Question on new style zippers and neoprene

[tuffshed]

Wetwear,

I can't say enough about your wetsuit. I'm about to order my second one. The first one I got in 1993. It has hundreds of days on it and finally a seam on the butt wore so thin it broke. This was not a defect in the neoprene, I had just worn it so much it wore thin. It had an incredible fit and the warmth was incredible. I was toasty by the time I reached topside when others with the same style and thickness from others were shivering.

My original Wetwear wetsuit was an Atlantis style front zip, 3mm. I had the wrist, ankle (and maybe neck) skin in seals plus small wrist and ankle zippers for ease of entry. Getting the front zip style arms off was a bit of a pain even with the small zippers, but not so much difficulty that it bothered me. The smaller leg zippers were never a problem getting my legs on or off.

So my question is on the EZ On zipper. Do these work as well at keeping out the water as the older smaller zippers? I see you offer the smaller zippers as an accessory. I don't know if I should get all small zippers, or small zippers on the legs and EZ ON zippers on the arms. My concern is water entry and warmth. I contend that you can never be too warm and the older smaller zippers worked excellent, they allowed easier on/off but didn't leak much water in. I liked the snug fit on my arms/legs which was only interupted slightly by the zippers.

Should I stick with the older smaller zippers in my new suit or do the new EZ ON zipper work so well that you would recomend these for my arms. I am a fairly normal body style 185lb, arms probably a bit thin in the forarm.

Next question. You advertise Wetwear Nitrogen Neoprene in your Sport Diver section, and the Rubatex G-231N Neoprene in your Commercial/Cave/Technical section. Do you not recomend the G-231N for Sport Divers? Does it weigh so much more and/or is stiffer? I don't mind getting the best neoprene for my suit from you guys because your suits last so long, but would you think it was overkill to get the G-213N for a 3mm suit used only in the Carribean and Hawaii probably 50 times a year? What are the downsides (if any) to G-231N, are the arms/legs harder to bend, does the neoprene stretch and fit the curves of the body as well?

Thanks,
- Mike

 

[Wetwear]

Hi Mike,

I'm glad to hear your wetsuit has served you well. Once you have received your new suit, you should send us your old one and we can repair it for you to use as a back up suit. Here are some answers and some suggestions to your questions.

1. Getting the front zip style arms off was a bit of a pain even with the small zippers, but not so much difficulty that it bothered me. Try a back zipper. We do our back zippers on an angle. It zips from the center on the back of the neck and slants down to the left hip. It is very easy to put on and take off, plus it offers a warmer style collar.

2. So my question is on the EZ On zipper. Do these work as well at keeping out the water as the older smaller zippers? No matter what you should get some type of wrist and ankle zippers, which ones are up to you. We rarely sell a suit without the EZ ON Zippers anymore, and we rarely have any complaints about them. The EZ On Zippers go from the wrist to the bicep and from the ankle to the thigh. The zipper flap is sewn to both sides of the zipper, so when the zippers are open the suit expands open. You do not see your skin, just the flap. The flap we use is an air tight, water tight material which eliminated water from leaking in. The little zippers make it easier to get your hands and feet in, the EZ On Zippers make it easier to get your whole arm and whole leg in. Another benefit to the longer zippers is that you can have to suit on with the zippers unzipped and not over heat because it allows air to flow through the suit.

3. Next question. You advertise Wetwear Nitrogen Neoprene in your Sport Diver section, and the Rubatex G-231N Neoprene in your Commercial/Cave/Technical section. Do you not recommend the G-231N for Sport Divers? Does it weigh so much more and/or is stiffer? The Nitrogen neoprene we offer in the sport diving section is rated to 80 feet before it receives compression and is a little more affordable than the G231. The G231 is rated to 500 feet before it receives compression. The G231 material is not much stiffer in a 3mm, but it is almost double the price.

I hope I have answered all of your questions. Please feel free to post any further question you have, or give me a call.

Sincerely,

Kristi Warren
Wetwear
wetwear@bellsouth.net
(954)458-0400
(800)771-8081

 

[tuffshed]

1. Getting the front zip style arms off was a bit of a pain even with the small zippers, but not so much difficulty that it bothered me. Try a back zipper. We do our back zippers on an angle. It zips from the center on the back of the neck and slants down to the left hip. It is very easy to put on and take off, plus it offers a warmer style collar.

I know that the back zipper style is a better design for warmth, but there are a few reasons why I prefer the front zipper style.

First, the collar. I have a normal to thin neck, with a regular sized adams apple. I find that any suit with a collar that covers/touches the adams apple is uncomfortable and rubs on the adams apple. I am a whitewater kayaker and canyoneer as well as a scuba diver and I have had dozens of wetsuits. I have yet to find one that the collar was designed for men so that the neck peice in front dips below the adams apple so that the collar can be worn snugly. Your front zipper design collar in a 3mm works great for me. I don't dive colder water so I haven't had to modify the collar like I have with my canyoneering wetsuit.

The second reason for a front zipper style is for the "rinse" factor. We all know what a few cups of coffee followed by a dive leads to. On my safety stop I will unzip the front and "rinse" a bit. Since I dive in relatively warmer water this works well. You can't do this with a back zipper very easily or at all.

Which gets me to another question that I have about customization, and what you may want to consider as a change to your standard zipper. On all my kayaker wetsuits, made by Northwest River Supplies (www.nrsweb.com) they use a double pull zipper on all their front zipper wetsuits. This allow you to unzip it from the top (normal method) or unzip it from bottom up. This allows (for men at least) to pee without taking the wetsuit off. This is way more important in kayaking since it is not easy/comfortable to "rinse". I would like the same kind of zipper to be installed on my front zipper scuba wetsuit. This would allow (men or women) to "rinse" while at safety stop without having to unzip the suit from the top (and through your BC). It would also allow men (or talented women) to urinate topside without having to take the suit off (which could be a problem either way if you were wearing a vest).

What do you think ? Could you offer the double pull zipper as an option ?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Wetwear]

Hi Mike,

We do offer that kind of a zipper, we call it a relief zipper. Just let us know when you are ordering your suit that you would like a relief zipper and we will add it on there for you.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me or post again.

Sincerely,

Kristi Warren
Wetwear
wetwear@bellsouth.net
(954)458-0400
(800)771-8081