Looking for a wet suit

[Chads93GT]

Looking into getting a full body wet suit. I am wondering, what do most of you use? Where did you buy them? how thick are your suits and how comfortable are they in COLD water. There is a few caves near by that are wetsuit caves and im sure i will be in them a lot this winter when the water temp gets a LOT colder than it is now, and I dont want to still be cold with a wetsuit on, so i guess, good warmth is a must. Let me know what you have. Thanks

[Chads93GT]

looking at somethign like this bodyglove 2/3 mm suit

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/produ ... Id=2169629

[fuzzy-hair-man]

This topic might help:

http://forums.caves.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6154&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=wetsuits

Myself I use a normalish ~2mm wetsuit but I find I'm still cold, our wet caves don't go far and are usually pretty short trips additionally access by car is closed during winter so we visit in Summer when the weathers better, not that it helps the cave water temperature much.

[Lost]

http://www.baresports.com/

[chaz]

Buying a wetsuit can be tricky... Be prepared to buy a size larger than you expect. I generally wear large in clothes, jackets or whatever. I got a Henderson farmerjohn and top on E-bay that is large and very snug..uh..well Tight and hard to get on and off. my next one will be extra large. My wetsuit is 3 mil and double that where top and bottom overlap. Works great for me, but I know cavers that don't have my kind of body fat that prefer 6 and even 7 mil! Best of Luck! Chaz

[Chads93GT]

Buying a wetsuit can be tricky... Be prepared to buy a size larger than you expect. I generally wear large in clothes, jackets or whatever. I got a Henderson farmerjohn and top on E-bay that is large and very snug..uh..well Tight and hard to get on and off. my next one will be extra large. My wetsuit is 3 mil and double that where top and bottom overlap. Works great for me, but I know cavers that don't have my kind of body fat that prefer 6 and even 7 mil! Best of Luck! Chaz

6-7 mm? wow, they make them that thick? I was thinking 2-3 mm was kind of light. Im 6'3 195lbs, and not a lot of fat. Thanks for the links!

[batrotter]

The wetsuits that I use are all 1/4" thick material, so that would be 6.35 millimeters to be exact. I found them used at dive shops. Some dive shops offer scuba classes. The scuba classes are in chlorine pools and the chlorine fades out the wetsuit. After the classes are over, the dive shops usually put them on sale. Here in Indiana, while surveying, laying in the water for 6 or 8 hours, you'll wish you had a suit even thicker than 1/4".

[YuccaPatrol]

Sierra Trading Post sells wetsuits at VERY cheap closeout prices. My current shorty suit cost only $30 a year ago. That was a particularly fantastic deal though.

If you can wait a few months, their wetsuit prices seem to drop significantly during the colder months. . .

[Chads93GT]

Thanks for the tip about the sales. I will definately wait as the local group I cave with has about 8 wetsuits,a nd ive been wearing one of those, which has been fine so far. I just don't like to mooch and I would just like to get my own, that is thicker.

[Marbry]

A wetsuit for caving is always going to be a tradeoff between mobility and warmth to some extent. I like a 3mm one piece, and recently bought a new one, although I had to get a custom made suit to fit me. I got mine from http://www.aquaflite.com, they were great to work with, very reasonable on cost, and made a nice suit. They even altered it and sent it back at no cost when the height was off a bit, probably the measurements I sent them.

You may want to consider some options like getting a 3mm or 4mm suit and a separate vest that you can pull over the top of it for extra warmth in your core when you need it. There are also suits where different parts of the suit are different thicknesses, like a 4mm body and 3mm legs and arms for a combination of warmth with mobility. It's really going to depend on how hot or cold you tend to be individually as well as how much you're in or out of the water. For instance, I *have* to have a suit with a front zipper so I can vent when I'm out of the water.

Personally I would spend more to get a suit that fits well, the extra comfort after being in it for 12 hours or more is worth it I think. If you can fit stock sizes well, consider yourself lucky as you'll come off a lot cheaper being able to take advantage of used deals and such.

[hammmike]

excellent post !!!! I was about to ask that question myself.

[mgmills]

A wet suit needs to be "relatively tight". It works by trapping the water between you and the suit and your body heat heats up the water which keeps you warm. If you get the suit (whatever thickness) too loose it does not trap the water to keep you warm. I prefer 2-3 mm and snug to thicker neoprene and loose. The thinner neoprene allows for easier movement while allowing a snugger fit. The 2-3 mm thickness suits are often sold in the marine sections of sporting good stores for use on jet skis, water skis or knee boards.

In the end, it comes down to where you live and your personal preferences and comfort.

[Jeff Bartlett]

Chad, for Ozark caving/surveying and wet TAG multi-drops, allow me to strongly recommend the NRS 3mm Farmer John. The "Men's" version not only has a zipper right down the front, but it has an additional zipper pull at the bottom. That's right, it has a dick zipper. I can leave my coveralls and vertical gear on and STILL pee without having to pee inside the darn thing. It's an excellent compromise between warmth and mobility for caving. The neoprene is also reinforced on the butt and knees with nylon, there's a touch of padding in the knee, and after 4 years of steady use it's still pretty flexible.

For extra warmth, the matching 2mm wetsuit jacket -- size up so you can still climb stuff -- is awesome.

[JR-Orion]

I've been really happy with scuba.com. Though I usually call in instead of ordering online. That way I can talk to a human and get the help I need. I gave them my height, weight, and chest measurement and the suit they sent me fits great. A year later when I wanted a second, thinner wetsuit I called them back, they pulled up my info from my first order, asked me if I had gained or lost much weight (nope) and wetsuit #2 fit just fine as well. I've read that they have a good return policy, but I haven't had to use it.

I have a 7mm one piece that has been great in 40 to 45 degree water. It's a cave where you're pretty much always in the water, with depths from knee deep to over my head. I actually prefer the swimming sections, as the wetsuit is at its warmest when you're fully submerged (and swimming is easier than walking over underwater rocks n boulders). For this suit I just put knee and elbow pads over it for protection.

Also have a 3mm one piece for warmer water, or caves where you're in and out of more shallow water. I wear this one under my coveralls.

That said, I've heard of other cavers who go with separate tops and bottoms. I imagine you get more options that way- farmer johns, step-in jackets, thick bottoms, thin top, and so on.

scuba.com is also a fun place to shop for watches, lights, dry boxes and so on.

One last thing- in really cold water don't forget your neoprene socks / boots, gloves, and maybe even a hood.

[LukeM]

I recently picked up a 4/3mm Hyperflex full wetsuit for $57 from a SteepandCheap.com deal. Henderson Hyperflex is nice and stretchy and sometimes I forget I'm wearing it. This thickness works well for me in our typical 42-52 degree water for extended partial immersion or shorter low airspace and swimming stuff.

Not sure if they'll ever do anything like that again, but I have seen a few on there for less than $100 since then. If you have any whitewater outfitters in your area see if they get rid of old wetsuits from time to time. One near me sells old NRS farmer john's like Jeff was talking about for $40 at the end of each season.