Desperately need a better 7mm wetsuit.

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm getting more and more fed up with my 5/7mm Henderson one-piece. Water enters through the neck area because there's no integrated hood. Water enters through the back zipper. Water sloshes around inside because the fit is too loose around the lower back.

My friend dives with a two piece freediving suit - FreeDiveShop.com

It's a wetsuit, but the inside stays dry. He needs soapy water to get into the wetsuit.

The problem is that it's $450... and I'm looking for something around $300 if possible. It needs to have an integrated hood, which is a problem because while I'm only 5'5" and athletically built, I have a big head.

Any recommendations?

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

One thought would be to purchases one of the stretchy hooded vest for about $100. You would have the hood issue fixed and the stretch material would fill up your existing wetsuit making it fit better. Also it would provide an additional barrier to the zipper leak.

The semi-dry suit you buddy has are nice, but they do tend to be pricey. The 5/7 one piece is just not enough for your area.

 

[Akimbo]

Are you asking Scuba or freediving. Materials used in most freediving suits are very flexible but have poorer memory. As a result they don’t rebound well from prolonged compression and compress more at depth loosing insulation.

I use a custom, 7mm, skin-in, two-piece farmer, with no-zip pull-over beaver-tail jacket very similar to a freediving suit except in different material. It is much warmer than any off-the-rack design I have seen, but a lot more than $300. I also have a custom freediving suit made in Greece that was delivered for just under $300, which is highly contingent on the current exchange rate.

Even the Scuba suit looses a lot of insulation at depth. It feels like 150' in my old similar cut Rubatex suit did when this suit hits 50-60'.

 

[SteveAD]

You bring up one of the biggest flaws of attatched hood wetsuits. Large suits have large hoods, small suits have small hoods. It might be possible to get a custom suit with attatched hood, but not for cheap. Grumpys idea of a hooded vest is likely your best option on a short budget. What you ultimately want is a drysuit. Save your money and do it right.

 

[Damselfish]

I would consider trying the hooded vest idea. Maybe hyperstretch if you need that for the fit. Seems like it could address all your issues in one fairly cheap shot.

 

[aquaregia]

A lot of people I know have the Heatwave custom skin-in 10mm farmer johns. They're above your budget, but if I were going to spend more than $100 on a wetsuit I'd probably just wait until I could get a Heatwave. A lot of my friends started with $300 wetsuits, added a hooded vest for another $100, changed their minds and got a different piece of neoprene for another $100... eventually they've spent close to the same amount of money (I think the HW suits are $600ish) and they're still cold. I've never heard of anyone being cold in a 10mm farmer john.

 

[diver 85]

Get a tight fitting vest with hood---& wear it over the top...

here you go, for 60 bucks...
http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-28/122030/Neosport-by-Henderson-5-3mm-XSPAN-Hooded-Vest.html

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Are you asking Scuba or freediving. Materials used in most freediving suits are very flexible but have poorer memory. As a result they don’t rebound well from prolonged compression and compress more at depth loosing insulation.

I use a custom, 7mm, skin-in, two-piece farmer, with no-zip pull-over beaver-tail jacket very similar to a freediving suit except in different material. It is much warmer than any off-the-rack design I have seen, but a lot more than $300. I also have a custom freediving suit made in Greece that was delivered for just under $300, which is highly contingent on the current exchange rate.

Even the Scuba suit looses a lot of insulation at depth. It feels like 150' in my old similar cut Rubatex suit did when this suit hits 50-60'.

Well, that freedive suit I mentioned seems to be made out of Yamamoto neoprene, which appears to have excellent memory and avoids compression?

 

[Angry Turtle]

My wife got a custom suit made by aquaflite Welcome to AquaFlite Custom Wetsuits, Skins, and parkas a couple of years back for less than $300

It fits WAY better than anything of the rack as she has an uncommon bodyshape. I would go that route it the hooded vest does not fit the bill.

 

[diver 85]

My wife got a custom suit made by aquaflite Welcome to AquaFlite Custom Wetsuits, Skins, and parkas a couple of years back for less than $300

It fits WAY better than anything of the rack as she has an uncommon bodyshape. I would go that route it the hooded vest does not fit the bill.

correct about Aquaflight----my 1st experience with Ed Rogers & his co. was in ~'98....very good fitting suits IMO....