Wetsuit questions before I buy

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Ok, I think I decided on the Bare Artic 1 Piece. Now I think it might not be enuff for some of the colder waters, so some suggested getting a vest for underneath.
Now when getting a vest for under the suit, should I go up a size in the suit? If so, wont the suit be alot looser without the vest?

Also has anyone used the Bare hood? How well does it seal? I dunno if I want to roll with the Bare hood and gloves, or go with the Henderson?
Also what would ideally be the difference in the Farmer John vs. the 1 Piece and the step in vest? I guess just better sealing due to the hood?

Thanks in advance
 
PM-Performance:
OK, I think I decided on the Bare Arctic 1 Piece. Now I think it might not be enuff for some of the colder waters, so some suggested getting a vest for underneath.
Now when getting a vest for under the suit, should I go up a size in the suit? If so, wont the suit be alot looser without the vest?

Also has anyone used the Bare hood? How well does it seal? I dunno if I want to roll with the Bare hood and gloves, or go with the Henderson?
Also what would ideally be the difference in the Farmer John vs. the 1 Piece and the step in vest? I guess just better sealing due to the hood?

Thanks in advance

Why not get the step in hooded vest that goes over the 7 mm jump suit? You don't change the size of the 1 piece suit since it goes under the step in hooded vest.

My wife has the 7 mm hooded vest that goes over her Bare 7mm one piece.
 
I have never dove the Bare wetsuits, only the dry suit. But I dive a ScubaPro 7mm Everflex with a 3mm hooded vest and am comfortable in 40 degree water for an hour+ dive. A buddy just purchased the lates 7mm Excel with just a hood. There is also a new SB semi-dry coming out in March. These latest 7mm designs perform excellently in the cold temperatures. Unfortunately they do nothing for a surface interval that a dry suit does!:D
:monkeydan
 
Like the other poster said buy the full 7mm hooded Bare Artic vest that goes over the full 7mm suit. I dove that Bare setup for years in the cold waters of Ontario, Canada.

http://www.bare-wetsuits.com/product_list.aspx?id=57

The hood on the vest is quite good the zipper is by your chin. I dove with Henderson Gold Core 7mm gloves I found a good deal for them online and they are the warmest wet gloves. For the vest I used a L size and a M-L on the suit. Get a size bigger so the vest can fit over the fullsuit.

Hope this helps.

-J.-
 
Any issues with the zipper coming all the way up the chin? I have never tried that particular configuration, but I will have to try to find one to check out.
:monkeydan
 
dschulte:
Any issues with the zipper coming all the way up the chin? I have never tried that particular configuration, but I will have to try to find one to check out.
:monkeydan

You know when I tried it on dry I thought it would bother me I mean the zipper is huge...but it's well padded and once in the water I would be so numb that I didn't feel it.

Cheers.

-J.-
 
I didnt realize the Bare vest was a step in. Duh.
Ok , so I ordered the Arctic 1 piece and the step in vest and the Bare gloves.
Leisurepro said to do the same size on the vest and the 1 piece. So I will see how it fits. If it dont, they have that fit garuntee thing. So thats nice.
The hood looks cheesy on the vest, I hope it seals good.
 
Well I got my Arctic set up from Leisure Pro. The suit fits great, but the vest, i cant even get it stretched enuff to start the zipper on my leg. I have a 2XL and they dont have a size bigger.
My only other option is to do a Pinnacle under vest, but its only 3MM. a 2Xl might fit underneath the 2xl suit possibly
Do those Pinnacle vests zip up? Or just slip on?
Is 10mm in the torso gonna be enuff for North East ocean diving? I am sure the waters will get into the mid 50's for sure.
 
As a BARE Junkie let me weigh in.....

The Arctic is a swell suit, I have probably 150 dives on mine and it's fine.

If you want to be warm forget about the common bibbed hood, more latter.

A full suit and vest gives a more complete membrane than a John & Jacket so I consider it the better choice.

Any vest has 2 big benefits. First it forms a labyrinth seal between you and the water with regards to your back zipper, a hood alone does not address this. With a vest, any water that enters follows a torturous path before finding your skin.

Secondly the hood integrated with the vest really takes the neck opening out of the equation. Combine that with the forearm and calf seals in the Arctic and you have a very capable suit.

So which vest? This is based on my experience...........

To dive down to 50F or a little cooler in a pinch get the 7mm Hooded shep-in shortie with the thigh to cheek zipper. I don't even know the zipper is there. One nice feature is that you can close or open your neckline right at the waters edge if you like. This vest is worn over the suit and is sized to allow for this. Generally this means buying the same size as the suit. I wear this in the spring and fall for the most part.

To dive down to 55-65 The 3mm hooded "chicken vest" worn under the suit is very comfortable and warm. It will let you drop 6-7 pounds of lead compared to the above vest. This is the vest that I use through most of our Maine summers. Again your wetsuit size should do the trick.

Both of these hooded vests include trimable face seals that you will probably want to trim so they overlap your mask skirt by about 1/4 ". If you do not trim them they will apply force against your mask and it will not be a good situation.

Both hoods include air venting in the top of the hood with a labyrinth baffle patch that shields you from a spike of cold water.

Pete
 
PM-Performance:
Well I got my Arctic set up from Leisure Pro. The suit fits great, but the vest, i cant even get it stretched enough to start the zipper on my leg.

If it doesn't fir then it doesn't fit. Starting the zipper while under tension is going to be a trick in any event. I have that vest and step into it with the zipper engaged for 4-6 inches and then it all pulls together nicely. Use your best judgement but the leg openings are designed to be tensioned to prevent water exchange.

Pete
 

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