Wondering about the old Farmer Johns

[tengsr]

Hi, Ive got a 30+ year old Whites farmer john 7mm with the beaver tail, and was wondering how warm the old ones are. Its still pretty cold here so I a little chicken to go try and see

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

First of all it has to fit good. If it fits try it.
Don't be scared.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I have used the Farmer John style for many, many years with great success. The Farmer John was "the suit" in the 1960s, as you had two layers over the chest area. I have used them in very cold water for an hour. Look at my avatar. It is in Clear Lake, Oregon which is that temperature year-round. The big thing about wet suits is that they fit well (see above) have sealed seams. If the water can "pump" through the seams, then they get cold quickly. The older suits were pretty good about sealing the seams, so that should not be a problem. But you also need a good hood, boots and gloves (my favorite were 3-finger mits, which I made myself). The hood needs to have an extension on it to go under the jacket, and I like to put it under the Farmer John bottoms too.

John

 

[diver_paula]

Also look at how much they've been used. With use the neoprene compresses and is no longer as thick as it originally was. A 1/4" suit does not stay 1/4" and loses it's warmth with time.

Paula

 

[JamesBon92007]

Hi, Ive got a 30+ year old Whites farmer john 7mm with the beaver tail, and was wondering how warm the old ones are. Its still pretty cold here so I a little chicken to go try and see

I haven't ever really used anything else so I can't really say, but if there is something warmer now show me where it is so I can buy it.

Most of my diving has been in water that's about 55 degrees, more or less, once you get a ways down. It's cold at first but warms up after a while. I recently acquired a suit that's a farmer john but the jacket has short pants instead of a beavertail. I've only used it once and that was for snorkeling so I don't know how it will be for Scuba. One thing is for sure: it's much harder on the juevos.

I haven't really noticed it compressing or being thinner with time but it does seem to be stiffer.

James

 

[tengsr]

I tried today, it was great but I had a hell of a time trying to zip it up it just wouldn't go, so I had to zip up the bottom and step through it and wrestle it on

 

[duckbill]

Farmer Johns are graet in that you can just wear the jacket as an improvised "shorty". I do that when the weater is a bit too warm for the full wetsuit, but not warm enough to go suitless or short sleeved.

You can get cold in a suit that is too tight too. A too tight suit can impede your peripheral circulation and you can get chilled worse than having a suit that is a bit too loose. Ideally, it should just be snug with no big air pockets. You shouldn't have to fight that hard to get it on unless it is skin on skin, in which case you use talc or soapy water to aid donning.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Farmer Johns are graet in that you can just wear the jacket as an improvised "shorty". I do that when the weater is a bit too warm for the full wetsuit, but not warm enough to go suitless or short sleeved.

You can get cold in a suit that is too tight too. A too tight suit can impede your peripheral circulation and you can get chilled worse than having a suit that is a bit too loose. Ideally, it should just be snug with no big air pockets. You shouldn't have to fight that hard to get it on unless it is skin on skin, in which case you use talc or soapy water to aid donning.
(Emphasis added, jcr)

That's why I have a decades-old Farmer John with two "V"s cut into it. I had to add almost 4 inches on each side. As I got older, it fit tighter and tighter, until I had to do something or get a new one. I think it stretched better when it was new. Right...that's what I keep saying. Anyway, these suits can be cut upon, and material either added or subtracted with a bit of wet suit glue and some patience. It saved the money for a new suit.

SeaRat

 

[Walter]

Farmer johns don't have beaver tails. Beaver tails are on the jacket that goes over the farmer john.

 

[tengsr]

That's why I have a decades-old Farmer John with two "V"s cut into it. I had to add almost 4 inches on each side. As I got older, it fit tighter and tighter, until I had to do something or get a new one. I think it stretched better when it was new. Right...that's what I keep saying. Anyway, these suits can be cut upon, and material either added or subtracted with a bit of wet suit glue and some patience. It saved the money for a new suit.

SeaRat

When you are glueing in the new neoprene, do you glue edge to edge or do you overlap the material?