O2BBubbleFree
Contributor
Since you asked about wet, I thought I would give you my little opinion. I've never been able to afford a dry suit.
I bought a 7mm john and step-thru jacket from a mail-order company that's no longer in business, an ActionPlus hood w/bib and USDivers 3mm booties from the LDS, and 3mm neoprene fishing gloves from WalMart. I did several dives in Monterrey and Lake Tahoe. I was a little toasty in Tahoe so usually unzipped the jacket part-way, but comfortable in Monterrey. Sorry I can't give you water temps, my dive log is at home and I'm stealing time at work...
WRT recommendations, make sure your stuff fits, especially at the wrists and ankles. Sacrifice the zippers if the sleeves don't seal well around your wrists. Cutting down water exchange is more important than ease of donning/doffing, IMO. Don't worry about the neck seal too much since you're always going to be wearing a hood with bib. As a matter of fact, when you're trying the suit on make sure and try it with the hood that you will be wearing, since there will be a lot of material around your neck. I think my hood is a little tight, and could be reducing circulation. I should have gotten the hood from the mail-order company. My buddy did, and it was a lot nicer than the ActionPlus one I bought from the LDS.
Wouldnt hurt to try the booties and gloves on while wearing the suit. Just to make sure everything works well together.
Course, by the time you get all this stuff on (away from the water) youll be sweating like crazy. Bring a towel.
Always wear the hood (um, when diving in cold water), as most heat loss is from your head. The bibbed kind, not the dry-suit kind, as it insulates your neck and provides a better seal. Don't be afraid to trim it. Especially the area around your mask, to ensure your mask seals well, and possibly the area under your mouth to make it more comfortable when you have the reg. in. Some people also put a small hole in each side, inline with the ears, so you don't get air trapped in your outer ears.
Ive always liked the idea of a hooded vest, but never tried one. Probably work better with a one-piece. With the 3mm vest, 7mm john, and 7mm jacket, Im afraid it might get a little constricting...
After I bought my suit I started seeing advertisements for 'skin-in' or 'Semi-dry' suits. From what I understand they have latex or exposed neoprene at the ankles and wrists to cut down on water exchange. Mine doesn't have it, and I don't miss it. But, again, mine fits pretty tight in those areas.
I guess a heavy wet suit has less mobility than a dry suit, but unless you're spear fishing or something, I don't think that's too much of an issue. I have to use a little more muscle to extend my arms above my head, but normally they stay at my waist anyway. I could lift em up there, it would just take a little more effort. Ive never had any problems.
As you probably know, wet suits can be difficult to put on. It helps with mine if I dunk it in the water first. Ive also seen guys that had an air nozzle attachment that attached to their inflator hose. They would stick their arm in as far as they easily could, then shoot a little air down the sleeve and slide the arm in farther. Ive never tried this, either.
And Im sure there are guys on the board who could tell stories of using panty-hose or talcum powder in the days before wetsuits were lined, but I aint been in it that long. Having said that, though, the lining of the wet suit has a lot to do with how easy it is to put on.
BTW, if you go for the Walmart fishing gloves, you have to find the ones that dont have holes at each knuckle. Also, a friend of mine bought a pair that had leaky (non-neoprene) material in between the fingers. Last pair that I bought was about $7.00.
I bought a 7mm john and step-thru jacket from a mail-order company that's no longer in business, an ActionPlus hood w/bib and USDivers 3mm booties from the LDS, and 3mm neoprene fishing gloves from WalMart. I did several dives in Monterrey and Lake Tahoe. I was a little toasty in Tahoe so usually unzipped the jacket part-way, but comfortable in Monterrey. Sorry I can't give you water temps, my dive log is at home and I'm stealing time at work...
WRT recommendations, make sure your stuff fits, especially at the wrists and ankles. Sacrifice the zippers if the sleeves don't seal well around your wrists. Cutting down water exchange is more important than ease of donning/doffing, IMO. Don't worry about the neck seal too much since you're always going to be wearing a hood with bib. As a matter of fact, when you're trying the suit on make sure and try it with the hood that you will be wearing, since there will be a lot of material around your neck. I think my hood is a little tight, and could be reducing circulation. I should have gotten the hood from the mail-order company. My buddy did, and it was a lot nicer than the ActionPlus one I bought from the LDS.
Wouldnt hurt to try the booties and gloves on while wearing the suit. Just to make sure everything works well together.
Course, by the time you get all this stuff on (away from the water) youll be sweating like crazy. Bring a towel.
Always wear the hood (um, when diving in cold water), as most heat loss is from your head. The bibbed kind, not the dry-suit kind, as it insulates your neck and provides a better seal. Don't be afraid to trim it. Especially the area around your mask, to ensure your mask seals well, and possibly the area under your mouth to make it more comfortable when you have the reg. in. Some people also put a small hole in each side, inline with the ears, so you don't get air trapped in your outer ears.
Ive always liked the idea of a hooded vest, but never tried one. Probably work better with a one-piece. With the 3mm vest, 7mm john, and 7mm jacket, Im afraid it might get a little constricting...
After I bought my suit I started seeing advertisements for 'skin-in' or 'Semi-dry' suits. From what I understand they have latex or exposed neoprene at the ankles and wrists to cut down on water exchange. Mine doesn't have it, and I don't miss it. But, again, mine fits pretty tight in those areas.
I guess a heavy wet suit has less mobility than a dry suit, but unless you're spear fishing or something, I don't think that's too much of an issue. I have to use a little more muscle to extend my arms above my head, but normally they stay at my waist anyway. I could lift em up there, it would just take a little more effort. Ive never had any problems.
As you probably know, wet suits can be difficult to put on. It helps with mine if I dunk it in the water first. Ive also seen guys that had an air nozzle attachment that attached to their inflator hose. They would stick their arm in as far as they easily could, then shoot a little air down the sleeve and slide the arm in farther. Ive never tried this, either.
And Im sure there are guys on the board who could tell stories of using panty-hose or talcum powder in the days before wetsuits were lined, but I aint been in it that long. Having said that, though, the lining of the wet suit has a lot to do with how easy it is to put on.
BTW, if you go for the Walmart fishing gloves, you have to find the ones that dont have holes at each knuckle. Also, a friend of mine bought a pair that had leaky (non-neoprene) material in between the fingers. Last pair that I bought was about $7.00.
