women gear

[aquagirl]

I'm just a beginner so I'm still learning and getting comfortable with my gear. I've been searching the web (as well as shops) for gear that fits petite woman with mixed results. Basically, it seems manufactures still do not take woman seriously. I seem to come accross this problem in just about every sport I partake, be it skiing, boarding or biking - men just have the upper hand (although it's become much better in these recent years). But enough *itchin'. I'm 5'2"-5'3" 107 lbs. I was able to find my wet suit and fins after a bit of searching but finding a mask has been a pain. I've been using the Scubapro Crystal Vu because that was the only mask that fit me at the store at the time. However, I find it a bit large. Water leaks in constantly and the mask causes painful pressure to my upper lip/nose area. I can't seem to find a shop that has smaller masks that works for women (or should I say woman like me? and children's mask just doesn't cut it) Does anyone know of a website or shop in NYC that would have gear for women? Or is that asking too much from these manufacturers? Please - don't bash the idea of women gear (I've been there for all my other sports) I'm not looking for lower performance gear (which usually happens when manufacturers develop "women gear") just masks, fins, wetsuit choices that are comfortable to women. And in my case, just the mask (for now). Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[double125's]

My wife is 5'4" 105 lbs and she had the same problem. The only thing that would work for her was a seaquest vision. I dont know if they still make it or not but this might be a starting point for ya.

 

[Kat]

There is nothing wrong with wanting equipment to fit properly for the sport you are participating in. Man, women or child.
I'm sure it comes down to money. It's not profitable to redesign a product for a handful of people. The company doesn't care if the gear doesn't fit you. They know you will buy something & maybe more than 1 of a certain item, as you search for the perfect fit. It's not untill they are certain that a womens product will be profitable will they take our needs into consideration.

 

[kelpmermaid]

on the mask front, you might want to check out the Mares Target if you can find it. It is very low volume and seems to work well on smaller faces, or at least on mine.

 

[gaustad]

I shopped for about 6 months for a mask that wouldn't leak hoping that I could find an inexpensive snug fitting mask. I finally gave up and bought a SeaVision Ultra. After visiting at least 5 dive shops and sticking my face in all of their masks it always seemed to be the one I was left holding. So I gave up on finding something inexpensive and was just grateful that I had found a good fit. I have the yellow colored lens for low visibility (which works well for me since I have yet to dive in waters with greater than 10 feet of visibility). I believe the pink is designed for tropical dives less than 30 feet.

 

[aquagirl]

Thank you to all that have replied so far. I'll look out for those models as I keep looking for the right fit. Of course, I still would love to hear suggestions from anyone else on the forum. So please keep it coming!
To double125's - do you mean SeaVision or is there a model called vision from SeaQuest that you're wife uses? Just wanted to confirm. Thanks.

 

[double125's]

The name of the mask is vision and it was made by seaquest, she also had a back up mask by oceanic I believe it was called the outlook. It worked well for her but she preferred the seaquest.

 

[double125's]

Her are a couple you can check off your list. Oceanic trend. this was my original mask that she tried and did not like. She also owned a oceanic bivu which she did not like and it is now my primary mask. Just about any of the no name brands are not suited for smaller face. Her reason for not liking them was due to improper sealing and therefore leaking.

 

[jiveturkey]

I think it was the April edition of Rodales carried a review of women's bcs. You might want to check that one out for some ideas. They looked at 8 or 10 jackets.

 

[jiveturkey]

Actually, those reviews are on the website:


http://scubadiving.com/gear/200304womensbcs/