7mm Wetsuit and added layers

[Zef]

4500 euro? Thats crazy.

You can get a custom 4th element suit for 2400 euro

I have found the prices in europe for dive gear to be less expensive than the US.

The retail price for the Aqualung Fusion Bullet 2018 model is only around 1600 Euro...the fusion thermal suit is between 300-400 euros. Most shops here in Belgium will give a 10-15% discount when purchasing drysuit and undersuit together. The shop I bought my setup at not only gave me 15% off but gave me a set of fusion boots (at first the boots were a used set of size 12's but they were way too big so they swapped them out for a new set of size 11's when I stopped in to purchase a spare set of silicon neck and wrist seals). With the Fusion boots I did not need to change my fins to a set with a bigger foot pocket and I don't find my feet floaty at all...this saved me a little bit of coin.

There is no reason to spend 4500 euros for a drysuit....if the prices are that high in Germany then come spend a weekend diving with us in Belgium and I will introduce you to the shop owner where I purchased my suit.

-Z

 

[JamesBon92007]

Hello. I am diving in German lakes and it gets pretty cold below the thermocline (about 7 deg Celsius at 32m is the coldest so far). I have a 7mm Bare Reactive suit, with 2mm gloves, and 3mm hood. With this setup I am functional, just very uncomfortable. I am going to upgrade my gloves to Bare's 5mm Ultrawarmth to see how that works out for my hands.

My question is how much added warmth does a 7mm Ultrawarmth Hooded Vest or Step-in hooded vest or like products add and is it worth the investment? I unfortunately do not have near enough money in the fun fund for two dry-suits (my wife is my dive buddy)

I've not had very good results adding a vest or hooded vest. I get my best results wearing my 2.5mm shorty suit under my 7mm (or even my 2.5mm) full suit.

 

[soder3]

The price is for two suits, one of them custom made.

 

[eelnoraa]

3mm hood

If anything first, I will up this hood thickness. Here in Monterey, similar temperature water, it is not uncommon to see people use 10-12mm hood, myself included

 

[Zef]

The price is for two suits, one of them custom made.

1600 x 2 still does not = 4500 euro...there are options out there for less than 1600....crushed neoprene dry suits are typically less than 1000 euros....the aqualung blizzard retails for 789 euros and has integrated/attached boots. There are still less expensive suits than that out there....shop around, you will thank yourself later once you experience how much more enjoyable diving is when you are comfortable, not restricted by thick layers of neoprene, and relatively warm both in and out of the water.

-Z

 

[Marie13]

If you get the time, please let me know how your setup worked. Thanks.

My setup worked just fine today. We did 3 dives today and are doing 3 tomorrow as conditions will be too rough Sunday.

Depth and temps
93ft, 48F
20ft, 69F
66ft, 52F

I was just fine and not cold at all.

 

[Kharon]

In order to bring down the amount of lead that I need I changed from 7mm to a 3mm with two polyolefin suits underneath (https://www.amazon.com/Hyperflex-We...TF8&qid=1421764298&sr=1-7&keywords=polyolefin) plus a 3mm vest.

I've been in 42°F water and not been cold but the wetsuit I have seals very good and so there isn't any water exchange once I splash. I have a core insulation of (supposedly) 10 mm with buoyancy of a wee bit more than 3 mm. Cut my lead from 26-28# down to 8-10#.

Layering seems to me to be much warmer than a single layer. I also layer my head with a beanie plus a 3mm hood. It seems warmer than a 5mm hood and is less compressing. I don't know if Lavacore, Sharkskin, etc. make a hood, but I would look into adding a non-buoyant hood to your kit. As far as gloves, I would layer there as well. +1 for neoprene socks. In cold water I layer a pair of Lavacore socks under neoprene and can use my tropical boots (they're much easier to get on and off).

What I think the layering does is to prevent any real water exchange. So, once the water that gets in on the initial splash gets warmed it stays there and you only lose heat through the insulation. It also does less to cut off circulation so movement is better and bloodflow is as well.

 

[LEECH666]

I am seriously considering it. It is the 4500 euro price tag I was quoted that I am having heartburn over. I need one of them to be custom fitted. I have a problem allowing debt to linger around.

Since you are from Europe I'd suggest you check out Seaskin UK ( Dry Suits from Seaskin Custom Drysuits home page - Seaskin Custom Diving Suits ) who make/sell custom tailored (to measurement) dry suits with most of the bells and whistles (silicon seals, rugged reinforcements, kevlar kneepads, etc.) for round about 1000 Euros.

 

[icechip]

+1 on the thicker hood and gloves as well as some layers of socks (I've used wool socks before as an added layer). Good tip on using the hot water for the suit too. My semi-dry SEAC 7mm extends the dive season around here and I didn't have to break the bank to get it. I've added a pair of XS-Scuba 5mm Dry-FIve gloves too. All have helped. Have dove wet in Maine waters for all the months except January.