Need Advice on 1 or 2 piece wet suit

[DavidHickey]

I live in Dayton Ohio. I'm new to diving and want to invest in a wet suit. I love Carribean waters but unfortuanately will probably do most of my dives around the Ohio Indiana and Michigan area. Was looking at the Henderson Titanium suits and have heard good and bad things about them. And I've read a few threads about Bare SGS being warmer and not much stiffer. Anyone have any suggestions? And as far as sizing charts they offer, are they pretty accurate if I mail order it? I'm 6-1 235 lbs and have a size 38 waist and 45" chest. Depending on the brand I could go anywhere from XL to 3XL The brand that came closest was a Bare SGS LXL its measurements were about perfect for me. But until I try it on I guess it will be hard to tell exactly. Any suggestions as far as brand and sizing would be appreciated. Guess I've got my mind set on a 7MM unless anyone can say why I would not want it? I'm doing my open water dives October 23 in a gravel pit and we've already had frost on the windows in the mornings so I'm sure its going to be a little chilly!!!!!
Thanks
David

 

[The Great Orca]

Hi,
Ok, If you want warmth Bare SGS is the way to go, if you want to be comfortable on the boat but cold in the water without additional money getting wasted then Henderson's are for you.

My 50,000 cents.

 

[mrjake]

Hi David,

I live in Van Wert, OH not far from you and also just entered the realm of cold water diving. All of my experience until last weekend was in St Croix, USVI (sister lives there). I just purchased a 7mm suit from Aquaflite (www.aquaflite.com) in FL and am very pleased with it's fit and warmth. I had mine custom fit for an extra $89 so of course it fits well. They were super people to deal with and I had my suit in a week. US made of very high quality materials. I have heard that the Bare suits are a much heavier density than some others and don't compress as much resulting in less bouyancy compesation problems. They are located in Canada so they should know a thing or two about diving in cold waters. Maybe I'll run into you at Gilboa sometime.

Bob Jacobs

 

[ScubaCollin]

A 2 peice would give you better warmth than a 1 peice. Due to the layering of the Johns and the Jacket. So youre getting 14 mil

 

[Don Burke]

Good afternoon,
I'm in the process of looking for my 1st wet suit. I'm so far interested in either a Henderson Gold Core or a Bare SGS. Both in 7MM. Not committed to those 2 though, just initial 1st choice. Anyhow, I'm going to be doing alot of quarry diving as I live in Ohio, and will probably go to the tropics once or twice a year. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of 1 and 2 piece suits? The 2 piece appear to me that you can wear either the bibs or the jacket alone in warmer weather. But do you sacrifice heat loss? And are the bibs and jackets usually both 7MM or combined do they add up to 7MM. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and it seems that the 2 piece are quite a bit more money than the one piece. But if your getting a more versatile suit I would'nt mind the added cost
Thanks
David

The one piece suits seem to be a little better at preventing water exchange, which I believe will overcome the thinner total thickness. If you have a two piece that seals especially well, water exchange will not be an issue, although few wetsuits fit well enough for that.

I just have a one piece now and change hoods to adjust for different water temps. When it gets too cold for that, I go dry.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Nebdiver]

One thing you may want to consider is the amount of weight you'll need. When I did my 1st OW I got a Farmer John 2 piece. Took me 34# to get down. I struggled with the weights the whole dive. On the 3 and 4 dives I had a one piece and only used 22#, much easier. We didn't use weight integrated gear and fighting that belt almost caused me to give up. Even when using WI a loss of 8-12# would be beneficial.

 

[Divezilla]

I have both a 7mm 2pc oceaner and a 7/5 Henderson HyperStreach.
My son are the same size and we can swap.

If I only had to buy 1.. I'd get a good 1pc.

The hyperstreach isn't the warmest suit, but it's warm enough for me down to the mid 50's. I bought it for comfort, fit and ease of donning.
Bare, Oneil and other have 'warmer' steamer suits in the same price range.

I notice a marked improvement in bouyancy control with the one piece.
I wear 8 lbs less in it, and find I have much better stabilty and control.
Much less chest squeeze as well, but that's likely just a personal fit issue.

With a two piece, you've got all that neoprene comp/decompressing, and it accelerates boyancy changes.
Wes

 

[Divezilla]

David ..

You don't see many people using just the john. It looks cool, but it's just a huge water scoop and doesn't work all that well. But you can where a shorty over it.

Have you tried the suits you're looking at on?
I found that evan after a lot of research, Fit, and ease of donning were key issues that you just can't get from a spec sheet.

The goldcores are expensive, but have a good reputation for warmth, fast drying and ease of donning. The fast drying may become invaluable when putting on the suit for the 2nd dive on a cool wet day.

Don't know about the Bare. I did try an Oneil 7000. I'm sure it would be a verrry warm suit, but I was exhausted after trying to get it on in the store.
I couldn't imagine trying to put it on with sweaty skin, on a rocking dive boat.

 

[archman]

Another negative thing about wearing a thick farmer john by itself. Your buoyancy shifts so much towards your feet that it's difficult to maintain horizontal trim. You'll need to compensate by getting some positive flotation in the top of your body.
Most folks wear the farmer john with the upper torso component that mates to it. I've got both 6.5mm and 3mm two piece suits. Frequently I'll interchange the 3mm top with the 6.5mm bottom.

 

[montyb]

I've never dove with a one piece so I will have to put my 2 cents in with what I use. I recently picked up a Fathom 7 mm two piece step in suit which retired my two piece Henderson beaver tail 1/4 inch suit - (selling it). I have been diving in San Diego this summer mostly wreck alley at the site of the Yukon, Ruby E, Tower and La Jolla Kelp Beds. Water temp at depth on the wrecks is usually around 53 - 54 degrees. 16 lbs of lead with a steel 80 cu ft tank with the Henderson 1/4 inch. Had to add 6 lbs. for the Fathom 7 mm for a total of 22 lbs. First dive on Friday was to the Yukon, 53 degree at depth and I have to admit I was totally comfortable. Could not believe the difference between the henderson and the fathom. I didn't notice any boyancy problems with the Fathom. I used to just take the 1/4 inch farmer john to Hawaii to dive with and it worked fine. Your not moving fast enough to cause it to balloon out and cause drag. But eventually bought a 3 mm one piece. So --- my suggestion --- and its just my opinion that works for me. If you would rather be warm - get a two piece step in 7 mm and when your ready to head for the tropics get a 3 mm one piece. Over in Hawaii with that one piece 3 mm suit and using a steel 80 cu ft tank I need 8 lbs of lead.
Hope this helps.
montyb