Cold Water Wetsuit Strategy

[boulderjohn]

It may look like piling on when I vote for a good-fitting 7 mm full suit with a hooded vest, but I am going to add my own years of dissatisfaction with my old farmer john (3 mm) and the farmer johns (7mm) our shop used to use for cold water rentals. I never thought the total was equal to the sum of the parts. In fact, when our shop went to 7 mm full suits instead of the 7 mm farmer johns, I felt I was warmer, even though the farmer johns had 14 mm on the core. I think my 5 mm full suit is much warmer than my 3 mm farmer john ever was.

I realize that this has no scieintific validity, but...

Now add in all the discomfort with that much bulk, and all the extra lead you need, and the royal PITA of putting it on, and the farmer john loses all its appeal for me.

By the way, I now dive dry now in cold water.

[boulderjohn]

Before you try on that hooded vest, be sure to read this. It may save your life!

Close call in the dressing room

[ArmyAirborneDiver]

i just dove this past weekend in a VA quarry. it was my first cold(er) water dive and i wore a 7mm farmer john style suit. this thing kept me so warm. it only got cold once i dipped down below 75 ft and the water temp was in the low 40s. the suit did an amazing job as i was nervous about freezing my ass off.