wetsuit purchase for newbie

[thedaddy]

Oh.. wetsuits shrink, but it's not irreversible. It's just the nature of nylon to shrink when it dries out.

Before you go on your trip, if you remember to give the suit a good soaking and stretching (putting it on and getting in the shower is goofy but works) a few days prior, it's MUCH more comfy to don when you're ready to dive.

LOL!
I thought the reference was to the expanding diver. Cotton must dry out too, cause I have a whole closet full of...

Seriously though, sounds like you travel overseas enough to know what a PITA luggage can be, particularly these days - balance traveling lite with the value added for your trip. I don't take stuff like fins and regulators due to bulk and weight, but I would like to have my own mask and wetsuit for comfort.

As far as wetuits:
I think some people have the tendency to buy too snug to minimize flushing - if it is a real chore to get on, then it might be too tight for you.
If you are an off-the-shelf fit, order online - the charts are pretty accurate and the thin suits stretch enough to make a near fit comfortable. As somebody mentioned, the suits these days seem a lot 'stretchier' than they used to be (new formulations, mfg processes, etc) and some suits are made with that as a key feature. A few manufacturers, even have variants for short and tall fits (Body Glove, Bare - I bought Body Glove 4/3 mil online to use seasonally in a size XL Short when the LDS couldn't fit me off the shelf: Lg wasn't big enough and the XL body was too long). A 2 or 3 mil suit an be had online for about $100 and a one-piece (surf suit) travels easy. At that price I wouldn't stress too much. If it doesn't fit quite right, you can recoup half your expense by selling it on ebay and get a different one for the next trip.

If you are a hard fit, all the more reason to buy before you go. Good custom online outfitters usually have a fit warranty (send it back for re-cut if it does not fit) but you pay a bit more. If you go to a LDS to get fitted, then buy there if they find you a match. The sales girl that fitted me saw the body issue and actually suggested I check out the online alternatives.

 

[Kestrell]

I would buy it here--get it sized properly and ensure that it fits well before you go on your trip. My philosophy is to leave anything you have to worry about at home BEFORE you go away. No sense having to run around to get a WS while you're there when you can do it here .

Exactly!

 

[forestfish]

Thanks a lot everyone! I will wait until the next batch of suits comes into the LDS, and go from there. Hopefully, something will fit off the rack. But I assume (perhaps naively) that the dive instructor (who owns the shop) will be more interested in getting me the right suit than the money.

The Henderson Hyperstretch sounds good, but I don't think I can afford a $250 wetsuit right now.

Any comments on Bare, Tilos, Neosport, Mares, Akona or Blue Reef for suits?

 

[Scubaguy62]

Okay, so I am going to buy myself a wetsuit here in Illinois. Should I just buy it from the dive shop (where we are getting certified)? Or should I get sized there, and then order online?

I tried on one already, and nearly cut off my circulation. Obviously, it was too small.

How often do you need to use a suit to keep it from shrinking?

IMHO, there is one piece of gear you don't buy online, unless you're a very experienced diver and are doing it to save a few bucks, or if you're going to be buying in quantities, it is Life Support Equipment (bc's, regs, masks, and yes, wetsuits). My reason is one of safety; it has to fit properly, and the hastles of return shipments are just more than that with which I'd like to deal.

Buying the wetsuit from your LDS will afford you a greater chance for a proper fit. Also, if you have issues with the equipment, all you have to do is take it to the shop.

BTW, my 3mm full suit has almost 200 dives on it and it's 4 yrs. old. It's the only one I have and I dive in warm water all the time. One exception, I once jumped into 59 degree water with my 3mm suit, a 3mm shortie on top, reef gloves, and a beanie hood; didn't get cold at all.

Just my .02 psi

 

[jakubson]

Thanks a lot everyone! I will wait until the next batch of suits comes into the LDS, and go from there. Hopefully, something will fit off the rack. But I assume (perhaps naively) that the dive instructor (who owns the shop) will be more interested in getting me the right suit than the money.

The Henderson Hyperstretch sounds good, but I don't think I can afford a $250 wetsuit right now.

Any comments on Bare, Tilos, Neosport, Mares, Akona or Blue Reef for suits?

I have no experience with the Bare tropical suits, but I have the Bare 7mm Arctic and Arctic hooded vest, and so far I love it. It is in its first season.

 

[NigerHadiza]

How is/was Australia? That is where I did my OW! What a GREAT trip! What company did you go with? I was with Pro-Dive. VERY good liveaboard and crew! I loved it! Please tell me how it went. If so, who was your instructor (s)?

Sincerely,

Anna wolf

Okay, here is my story - my hubby and I are in the process of getting our PADI OW cert (should be done by mid Sept). We are going to Australia the second half of November, and want to dive the Great Barrier Reef. I am leaning towards getting a 3mm wettie (no shorties for me, gotta protect myself!). Would it be better to buy a wetsuit while in Cairns? Or should I trust the Instructor here in Chicago-area?

I don't mind renting a suit for the training dives, both in the pool and at the quarry. But for diving on the reef, I want my own. I figure that my hubby and I will be able to dive in Hawaii, off Baja, or Carribean about once every 18months or so (we have young kids, so schedulingis an issue).

I have no desire to dive Lake Michigan - no wrecks for me please, just pretty fish and the like.

 

[stevetim]

The other point about not buying dive gear at your destination is the fact that you now have to fit it into the luggage for the return trip. Looking back on my past vacations, my luggage space seems to shrink by about 25% after about a week or so. Must be something in the air.
Oh and if you are diving only every year and a half...you still can read your "How to dive" book to keep everything relatively fresh in your mind. Of course this does not take the place of a refresher session with an instructor, but will make such a session much easier than restarting from cold turkey.

 

[m3830431]

Hmmm...well, I wouldn't mind diving closer to home, but the cold weather here in the north is not an exciting thought, .

Your just a flatlander. It isn't even north in Green Bay. We go to Munising.

 

[TheRedHead]

Thanks a lot everyone! I will wait until the next batch of suits comes into the LDS, and go from there. Hopefully, something will fit off the rack. But I assume (perhaps naively) that the dive instructor (who owns the shop) will be more interested in getting me the right suit than the money.

The Henderson Hyperstretch sounds good, but I don't think I can afford a $250 wetsuit right now.

Any comments on Bare, Tilos, Neosport, Mares, Akona or Blue Reef for suits?

I have a Neosport 3/2 and it's not bad at all. It's a 3/2 and requires 6-8 pounds of additional weight to sink it. I think I now have 8 wetsuits (I'm trying to pare them down). Bought 3 1 mm suits in Key Largo for about $40 each on clearance (Key Largo is the one vacation spot where you would do well to shop), 1 5mm Hyperstrech (up for sale on this board), 1 3mm Hyperstrech core warmer, the Neosport 3/2, Henderson Trilam (my favorite) and I just ordered the Henderson Superior Polyolefin from scuba.com for $74.66. It seems to have many of the advantages of the Trilam (neutral buoyancy) at about 1/3 the cost. It has the warmth of a 2mm suit with no positive buoyancy.

No one talks about suits in terms of additional lead, but that has now become my most important consideration in buying a suit. I have to wear 20 pounds in my 5 mm Hyperstrech compared to 8 pounds for the Trilam. It makes such a difference in buoyancy control and comfort.

For the kind of diving you are doing, I would seriously look at the Trilam or the Polartec that Roatan Man mentioned in his post.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I just got my 5/4 BARE velocity from divetank today. I thought it a little weird but the insert said to try it on wet. maybe in the shower. I'll try anything once. You know what, as good as it fit and it fits great, getting it wet improved the fit. Try a bare from divetank. Call and speak to shannen. She is great! I'm a hard to fit (medium/large/short) and after talking to her and giving my measurements it's what was ordered. cost was 174 and shipping was free. If you are an off the rack they are running a special on certain 2004 models(40 dollars off). They may have a similar deal on the 3 mils. Or you could consider a polartech which is equivto a 3mil. Mine is made by aquatic wetsuits is a med large and fits well. beware of size charts they are NOT all the same. BARE comes closest to my actual measurements. Congrats on your new certs and if you like warm water diving come to where we dive in west virginia. on 9/10 surface temp was 91, 89 at 30 ft, 88 at 60ft. on 8/27 surface temp was 92 and at 90 ft was 88 degrees. It's a lake in the mountains and it's heated. 1200 acres depths to 128 ft or so. it will still be in the 80's well into oct and possibly 1st of november. lots of catfish,bass, bluegills, and some really pretty bluish gold carp. not hte muddy brown ones but actually bluish gold.