Dracunos
Contributor
This may be long.. shorter version below for those who don't like to read 
Hello, I am newly certified and have recently decided my first (larger) purchase will probably be exposure protection.
I have read through the forums and gotten a lot of opinions and great information that has helped me start the process of narrowing down my options.
First of all, let me start by mentioning that I am in southern California, in the LA area, and we get a bit of coldish water out here. I will mention that despite all the pleading from others I don't quite feel up to getting a drysuit right now. I may get one in the future, but I would prefer to wait a while. My logic on that is that drysuits are pretty large purchases and I would rather wait until I am both more experienced and can actually afford it. I know I could get a cheap used one or a low-end drysuit for probably similar to a decent to good wetsuit (or custom) cost, but personally if I'm getting something that expensive I would prefer to get something of mid-range quality (and I'm not that into buying used.. just personal preference). Feel free to comment on the horribleness of that logic
I will probably rent for a little while, but honestly I don't have much faith in rental suits fitting well and they just plain gross me out, heh. So I started looking at my wetsuit options and the first two to pop up at me were, naturally, farmer john vs the fullsuit+hooded vest combo. At this point I am leaning toward the vest and fullsuit. For one thing, it would be nice to be able to start my purchase with just the fullsuit and decide on a later date which vest and hood I wanted My cert dives (+1 short dive) were in 63 degree water for about half hour intervals and I felt just fine with my rental 6.5mm and bibbed hood and 3mm gloves- so I know I can handle the temps with only the fullsuit/hood at least for now(was a bit hard to breath in that rental, though). I also have some 'natural insulation' and I enjoy the cold more than most.
The versatility of being able to dive with only a fullsuit, adding hood or adding on the vest or hooded vest is also nicer than trying to wear half a farmer john in my opinion. Considering I will be wanting to add the vest later I will probably prefer a step-through vest on the outside, but I'm not quite sure if I want it to be a hooded vest or non hooded.
Hooded is nice because it prevents some water flow, especially if I add the face seal. But having a separate hood is nice because.. stuffing myself into a hooded vest, while already wearing a wetsuit.. sounds kinda hard, hehe. Do you step in and force the hood up over your head and then force your arms through? Or do you put all your limbs in and then somehow get the hood over your head? I also would want to remove the hood during SI rather than slide it down to my neck so it can choke me even more. Removing and replacing the entire vest and hood between dives doesn't sound fun either. A separate hood seems much easier, and I've spoken to some that have tried both and prefer the separate hood. I'm not so sure if the increased protection is worth the loss of the convenience. I also have searched and it seems that non-hooded step through vests are kinda hard to come by? They all seem to come with hoods attached.
Now let's talk about custom. When I did some vague measurements of myself and compared them to about ten or so of the various sizing charts on the internet for the various companies I found that some of my measurements are near the xl, while others are up in the xxxl range (mostly my large butt) for pretty much all the companies. I can stuff myself into the off the rack stuff, but it would just be fantastic to have a wetsuit that fit really well, you know? I'd imagine the complications with needing custom sizing for drysuits would be even more expensive? I know some of the companies have the 'inbetween sizes' for those of us with unique measurement combinations, and I will definitely do my best to find some rental stuff in the area that I can fit into properly. But if decide they aren't for me, I was looking at custom (probably at JNJ or Horizon) or perhaps buying a suit and having it altered. I hear a lot about custom, but I rarely hear about people getting their suits altered, how it normally compares in price to custom, what the downsides are, etc. I would like some opinions on that. Another option for me to consider is the stretchy neoprene material. I'm not sure if I trust it, and I know at depth it can tend to lose insulating power a bit moreso than normal neoprene, but some people who have used it mention they enjoy it; and it also seems to be much cheaper than custom.
If I go custom I will definitely pay the extra to get a decent lining. I have heard titanium and vinyl were good, but I really don't know how to compare them or what qualities they really have.. I know they are supposed to insulate a bit better or make it easier to slide in and out of the suit while wet, but have only heard a couple of opinions on just how effective these linings are compared to just plain neoprene.
I've read through the forums, and have heard many of these questions asked before, and did learn a lot from the answers, but I guess some slightly more personalized advice is desired. I know in the end the choice is all mine and has a lot to do with personal preferences. The main purpose of this thread is to get some people's personal experience with these different variations wetsuit styles/types. I feel sort of lost because I want to purchase a wetsuit somewhat early on, but at the same time early on I don't really have much experience. (Which is part of the reason I like the vest idea.. Just starting with a relatively smaller purchase like the fullsuit and diving with that for a while until I know for sure)
On a last note I don't know much about dive skins. I haven't done research on them yet and will, but if anyone has any input or suggestions on them that'd be nice as well.
Short version..
I don't think I want a drysuit just yet. (nor can I afford it)
Farmer John vs. Fullsuit/vest(on outside SCUBA Knowtes, Exposure Protection - Wetsuits)?
Fullsuit/vest/bibbed hood vs fullsuit/'hooded vest'?
How hard is it to put a hooded vest on compared to just vest? (outside of fullsuit)
Are step-in vests with no hood hard to come by?
Custom vs altered suits vs stretchy neoprene?
What do these various lining actually do in the real world? (while skin is wet/dry?)
Hello, I am newly certified and have recently decided my first (larger) purchase will probably be exposure protection.
I have read through the forums and gotten a lot of opinions and great information that has helped me start the process of narrowing down my options.
First of all, let me start by mentioning that I am in southern California, in the LA area, and we get a bit of coldish water out here.
I will mention that despite all the pleading from others I don't quite feel up to getting a drysuit right now. I may get one in the future, but I would prefer to wait a while. My logic on that is that drysuits are pretty large purchases and I would rather wait until I am both more experienced and can actually afford it. I know I could get a cheap used one or a low-end drysuit for probably similar to a decent to good wetsuit (or custom) cost, but personally if I'm getting something that expensive I would prefer to get something of mid-range quality (and I'm not that into buying used.. just personal preference). Feel free to comment on the horribleness of that logic I will probably rent for a little while, but honestly I don't have much faith in rental suits fitting well and they just plain gross me out, heh. So I started looking at my wetsuit options and the first two to pop up at me were, naturally, farmer john vs the fullsuit+hooded vest combo. At this point I am leaning toward the vest and fullsuit. For one thing, it would be nice to be able to start my purchase with just the fullsuit and decide on a later date which vest and hood I wanted
My cert dives (+1 short dive) were in 63 degree water for about half hour intervals and I felt just fine with my rental 6.5mm and bibbed hood and 3mm gloves- so I know I can handle the temps with only the fullsuit/hood at least for now(was a bit hard to breath in that rental, though). I also have some 'natural insulation' and I enjoy the cold more than most.The versatility of being able to dive with only a fullsuit, adding hood or adding on the vest or hooded vest is also nicer than trying to wear half a farmer john in my opinion. Considering I will be wanting to add the vest later I will probably prefer a step-through vest on the outside, but I'm not quite sure if I want it to be a hooded vest or non hooded.
Hooded is nice because it prevents some water flow, especially if I add the face seal. But having a separate hood is nice because.. stuffing myself into a hooded vest, while already wearing a wetsuit.. sounds kinda hard, hehe. Do you step in and force the hood up over your head and then force your arms through? Or do you put all your limbs in and then somehow get the hood over your head? I also would want to remove the hood during SI rather than slide it down to my neck so it can choke me even more
. Removing and replacing the entire vest and hood between dives doesn't sound fun either. A separate hood seems much easier, and I've spoken to some that have tried both and prefer the separate hood. I'm not so sure if the increased protection is worth the loss of the convenience. I also have searched and it seems that non-hooded step through vests are kinda hard to come by? They all seem to come with hoods attached.Now let's talk about custom. When I did some vague measurements of myself and compared them to about ten or so of the various sizing charts on the internet for the various companies I found that some of my measurements are near the xl, while others are up in the xxxl range (mostly my large butt
) for pretty much all the companies. I can stuff myself into the off the rack stuff, but it would just be fantastic to have a wetsuit that fit really well, you know? I'd imagine the complications with needing custom sizing for drysuits would be even more expensive? I know some of the companies have the 'inbetween sizes' for those of us with unique measurement combinations, and I will definitely do my best to find some rental stuff in the area that I can fit into properly. But if decide they aren't for me, I was looking at custom (probably at JNJ or Horizon) or perhaps buying a suit and having it altered. I hear a lot about custom, but I rarely hear about people getting their suits altered, how it normally compares in price to custom, what the downsides are, etc. I would like some opinions on that. Another option for me to consider is the stretchy neoprene material. I'm not sure if I trust it, and I know at depth it can tend to lose insulating power a bit moreso than normal neoprene, but some people who have used it mention they enjoy it; and it also seems to be much cheaper than custom.If I go custom I will definitely pay the extra to get a decent lining. I have heard titanium and vinyl were good, but I really don't know how to compare them or what qualities they really have.. I know they are supposed to insulate a bit better or make it easier to slide in and out of the suit while wet, but have only heard a couple of opinions on just how effective these linings are compared to just plain neoprene.
I've read through the forums, and have heard many of these questions asked before, and did learn a lot from the answers, but I guess some slightly more personalized advice is desired. I know in the end the choice is all mine and has a lot to do with personal preferences. The main purpose of this thread is to get some people's personal experience with these different variations wetsuit styles/types. I feel sort of lost because I want to purchase a wetsuit somewhat early on, but at the same time early on I don't really have much experience. (Which is part of the reason I like the vest idea.. Just starting with a relatively smaller purchase like the fullsuit and diving with that for a while until I know for sure)
On a last note I don't know much about dive skins. I haven't done research on them yet and will, but if anyone has any input or suggestions on them that'd be nice as well.
Short version..
I don't think I want a drysuit just yet. (nor can I afford it)
Farmer John vs. Fullsuit/vest(on outside SCUBA Knowtes, Exposure Protection - Wetsuits)?
Fullsuit/vest/bibbed hood vs fullsuit/'hooded vest'?
How hard is it to put a hooded vest on compared to just vest? (outside of fullsuit)
Are step-in vests with no hood hard to come by?
Custom vs altered suits vs stretchy neoprene?
What do these various lining actually do in the real world? (while skin is wet/dry?)
