My indepth review of the Hollis NeoTek Semi-Dry

[sibermike7]

What part of IN are you located? We are north of Valporaiso. You can have a look at mine if you want. I plan on going to Gilboa either end of April, first of May if quarry is open. Let me know if you are interested on joining.
Mike

 

[CT Sean]

I'll echo the "nice review" comments from above - I've been watching this thread for a while and ordered the Hollis suit a couple days ago partly due to it.

What I'd like some feedback on, if anyone is able to offer it, is the hood fit. The suit seems to fit me especially well - except perhaps the hood. It seems OK but I have pretty limited range of motion and it seems to want to hold my head in over very specific orientation. I have a bit of a concern that looking in almost any direction may result in breaking the "face hole" seal. I may be a bit spoiled as I'm coming from a traditional back zip suit with a 7/5mm Henderson H2 hood - which fits as if it was cut specifically for my head.

Now I'm torn between keeping the Hollis and being potentially warmer at the expense of movement or getting a 7mm backzip (likely a Bare Elastek) and gaining range of motion at the expense of potential temperature protection.

Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

 

[DM_cappie]

I'll echo the "nice review" comments from above - I've been watching this thread for a while and ordered the Hollis suit a couple days ago partly due to it.

What I'd like some feedback on, if anyone is able to offer it, is the hood fit. The suit seems to fit me especially well - except perhaps the hood. It seems OK but I have pretty limited range of motion and it seems to want to hold my head in over very specific orientation. I have a bit of a concern that looking in almost any direction may result in breaking the "face hole" seal. I may be a bit spoiled as I'm coming from a traditional back zip suit with a 7/5mm Henderson H2 hood - which fits as if it was cut specifically for my head.

Now I'm torn between keeping the Hollis and being potentially warmer at the expense of movement or getting a 7mm backzip (likely a Bare Elastek) and gaining range of motion at the expense of potential temperature protection.

Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

I haven’t had any issue with the hood on the NeoTek, which is kinda odd since I’m not a big fan of hoods in general. Before the NeoTek it had to be REALLY cold for me to bother with a hood.
That being said, the seal on the NeoTek is pretty robust in my experience. I’ve used my regular second stage while fossil hunting and had no issue with it leaking or range of motion as I scanned back and forth along the bottom. On really cold days I’ve even used my FFM and tucked the mask skirt under the hood and still didn’t notice much water penetration.
The hood might stretch out and “relax”, producing a more comfortable fit as you dive it, but I don’t think it will ever be as comfortable as a Henderson hood. The neoprene Henderson uses has the most flexibility and stretch I’ve ever seen in a wetsuit, where the neoprene of the Hollis suit is a little stiffer and not as flexible.

 

[CT Sean]

Thanks for the response. I actually went and ordered the BARE Elastek so I could compare. It definitely looks like I have to choose between possibly warmer and less flexibility (Hollis) vs cooler but more flexible with the Bare and separate hood. Warmer vs cooler of course being a guess as I certainly can't actually test them out.

Hmmm.....

 

[Vegan Shark]

Comfort in the water beats comfort on land any day. The stiff neoprene is something you really only notice when putting a suit on; once you're in the ocean you're not going to notice a difference. That stiff neoprene will keep you much warmer as it won't compress as much as the stretchy kind, and if you're going for a semi-dry then warmth is what you're after anyway.

 

[Shurup]

Sounds like a great suit, I need an upgrade really really bad, my current suit is a wet and 0.5 mm thick, it was great for when I started diving but as I went deeper and then took my cavern course, I came back numb. Note that most of my diving is in Thailand but it's still cold down there in the caves.

I'm coming back to Canada shortly and for only 2 weeks so would like to order the suit online and pick it up myself, I won't have time to try one and then exchange it for another one so it got to be the right size 1st time.
Here's attached neotek size chart with some of my numbers marked on it in red.



My weight and height make it look that either the XL and the XL short will fit. I'm somewhere in the transition zone between the XL Short and XL, I'm between 178 and 179 cm so it makes me 5' 10 1/2" and my weight is 87 kg.

I'd rather have it a bit snag on me rather than loose, but if Neotek sizes are generally a bit smaller or larger than stated, it will swing my choice is one or the other direction.

For those of you that already have the suit, was it a spot on on the chart or a bit larger/smaller?
Has it stretched in time?

 

[CT Sean]

Granted I sent mine back but I did try it on plenty before choosing to do so. I'm the exact height as you and the ML I ordered (5'9" - 5'11") could have really used an extra inch of suit height - I probably would have kept it if I had it (I know I should have just waited for a LARGE but that's beside the point). As it was, I could barely get the suit back over my head to take it off in the bedroom. I had a genuine concern of not being able to get it off at all when I was all wet after a dive.

Unfortunately Hollis doesn't give any detail length guidelines ( specifically neck-to-crotch and inseam) so it may be a toss-up. If you've got long legs and a short trunk, the XL-short might be good, switch that and the XL would be better. Maybe someone above has an XL and can provide measurements, but without that info, I'd probably lean towards the XL since you are already outside the range of XL-short height.

 

[sibermike7]

Just tried the suit for the first time. I am 5'11, 210. This suit is not "stiff" IMO. I have been diving for over 30 yrs. so "stiff" can hardly be applied. LOVE THIS SUIT!!! There was a "wrinkle" of extra material across my groin and another at my lower abdomen so a man with more "belly" would have fit this suit, no problem. Another "wrinkle" around the upper arms. Legs, arms were fine as far as length.

just dove in Gilboa went to the colder "nether" regions and was in 45• temps with no problem. Initially, there were "spots" of cold at the thighs inside the pockets where things were sewn down but I felt very little cold water exchange on the dive. Never noticed the "wrinkles" on the dive. Hood was great. The only problem donning was getting the inner liner down nice and flat inside suit and getting suit off the arms after - just had to dance a bit until gravity worked!! . All in all no problems really.

So the suit is just a bit big on me, but I can live with it since there is very little water exchange.

 

[Shurup]

Mike, you didn't mention your suit size. As well as your chest waist and hip sizes will help me decide.

 

[sibermike7]

Mike, you didn't mention your suit size. As well as your chest waist and hip sizes will help me decide.

Sure! Just don't share the details with anyone! :d
I wear a 44 or 46 suit w waist size 36-38 depending on the cut.
Hip size?? Fat