Double wetsuits..

[EnjoyTheSilence]

I´m having thoughts of buying a thinner extra wetsuit to wear under my semidry for colder dives. Perhaps a 2mm. Hoping that the extra suit will decrease the waterflow to a minimum under the semidry. Have anyone tried this?? Does it works?? I have offcourse had thougts of a drysuit too but I´m unemployed for the moment and a drysuit is a bit expensive.

 

[Dsix36]

I have used a 3/2 shorty under my 4/3 full suit and it did make a big difference in my confort level in cooler waters.

I was able to handle water that was 12 degrees colder for a full hour with no chills at all.

 

[divin'dog]

I wear a core warmer by Henderson... I think its a 3mm. Works well under a 7mm suit. I've been down to high 40'sF/low 50'sF with no problem. Having good seals at the wrist, ankles and neck go a long way to reducing water flow. Also helps to have a good hood with skin in as the water can get through the hood and go down into the suit.

 

[EnjoyTheSilence]

Thanks for the answer. This looks really interesting. I think I go for the extra suit.

 

[miketsp]

First off, if you're talking about "water flow" with a semi-dry then something is very wrong. I'm on my second 7mm semi-dry. My first was a Seac-sub and that was perfect - the only water inside was from my own sweat. With that one I never felt the need for a liner. My second is a Cressi and it does get a little damp from the wrist seals that are not as tight as my first one. So I do sometimes wear a sleeveless 2.5mm neoprene vest with my new suit.
But if you're getting any significant water ingress then your suit probably needs some tailoring. My first one fit me off-the-shelf. My second one I had adjusted when I bought it. The price included 1 year of adjustments.

 

[decompression]

Core Warner's or vests are inexpensive and give you a bit more warmth, might be the trick.

 

[EnjoyTheSilence]

First off, if you're talking about "water flow" with a semi-dry then something is very wrong. I'm on my second 7mm semi-dry. My first was a Seac-sub and that was perfect - the only water inside was from my own sweat. With that one I never felt the need for a liner. My second is a Cressi and it does get a little damp from the wrist seals that are not as tight as my first one. So I do sometimes wear a sleeveless 2.5mm neoprene vest with my new suit.
But if you're getting any significant water ingress then your suit probably needs some tailoring. My first one fit me off-the-shelf. My second one I had adjusted when I bought it. The price included 1 year of adjustments.

Yeah. I guess my wrist seals are not as tight as they could be. Do you mean that you can get your old suit adjusted??

 

[krawlings]

you may want to check out Lava Core they work great minimal thickness (with a 3mm+ therm. value)

 

[gcarter]

Even a well fitting (snug) rash guard can make a difference without adding any bulk at all.

 

[miketsp]

Yeah. I guess my wrist seals are not as tight as they could be. Do you mean that you can get your old suit adjusted??

To be clear, I gave up using my old suit when the zipper started cracking and leaking - a zipper replacement would have been uneconomical.
My new suit fit me perfectly from the waist down but was big across the chest and a lot of air space under the arms. The shop that sold it to me made all the adjustments - they removed quite a lot of neoprene. They did a very good job - the new seams are watertight and the sewing style is identical to the original. The only way you know what seams are original and what are new is a slight colour difference of the thread they used. And if they didn't get it right first time I could have kept taking it back until the fit was perfect - like a glove - no airspaces for water to accumulate even if some does get in.
I have the fortune to live in a big city where there are a few shops that adjust and repair wet-suits.
So, yes, you probably can get your suit adjusted. Just need to see if it's still in good condition and with enough life left in it to justify the adjustment if you have to pay for it.