mm with a 7mm vest and seems to do the trick in water thats in the low 50 degree range...
My Bare Arctic set (Full suit & hooded step-in vest) has served me very well over the 300+ dives it has been used for. Unfortunately the product has been phased out. If you are the right size you can still get the set at fire sale prices. Looking at the line on the Website and specifications the SPORT model seems to be a comparable suit with a new name.
The other alternatives are the Velocity and Elastek series. The Velocity is a mix of full body neoprene and stretch panels with a few 6mm areas. The Elastek is a full stretch 7mm suit. Each has a companion vest like my Arctic.
A well fit Arctic (Sport?) is very easy to don so I would not bother with the Velocity in 7mm. Other than material they are very similar in features (I do have a 5/4 Velocity) Even though I am not a fan of stretch suits I have seen the Elastek on the rack and it has some neat sealing features at the limb openings and is worth a look but the MSRP is about 1.5X that of the Sport.
In any case I am a big fan of the full suit with hooded step-in vest combo for wet cold water diving.
More helpful suit info from my site.
Pete
The other alternatives are the Velocity and Elastek series. The Velocity is a mix of full body neoprene and stretch panels with a few 6mm areas. The Elastek is a full stretch 7mm suit. Each has a companion vest like my Arctic.
A well fit Arctic (Sport?) is very easy to don so I would not bother with the Velocity in 7mm. Other than material they are very similar in features (I do have a 5/4 Velocity) Even though I am not a fan of stretch suits I have seen the Elastek on the rack and it has some neat sealing features at the limb openings and is worth a look but the MSRP is about 1.5X that of the Sport.
In any case I am a big fan of the full suit with hooded step-in vest combo for wet cold water diving.
More helpful suit info from my site.
Pete
Slamfire
Contributor
I'll add another vote for the Bare Arctic 7mm with a 7mm hooded vest. I dive with it year round every month of the year, rain, shine or snow. I dive in Canada's west coast. Water temperatures range from 42 F to 51 F. It's got inside neoprene "seals" (semi-dry?) just above the ankles, the wrists and the back zipper that minimize water circulation.
It is easy to get in and yet not too flexible to compress too much at depth. My dives are routinely to the 120' to 130' range with some some deco time and deep stops. I've gone to depths slightly below 150' with this suit and it's kept me warm through low activity deco times as long as 33 mins.
I believe one reason for being so comfortable in it is the fit. It was a great fit right off the rack. The picture below was taken on Jan 3, 2009 after a 43 min dive to 107'. I was the only one diving wet that day. Water temperature was 43 F. There were only four of us crazy enough to go out diving in the middle of a blizzard. BTW, this particular Bare Arctic is getting close to 200 dives.
It is easy to get in and yet not too flexible to compress too much at depth. My dives are routinely to the 120' to 130' range with some some deco time and deep stops. I've gone to depths slightly below 150' with this suit and it's kept me warm through low activity deco times as long as 33 mins.
I believe one reason for being so comfortable in it is the fit. It was a great fit right off the rack. The picture below was taken on Jan 3, 2009 after a 43 min dive to 107'. I was the only one diving wet that day. Water temperature was 43 F. There were only four of us crazy enough to go out diving in the middle of a blizzard. BTW, this particular Bare Arctic is getting close to 200 dives.
bubble-head
Contributor
Awesome pic Slamfire!
Slamfire
Contributor
Thanks, Patrick. It was ok as long as I wearing the suit. The sad part was when I changed to plain clothes. I lost feeling on my toes and it took about 20 mins for the feeling to come back after putting on thermal socks and winter boots. Needless to say, there were no repetitive dives that day.
I have one and was never cold diving in winter (48-55 F range). The SolaFX is considered semi-dry, and I frequently never got completely wet. My only complaint, and it applies to all wetsuits, is that I really don't like that much rubber. I've since switched to a Whites Fusion, which I really, really like.
riverdiver
Contributor
How does some one with less that 200 dives rate a suit when it is maybe their first suit. I go through a suit every year and a half, zebra mussels and plus 500 dives kill them. I liked the tilos, and have Bares with and with out the hood one piece and farmer johns, I am wearing a neosport for the Summer that is the same As the Henderson, I buy the cheap ones now that was around $150.00. Best time to buy a suit is in the Winter when they are cheaper. And yes buy the next size bigger because they shrink like hell from drying in the sun,nothing worth than getting in a suit that is to small, I wear a Large in everything but a XL in the wetsuits.
Similar threads
