I ordered based on their sizing charts and the medium/short that I selected fit me just fine, except for the arm length which is not noted on their chart. I'm now asking Bare if they have anything that would still fit me but have longer sleeves.
Bare Velocity
- Thread starter Richesb
- 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
bubble-head
Contributor
It appears that the hyperstretch material does have less insulating properties. I dive an Artic 7mil w/o any hyperstretch and my buddy, the Velocity hyperstretch 7 mil. He gets cold way faster than I do. He is also a thinner guy, with less body fat, which also has to account for getting cold faster. As far as the Bare sizing charts, I found them to be very accuarate.
thelawgoddess
Contributor
i get cold super easy so i went with the 5/4 velocity for an 8-day trip to cozumel and it was absolutely perfect - much of the suit is 5mm with 4mm panels that are stretchier where you really need it. (i also wore my regular cold water hood - i think it is 5mm.) i was worried it might be too much, but figured it'd be easier to cool myself than to try to make myself warmer, and out of 16 or 17 dives i was only ever cold towards the end of one dive and we did several night dives and a couple of cenote dives as well. my boyfriend doesn't get cold nearly as easily and took 4/3 henderson neosport, and felt a little chilly on more than a few dives and definitely more towards the end of the trip. he also didn't wear a hood.flamingfish:
i found my velocity very easy to get in and out of - nothing like the lesser-quality full wetsuits and high-quality semi-dry wetsuits i've worn in the past, and it really does have to do with the construction of the suit. (btw, if you do get cold i'd recommend wearing your hood for all your dives even if nobody else does - that will help keep your core temperature up, which will help you stay warmer when you're diving for days on end.) seems like you already know, but the fit is truly what will make or break the suit's overall effectiveness.
the bare suits do seem to fit pretty true to size according to the charts, and they are sized to fit tight - like a wetsuit should. i just checked the chart again, and all of my measurements fit inside the range of the size i got EXCEPT for the waist. (i mean c'mon, are they serious??? i wish!
) if you're crossing sizes, i'd think that hips and chest would be most important. i'd suggest finding a retailer who knows bare well and can give you a recommendation based on your measurements, and if you're truly concerned about sizing, find a retailer who is willing to guarantee fit. (i believe richard at divetank.com will do this, and he has excellent prices as well.)
ecudiver
Contributor
i have a 5/4 velocity and abosuletly love it. the size fits me great and i stay warm. two thumbs up for the velocity.
Bare is closer than Henderson with their sizing chart. I found them to be absolutely spot on. However, since there's no such thing as a 'standard' physique, everyone will have something different to say 'bout this...flamingfish:
CC1020
Contributor
I love mine, and have been comfortable in the summer with temps at the surface in the 80s, and down into the upper 50s at a quarry with hood and gloves, so it covers a good range. Got it for a good price from Scubatoys, too. This is the older hydrostretch, not the newer progressive stretch, so YMMV.
Bare XL 2/2 Velocity Shorty, 2005 edition with Hyperstretch chest panel, Royal/Yellow/Black. Good fit for me, nice and snug without being overly confining. First time I put it on I think I kind of 'overstretched' the hyperstretch panel as it had some gray 'stretch mark' lines in it - but they've since faded. Did send it back for a seam restitch under warranty once but sent back good as new. Nothing special - when you're wearing a 2/2 shorty its not like you needed much protection anyway.
Bare 3/2 full XL - 2005 edition w/ Hyperstretch chest in the medium blue / gray combination. Again, good suit, good fit for me. Sleeves are a good length (I'm about 6' 1/5" with gorilla length arms) but legs strangely could be a wee bit longer (my inseam is 34" in jeans). Plenty of overlap with mid-high booties. Considered an XL-T size but don't want excess in the body, and this one is fine there (nice and snug from shoulders to crotch). Overall no real complaints although after a while the rolled ankle seams give me big old skin dents, but I think that'd happen with any suit. Zipper was a bit sticky at the very bottom, sometimes took help to free it up but once started it glided up fine. Will hit it up with a bit of wax before the next dive.
Have a 5/4 Progressive full suit on order (2007 model), black. Will report any differences between it and the hyperstretch probably after a dive or two next weekend for my rescue class. Also just ordered an old 2005 "Plazma" shorty from leisurepro since they had them at $35, which sounded too good to be true.
As stated before I'm almost 6'2" in height, running currently about 240#, fairly broad in the shoulders and chest (but that's not all muscle unfortunately - waist is about a 37-38 right now). I've found their sizing chart would indeed put me in an XL to possibly an XL-T, and so far the XLs have all fit the way I expected. Granted I don't have much experience with other wetsuits aside from a couple of rentals that I think were Dacors, and who knows what they'd been thru before they got on me, but I'd have to say I like the Bares more.
Bare 3/2 full XL - 2005 edition w/ Hyperstretch chest in the medium blue / gray combination. Again, good suit, good fit for me. Sleeves are a good length (I'm about 6' 1/5" with gorilla length arms) but legs strangely could be a wee bit longer (my inseam is 34" in jeans). Plenty of overlap with mid-high booties. Considered an XL-T size but don't want excess in the body, and this one is fine there (nice and snug from shoulders to crotch). Overall no real complaints although after a while the rolled ankle seams give me big old skin dents, but I think that'd happen with any suit. Zipper was a bit sticky at the very bottom, sometimes took help to free it up but once started it glided up fine. Will hit it up with a bit of wax before the next dive.
Have a 5/4 Progressive full suit on order (2007 model), black. Will report any differences between it and the hyperstretch probably after a dive or two next weekend for my rescue class. Also just ordered an old 2005 "Plazma" shorty from leisurepro since they had them at $35, which sounded too good to be true.
As stated before I'm almost 6'2" in height, running currently about 240#, fairly broad in the shoulders and chest (but that's not all muscle unfortunately - waist is about a 37-38 right now). I've found their sizing chart would indeed put me in an XL to possibly an XL-T, and so far the XLs have all fit the way I expected. Granted I don't have much experience with other wetsuits aside from a couple of rentals that I think were Dacors, and who knows what they'd been thru before they got on me, but I'd have to say I like the Bares more.
RTRski:
That's a nifty little suit. It with a beanie kept me downright cozy a few weeks ago while diving Bonaire. The seals are very effective and it has comfortable material that allows for an easy snug fit. With so little rubber a BC becomes optional.
Pete
Update (Plazma shorty) - maybe this isn't terribly important, as what ones you can find are on clearance from 2005, but first impressions are fair to good. The arm/leg collars are flat not rolled, so there might be more wear at the edges eventually. The neck seems a tad tight (I wear a 17 1/2" in shirts) and a bit high in front but I can 'notch' that at the adam's apple for a bit more comfort. The chest also does seem a bit narrower/less stretchy than the Velocity with the hydrostretch...overall it is a much snugger fit on me than the (same size) Velocity shorty. Zipper is plastic but seems fairly beefy, and there's a backup velcro loop 'outside' the zipper to help hold the leash down as well as just the usual neck tab closure - wish the Velocity had that!
As for aesthetics,the yellow/silvery gray/black color scheme (also available with blue and red accents, just not all in all sizes) is perfection. I was running around the house saying "I'm Batman!" and cracking my daughter up when I tried it on last night. I'd say it's worth the $35 price tag from Leisurepro, but I won't expect it to wear longer-term as well as the Velocity.
Hope to get the 5/4 in the next couple days and add comments regarding it after this coming weekend.
As for aesthetics,the yellow/silvery gray/black color scheme (also available with blue and red accents, just not all in all sizes) is perfection. I was running around the house saying "I'm Batman!" and cracking my daughter up when I tried it on last night. I'd say it's worth the $35 price tag from Leisurepro, but I won't expect it to wear longer-term as well as the Velocity.
Hope to get the 5/4 in the next couple days and add comments regarding it after this coming weekend.
And just got the new 5/4 progressive stretch full in and tried it on. Man, that was a struggle! But I think it's the right size, it just has to loosen up a tad and I need to get better at putting it on (it's the thickest suit I now own).
The seams are really nice; workmanship seems great. I got the all black which just has a little white highlighting/trim around the Bare logos - both inside and outside of the neoprene had a nice finish. Not sure I like the diagonal "Progressive Stretch" lettering down one side of the abs though - I'd keep glancing down and thinking my leash was flipped over my shoulder and hanging down my front.
Both legs and arms have the extra water barrier ring-seals at about mid-forearm and below the calf heights, respectively, and while I'll bet I'll be glad to have those when diving in water requiring a 5 mil, they do make the arms and legs a bit harder to pull on due to 'rubber friction' on hairy arms and legs. The legs are zippered down at the bottom, but what I found tightest for me was trying to get the legs far enough up to seat the knee protection where it belonged due to my calf thickness. Chest was snug but sufficiently roomy for me once it was all on...didn't seem to have much issue getting into the shoulders; ironically the thicker material helps here as it gives you more leverage to grab with one hand while plunging the other arm down in. Arms don't seem to be anatomic to me, but I didn't feel any uncomfortable creases even folding my arms across my chests - knees are semi-anatomically bent in the suit manufacture.
The progressive stretch design is definitely less 'stretchy' than the old hydrostretch chest panel (there's no more bare rubber panels; everything is fabric covered inside and out), but while it was a bit harder to get into than my 3/2 I think that was more due to thickness of the material than it being less compliant, and it seemed like it had better memory (more immediate springback) than the hydrostretch too. Once it was all seated and I'd done a couple jumping jacks to rotate shoulders and the like, it really fit snug to the skin, everywhere.
There's some ribbed-like 'expansion gussets' maybe across the lower back and hips that I assume is for height stretchiness and adjustment - I didn't feel like the wetsuit was trying to compress me between crotch and shoulders. The zipper was really sturdy with a good overlong cover flap at the top of the collar in back. The collar seemed much shorter overall than on the 3/2 and the shorties I've got - none of the adam's apple impact I felt from the Plazma - perhaps because this is more designed to allow a hood to fit beneath?
Overall, for about $220ish, I'm quite pleased!
The seams are really nice; workmanship seems great. I got the all black which just has a little white highlighting/trim around the Bare logos - both inside and outside of the neoprene had a nice finish. Not sure I like the diagonal "Progressive Stretch" lettering down one side of the abs though - I'd keep glancing down and thinking my leash was flipped over my shoulder and hanging down my front.
Both legs and arms have the extra water barrier ring-seals at about mid-forearm and below the calf heights, respectively, and while I'll bet I'll be glad to have those when diving in water requiring a 5 mil, they do make the arms and legs a bit harder to pull on due to 'rubber friction' on hairy arms and legs. The legs are zippered down at the bottom, but what I found tightest for me was trying to get the legs far enough up to seat the knee protection where it belonged due to my calf thickness. Chest was snug but sufficiently roomy for me once it was all on...didn't seem to have much issue getting into the shoulders; ironically the thicker material helps here as it gives you more leverage to grab with one hand while plunging the other arm down in. Arms don't seem to be anatomic to me, but I didn't feel any uncomfortable creases even folding my arms across my chests - knees are semi-anatomically bent in the suit manufacture.
The progressive stretch design is definitely less 'stretchy' than the old hydrostretch chest panel (there's no more bare rubber panels; everything is fabric covered inside and out), but while it was a bit harder to get into than my 3/2 I think that was more due to thickness of the material than it being less compliant, and it seemed like it had better memory (more immediate springback) than the hydrostretch too. Once it was all seated and I'd done a couple jumping jacks to rotate shoulders and the like, it really fit snug to the skin, everywhere.
There's some ribbed-like 'expansion gussets' maybe across the lower back and hips that I assume is for height stretchiness and adjustment - I didn't feel like the wetsuit was trying to compress me between crotch and shoulders. The zipper was really sturdy with a good overlong cover flap at the top of the collar in back. The collar seemed much shorter overall than on the 3/2 and the shorties I've got - none of the adam's apple impact I felt from the Plazma - perhaps because this is more designed to allow a hood to fit beneath?
Overall, for about $220ish, I'm quite pleased!
Similar threads
