Long sleeve over long sleeve

[Dnoblin]

I have a long sleeve 2mm Jacket that I would like to use over my full 3mm wet suit. Everybody is telling me that it wont work. Why?

 

[MichaelMc]

Do you have both of them already? If the 2mm fits you, it will be very tight over the 3mm, making it very hard to get on and maybe constricting your arms more than you want. Most two layer setups are on the trunk - like a farmer john or a vest - or with zippers like an over vest that has short arms and legs with a zip from neck down one leg. So you can lay them on top and then zip tight.

It might be rather like putting a fleece jacket on over a fleece sweater. The torso is mostly fine with it, but the arms are a major pain. And that is for loose fitting surface wear. For wetsuits you want little water exchange so they need to be snug.

A 2mm vest may be a help. It will make your 3mm tighter, but gets you the hood and some extra core insulation. And you zip the full suit tight over it.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I have a long sleeve 2mm Jacket that I would like to use over my full 3mm wet suit. Everybody is telling me that it wont work. Why?

Have you tried putting it on? It will very likely be very difficult to get the jacket on over the full suit in the sleeve area, but I would not say it cannot be done. I put on a step-in 7mm jacket over a 2.5mm full jumpsuit and it was very difficult and uncomfortable and I did not actually attempt to wear it while diving, but I managed to get it on. The 2.5mm sleeves were a bit twisted.

OTOH it's pretty easy to put a full jumpsuit on over a shorty suit. I've used this combination in some fairly cold water (58 F) and was reasonably warm (with a hood and booties). The tricky part was at the top of the back zipper and I throw the zipper pull over my shoulder while zipping up the outside suit. This would, of course, be easier if you have someone else to zip you up.

 

[mallbritton]

I'd suggest doing it the other way around. Put the 2mm jacket under the 3mm full suit. That will all probably fit better. And as @JamesBon92007 says, just try it before you get in the water to see if everything fits.

 

[hilljo88]

You dont gain very much by having extra neoprene over your arms. One possibility is to cut the arms off the 2 mm and use it as a vest over the 3. Not uncommon to do this with older wetsuits that have gotten beaten up.

 

[northernone]

Double full wetsuit works great if the sizes fit over each other. Wear the tighter one under the bigger one. I've done it for a few hundred dives.

Extra thickness on the arms and core are both significant. A shortie over a full suit is noticeably colder, I suspect less water exchange plus the obvious added insulation.

Cameron

 

[Satrekker]

I have a long sleeve 2mm Jacket that I would like to use over my full 3mm wet suit. Everybody is telling me that it wont work. Why?

Is it a wetsuit or a surf jacket? If it's a true jacket, then the diameter of the sleeves should be large enough to fit over the wetsuit, but it won't work well for diving. It'll better function as an after-dive jacket to shield you from the elements and keep you warm.