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I saw that. Have you tried it?
 
PerroneFord:
I saw that. Have you tried it?





I have not. I've never worn a hood, but I'm going to LP Thursday or Friday so I will take a look at it and tell you what I think of it in general. It looks good on the SeaSoft website (seasoftscuba.com). I'm probably going to buy a Harvey's 7mm with a 5mm glideskin-type face seal, but I can't help wondering if a 5mm compressed neoprene hood might be as warm as a regular neoprene 7mm. I hate bulk.
 
Perrone, considering how many custom wetsuit makers there are out there that make hoods all the time, I can't imagine it would be very difficult to have one of them make you a hood out of 5mm neoprene instead of their usual 7mm. Have you considered that route? I doubt it would even be particularly expensive.
 
Compudude, I had thought of it, but I just got the drysuit last week, so this has been more just brainstorming than anything to this point. My cave diving will kick into high gear in about 8 weeks, and then I'll be looking to do a few things like this hood. I wonder if any of the custom makers are using the "good stuff" in terms of Neoprene. Like the Rubatex stuff.
 
I thought they stopped making Rubatex, so it's probably getting harder and harder (and more expensive) to find a rubatex suit. That said, they can practically use scrap for a hood.

My thinking, however, is to get the stretchy comfy stuff instead of the stiff rubatex. We're talking about a thin hood for use with your drysuit in 68 degree water, not a custom fit wetsuit for use in 50 degree water. The advantages (and expense) rubatex would bring to the table just don't seem worth it, IMO. I have a Henderson InstaDry hood for when I dive wet, and I like it, but my Gold Core drysuit hood is a lot stretchier and more comfortable (both are 7mm). Again, for a 5mm hood in relatively warm water, I'd go for comfort.

For the record, I think I read somewhere that the best rubber out there right now (that's in current production) is Yamamoto or something like that. I think Xcel uses it, as well as a few custom shops.
 
scubajunkee:
Nope, but when I put it on, it gets really quiet and my dives tend to be a lot longer since my head is so toasty. It costs $75, but well worth it. They also have 10mm hoods if you don't need the extra bulk. Check them out: http://www.otterbaysuits.com/

- Ericson

They also make a 6.5mm hood. It's best to call them on the phone for details.

I use one of their 12mm hoods too. The best thing about a custom hood is the fact that the head and neck both fit right. I couldn't get that with off the shelf hoods. Always had water flushing in and out of the neck .
 

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