Short Wetsuit Help

[bw-scuba]

Hi Everyone,

Hoping to get a little help here. I'm recently certified and starting to gear up, but having trouble finding an appropriately fitting wetsuit (5mm full suit). I am 5'3" and ~135-140 lbs. I have a relatively athletic build. It is hard to find a wetsuit that fits well in the chest and shoulders that is not too long.

So far, the Small Henderson Thermoprene suit seems to be the best fit I have found. It is too long but the material is soft and stretches enough that I can live with it. The XS is a pretty good length, but too snug up top.

I'm also hoping not to break the bank. As I mentioned, I am recently certified so I have a lot of gear to buy. I'm hoping to spend $250 or less if possible.

Thanks!

 

[Malpaso]

Try a two piece, farmer john and shorty. I use a L farmer john and an XL shorty because a L jumpsuit was too small across my shoulders and an XL jumpsuit was too baggy in the legs.

 

[ronscuba]

Take a look at Bare. They make suits in short sizes.

 

[Steve_C]

Henderson has a LS which fits me well. That is a large-short. See if they have an MS. Note that the LS was not in all styles. Mine is a hyperstretch.

 

[phishphood]

Is trimming the arms and legs not an option? I was planning on doing that to my suit eventually.

 

[jonhall]

My wife and I both have Henderson 3mm full suits. My wife at 5'2"-5'3" was able to find a PETITE size that fit her on top and was the perfect length for her height.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Is trimming the arms and legs not an option? I was planning on doing that to my suit eventually.

Trimming a wet suit is not a good idea unless you have some way of resealing the ends. If the suit has inner and outer lining it may start to unravel.

 

[bw-scuba]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the opinions. I spoke with the folks at Divers Supply as well and am going to try the 5mm Neo Sport Xspan. I'm right on the bubble between the XS and the Small. Since it is 250% stretch material, I think i'm going to try the XS first and if that is too small go up to the small. if I need to go up to a small, I may just roll up the excess in the legs, the upper body will probably be fine. I'll let y'all know how it goes. Thanks again.

 

[bw-scuba]

A small XSpan (not XS) seems to be the winner. Its a bit long, but not too bad; definitely manageable.

Thanks for all of the input!