Pocket placement on wetsuit

[boulderjohn]

You can also buy neoprene shorts with pockets on them and just pull them on over the wet suit.

---------- Post added November 22nd, 2012 at 10:17 AM ----------

Additional thoughts on the pocket shorts:

I usually dive with a dry suit, but I took two trips this fall in which wet suits made better sense. On both trips, I was diving warm ocean water for a while, followed by a trip into cooler caves. On those trips I ended up using a 3mm suit, a 5 mm suit, and a 7mm suit. For a number of off topic reasons related to travel logistics, only one of those suits was mine. It was very convenient to be able to pull my shorts up over whatever suit I happened to be wearing.

If, on the other hand, you will only be using your own suit for most of your diving, then attaching pockets makes more sense.

 

[BlueDevil]

Thanks for the ongoing feedback on this issue. The consensus seems to be to go for side placement. I did have a pocket on the front of my old drysuit (which I haven't worn for many years) and don't recall this placement being problematic. However my current drysuit has a side placed pocket. I do find the zip hard to operate with this side placement, but the pockets I have purchased to put on my drysuit have a velcro closure so this shouldn't be an issue.

As for sewing them on I can see that would provide a strong and permanent attachment but wonder if it may adversely afffect the perfomance of the suit. All good wetsuits use a blind stitching process in which the stitching doesn't penetrate right through the suit. If it is stitched through the suit it will create hundreds of tiny holes through which water can pass. I guess given the smallish size of a pocket the amount of water flow created by sewing through the suit is probably small and may not have a noticable effect, but I think personally I would steer away from it for this reason, unless I could get a wetsuit manufacturer to blind stitch it (if possible).

 

[BoltSnap]

For wetsuit, go with the shorts with pockets as boulderjohn suggested.

 

[Dr Dive]

Dr Dive sez: here's a product I saw at DEMA. Got no dog in the hunt, just thought it was a cool product, and appears to be a solution to this type of problem. Would also work with dry suits.
Irikonji Dive Gear

Capt. Jim
Dr Dive

 

[PfcAJ]

Thanks for the ongoing feedback on this issue. The consensus seems to be to go for side placement. I did have a pocket on the front of my old drysuit (which I haven't worn for many years) and don't recall this placement being problematic. However my current drysuit has a side placed pocket. I do find the zip hard to operate with this side placement, but the pockets I have purchased to put on my drysuit have a velcro closure so this shouldn't be an issue.

As for sewing them on I can see that would provide a strong and permanent attachment but wonder if it may adversely afffect the perfomance of the suit. All good wetsuits use a blind stitching process in which the stitching doesn't penetrate right through the suit. If it is stitched through the suit it will create hundreds of tiny holes through which water can pass. I guess given the smallish size of a pocket the amount of water flow created by sewing through the suit is probably small and may not have a noticable effect, but I think personally I would steer away from it for this reason, unless I could get a wetsuit manufacturer to blind stitch it (if possible).

You can seal the holes with aquaseal or neoprene cement on the inside of the suit. Use tape (masking tape, duct tape, anything works, really) to create clean lines. Apply the goop, let it get tacky, then peel the tape off. A professional appearance is the result.

Those little shorts don't impress me. One more thing to forget and the pockets are often (but not always) small.

Zippers on pockets aren't generally a good idea. Good call with going with velcro.

 

[Peter_C]

You can seal the holes with aquaseal or neoprene cement on the inside of the suit. Use tape (masking tape, duct tape, anything works, really) to create clean lines. Apply the goop, let it get tacky, then peel the tape off. A professional appearance is the result.

Except how many people have sewing machines capable of sewing into a leg? I have two sewing machines, but neither are capable of sewing into a leg

Those little shorts don't impress me. One more thing to forget and the pockets are often (but not always) small.

My X-shorts have larger pockets than both my drysuits *shrugs*

Zippers on pockets aren't generally a good idea. Good call with going with velcro.

Velcro attached to stiff pockets is even better, so you can feel the flap through gloves.

 

[boulderjohn]

My X-shorts have larger pockets than both my drysuits *shrugs*

Same here.

 

[Wetwear]

Hello all... We do sew pockets onto wetsuits. We do not recommend using aqua seal or contact cement to put pockets on for a few reasons. First it is messy looking. Also a wetsuit stretches so unless you are gluing it on while wearing the suit, your suit will not have the same stretch once you place the pocket on. Lastly, the cement used to put pockets on is not pliable and will not stretch with the suit, so the suit ends up stretching away from the glue and pocket.

What we do is sew the pocket to a piece of 2mm neoprene and then blind stitch that to the suit. This method is less invasive and not damaging at all to the suit.

As for placement, It is a personal preference. We have some divers who insist the front of the leg is best, and other must have it on the side. With us the choice is yours!!

Shorts with pockets are also an option and work great. We make them and you can choose what type of pockets you want and where.