School a newbie on wetsuits please...
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D_Fresh
Contributor
To halfway answer your last question, "better material" is literally just that.
The development of wetsuits has come a long way since the early days. Typically, the newer types of neoprene have more stretch and durability, less water exchange through the material itself, and possibly be warmer.
Manufacturers have started using different types of neoprene in different panels in the wetsuit construction. Like stretchy panels in stress areas, striving for more durability and comfort. You see this is 2mm/3mm, 3mm/5mm, 5mm/7mm suits, where the core is thicker and warmer but the limbs are thinner.
But the reality is that your first wetsuit is not going to last forever, and that's ok. Go for something that fits well and is affordable at this point. No need to go fancy, especially for warm water diving.
Fit is by far the most important factor, both for your warmth and comfort, and for the life of the suit.
The development of wetsuits has come a long way since the early days. Typically, the newer types of neoprene have more stretch and durability, less water exchange through the material itself, and possibly be warmer.
Manufacturers have started using different types of neoprene in different panels in the wetsuit construction. Like stretchy panels in stress areas, striving for more durability and comfort. You see this is 2mm/3mm, 3mm/5mm, 5mm/7mm suits, where the core is thicker and warmer but the limbs are thinner.
But the reality is that your first wetsuit is not going to last forever, and that's ok. Go for something that fits well and is affordable at this point. No need to go fancy, especially for warm water diving.
Fit is by far the most important factor, both for your warmth and comfort, and for the life of the suit.
Blue/black???!!!!
Everyone knows that Red/Grey makes for a superior suit....it will enhance your ability to control your buoyancy and will give you +5 protection against stings, bites, and abrasions.
Seriously....as others have mentioned....FIT is the key...forget brand, forget color, forget internet unless you have already tried the make/model/size of suit on. Go try a few different suits on at a dive shop and choose the model that fits you the best. Lie down on the ground in a diving posture to check that it still fits comfortably when your body horizontal with your arms extended and legs bent. Once you have a good and proper fit then worry about color.
If you don't have shop near you then order a few suits from an internet source and try them on and then send the ones you are not keeping back.
Either you are looking at this as an investment of time and money and you want to get the best product for your body morphology and money, or you just see this as a simple purchase that you are not too hung up about....the nature of your questions put you closer to the former category than the latter.
As a new diver the prudent recommendation would be to try on lots of gear, in a pool/confined open water if at all possible, to get first hand experience with fit and function before spending your hard earned cash. I am part of a club that ushers a lot of new people to diving each year and I repeatedly see those who take their time in choosing/investing in their equipment and their satisfaction as well as those who do not along with their lack of satisfaction.
There are lots of options out there, approach this with an open mind. You only plan to dive where it is warm per your earlier response....this means you will almost certainly be traveling to dive locations which indicates a certain level of discretionary income....diving as a whole is not an inexpensive activity and if you are only going to dive occasionally then you either want to invest in equipment that will serve you well over a long period of time, which means you want stuff that fits, or just rent at whatever location you wind up at.
Here is an out of the box suggestion....rent a 3mm wetsuit on location but invest in a regulator set....that way you don't arrive on vacation and find that the operation you went with has really old and poorly maintained life support equipment. Or invest in a BC or BP/W so that when you dive you will be used to your kit and have better more consistent control of your buoyancy. Or don't invest in anything and just rent for your first trip and while on that trip visit different dive shops/operations and try on and handle as much gear as possible so that you can make the best choice possible.
Or buy a black/blue Henderson or Bare wetsuit....no wait, I meant to write red/grey.
Cheers and good luck.
-Z
UFOrb
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mi000ke
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I agree, although everyone has a different tolerance for cold and only you can determine what works best for you. I do almost all of my diving on grand cayman where the water temps range from about 78 to 85 year round, and I always dive a full 5mm. I find that I am never too warm, although I could probably get by with a 3mm when the temps get above 85 as they do once in a while. While I don't see many others using a 5mm (although it ranges from just bathing suits to one DM who dives in a dry suit ), at least one person on every dive comments to me after the second dive how they wish they had the 5mm, as they all seem to get a little chilled by then. I did buy a 3mm this year, but am waiting for the water to get to the high 80s before trying it out.
D_Fresh
Contributor
Mi000ke has a great point. It also helps to illustrate that 3mm vs 5mm vs Xmm is really quite subjective, in a good way. We all have different bodies, different BMI, and different tolerances based on our typical environmental exposure.
Unfortunately, nobody can answer the Thickness question accurately for anyone really, we can only share what works for us as individuals. Would you rather run the risk of being occasionally too warm or occasionally too cold?
Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there is no Goldilocks suit
GreggS
Contributor
This is very true. Last year, I was diving with a group of friends out of Wilmington, NC on the Gill & Hyde wrecks. The Gill was the first dive with surface temps around 82°. At about 55 feet deep, there was a thermocline where the temps dropped to around 75°. When we got back on the boat, most everyone was talking about how cold they were on the bottom. Now I don't know what thickness suit everyone was wearing, but my buddy was wearing an identical one to mine-a 3mm Henderson Thermaxx. He said he got cold during the dive. My reaction when we hit the thermocline? Ahhhhh. I was very comfortable the entire dive.
So, no, what works for some won't work for others. You'll just have to make a best guess based on comfort and feel.
OP
purbeast
Contributor
So I just rent a dive shop on my lunch break and tried on 2 wetsuits. We took my measurements for my chest since we didn't know them and looked at the size guide. We just tried on Henderson ones. My measurements fit between M-XL depending on what we're going for.
So he first gave me an ML in this one:
Henderson Thermoprene 3mm Men's Jumpsuit (Back Zip)
And an L in this one:
Henderson Thermoprene Pro Men's 3mm Jumpsuit
Knowing how I typically need to size up, I tried on the large first.
It fit very snug/tight on all of my limbs and I had to re-apply it to my arms because I had some wrinkles at my wrist and forearm and we couldn't get it zipped up. Once it was zipped up, it felt very snug around all of my limbs, but I felt like it was TOO tight around my chest/shoulders. It was too tight to the point that I felt like it was compressing.
So we tried an XL and he gave me an XL of the same model he gave me of the ML up above.
This one felt pretty snug as well and I had to re-apply the arms again because I had the sleeves down too far over my wrist that he couldn't get the back together to zip up. After I did that, he zipped it up and it felt pretty snug all around. It wasn't too tight in the chest/shoulders but it was still snug. I could bend my limbs and everything easily. While it was snug I could definitely notice it wasn't as snug as the L was. He asked me how much space I had in my lower back and there was a little gap between the back of the wetsuit and my lower back. There was a little gap around the left side of my neck where the velcro connected, but he thought if I just played with it a little bit I could get it to become flush so there was no gap and it's right on my neck.
He thought that out of those two the XL was the better fit, but in the end he was just reiterating that it's up to me what snug/comfortable is, which I get. He had some Aqualung wetsuits too but I had to run back to work so I might go back next week to try them on to see the different feel between them.
So with that, I have 2 more questions.
1. Do most brands have the same cut? Like I tried on 2 different Henderson models, one in L and one in XL. Would both of those models L feel identical? Would both model XL feel identical? Or would they just fit different since they are different models/cuts?
2. I'm curious how much the wetsuit expands when wet. Will it expand so much that the L I tried on will feel like an XL when underwater? If I went with XL I wouldn't want it to be loose when I get wet.
And also, wow, I had no clue how hot wetsuits are. I also had no clue how hard they are to get into lol. I did not expect to be there for like 45 minutes and only try on 2 wetsuits!
EDIT:
Actually looking at the size chart too, out of the different sizes on their chart, XL is the one that I fit into the best, fitting 3/4 of them.
Wetsuit sizing guide
The only thing that doesn't fit is the waste. My waste is 34". The chest is a LITTLE small too as we measured 44.5" just now but it didn't feel too tight or anything. The L I only fit in 2/4 of the measurements.
So he first gave me an ML in this one:
Henderson Thermoprene 3mm Men's Jumpsuit (Back Zip)
And an L in this one:
Henderson Thermoprene Pro Men's 3mm Jumpsuit
Knowing how I typically need to size up, I tried on the large first.
It fit very snug/tight on all of my limbs and I had to re-apply it to my arms because I had some wrinkles at my wrist and forearm and we couldn't get it zipped up. Once it was zipped up, it felt very snug around all of my limbs, but I felt like it was TOO tight around my chest/shoulders. It was too tight to the point that I felt like it was compressing.
So we tried an XL and he gave me an XL of the same model he gave me of the ML up above.
This one felt pretty snug as well and I had to re-apply the arms again because I had the sleeves down too far over my wrist that he couldn't get the back together to zip up. After I did that, he zipped it up and it felt pretty snug all around. It wasn't too tight in the chest/shoulders but it was still snug. I could bend my limbs and everything easily. While it was snug I could definitely notice it wasn't as snug as the L was. He asked me how much space I had in my lower back and there was a little gap between the back of the wetsuit and my lower back. There was a little gap around the left side of my neck where the velcro connected, but he thought if I just played with it a little bit I could get it to become flush so there was no gap and it's right on my neck.
He thought that out of those two the XL was the better fit, but in the end he was just reiterating that it's up to me what snug/comfortable is, which I get. He had some Aqualung wetsuits too but I had to run back to work so I might go back next week to try them on to see the different feel between them.
So with that, I have 2 more questions.
1. Do most brands have the same cut? Like I tried on 2 different Henderson models, one in L and one in XL. Would both of those models L feel identical? Would both model XL feel identical? Or would they just fit different since they are different models/cuts?
2. I'm curious how much the wetsuit expands when wet. Will it expand so much that the L I tried on will feel like an XL when underwater? If I went with XL I wouldn't want it to be loose when I get wet.
And also, wow, I had no clue how hot wetsuits are. I also had no clue how hard they are to get into lol. I did not expect to be there for like 45 minutes and only try on 2 wetsuits!
EDIT:
Actually looking at the size chart too, out of the different sizes on their chart, XL is the one that I fit into the best, fitting 3/4 of them.
Wetsuit sizing guide
The only thing that doesn't fit is the waste. My waste is 34". The chest is a LITTLE small too as we measured 44.5" just now but it didn't feel too tight or anything. The L I only fit in 2/4 of the measurements.
Dogbowl
Contributor
I don’t recommend getting a wetsuit that has gaps, especially at the neck. That will reduce warmth. If a wetsuit feels snug to the point of “uncomfortable on land”, it will loosen to the point of “snug and comfortable” in the water. But if it’s “I can’t breathe and I’m turning red” then that’s too tight.
Different models with different materials will stretch more or less, so even if the cut was identical, one may conform better to your body shape than the other. But sometimes the cut isn’t identical even within the same brand.
You tried the ML and XL of the Thermoprene (older model)? It sounds like the L would be right for you. I suppose he didn’t have an L in stock, that’s why you didn’t try it?
I’d suggest going back with more time and try the Thermoprene Pro (newer model) so you can see how the difference in material will fit your body. I’m willing to bet it will be stretchier, more comfortable and conform better.
You might also want to try on other brands as well, to see how they compare. For me, there’s no comparison. Henderson’s Thermaxx just fits me like a glove whereas the others I’ve tried had gaps here or there.
Yes, take your time trying on wetsuits or you’ll hurt yourself or have a heart attack!
GreggS
Contributor
Different brands will be made differently. From what I've seen, there is no standard in wetsuit sizing. So, as a number of us have said, it will be up to you as to which one fits the best. You do want it a little snug. I've not found that wetsuits stretch much when wet although they may stretch just a little due to usage over time. But I think that is rather insignificant with the better made brands. The only change that you'll encounter is that the neoprene will compress as you descend. That's not to say that it will get tighter as you descend, just that the thickness of the suit material will thin out due to the pressure. You certainly don't want to buy a suit that is too loose or you will loose any benefit of wearing it. As for sizing charts, it is probably going to be difficult to find one from any manufacturer that will hit on every metric of your body. According to the sizing chart you linked to, I hit 3 of 4 of the metrics for a 3XL, which is what I wear and it fits me great. But, who knows, you could get lucky and find one that hits all 4 of yours perfectly..
I'm not familiar with the Henderson Thermoprene suits so don't know how they are made, but as I've said earlier, I do have a Henderson Thermaxx. It is fleece lined and is very easy to don and doff. I've tried other non-lined suits before where I would have to get into the water to make it easier to get into and out of.
I'm not familiar with the Henderson Thermoprene suits so don't know how they are made, but as I've said earlier, I do have a Henderson Thermaxx. It is fleece lined and is very easy to don and doff. I've tried other non-lined suits before where I would have to get into the water to make it easier to get into and out of.
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