Here's an easy one (I think)

[gbmortie]

I've been lurking for a while...I just had a question about wet suits.

I am looking at getting a custom 7mm suit made and one of the options I am thinking about is ankle/wrist zippers.  Are these worth it?  Anyone have them or have any opinions on them?

Another question I had is my gloves have cuffs with 2 layers, one that goes under the suit sleeve and one that goes over it...will wrist zips have any effect on that at all?

Yup, total newbie here.  I would say I am a new cert except I have not finished my checkout dives yet (waiting for the water to get a *little* warmer).  Any advice will be helpful.

Sara
Green Bay

[matt t.]

I personally would stay away from zips on the wrists and ankles if you don't NEED them. Besides the probable extra cost, it's another thing (or 4 things) to break. Good luck with the new suit.

[Swimjim]

My wet suit has ankle zips with a velcro flap that keeps it closed.  I would recommend them.  My first suit many, many moons ago did not have this and it was a PITA to don them.  On the other hand, even though I have rather large hands I've never had any trouble getting through a wet suit sleeve.  A wrist zipper may be more trouble then its worth.

jim

[chuck_northrup]

Just passing through and thought I would throw my .02 into the mix 

I deal with this question often with my students and I have a certain philosophy...there is a time and a place for wetsuits;  it is called the Caribbean  ;D  All the local diving (MN and WI) I do is in a drysuit.

While 7mm wet is the best you can get for the midwest, to get a "good" quality suit and especially if you are talking custom, the drysuit is a better way to go.  You will probably spend around $400 for a custom wetsuit and you can usually get an entry level drysuit for around $800.  I realize that this is twice the cost but the comfort you will gain and the extended dive season are a big, big plus  8)

I have seen all too often divers that spend money on a wetsuit, get very active, dive it for a season, and then buy a drysuit.  The wetsuit then sits in the closet dry-rotting  :-\

Talk to your LDS about the possibility of going dry...it may save you money in the long run 

CN3

[Rik]

Why buy a Wet Suite?
As a Newbe your not really sure how dedicated you will be to this "New Hobby"!
Your already spending big money on other gear!
If you dive in the Mid West you need a top notch Cold Water Reg as your primary money sucker this is what you need to spend the money on!
[glow=red,2,300]This is your most important part of diving![/glow]
Yes if you got cash laying around or your confident that you will be diving for a long time, Buy a dry suite!
I dive Lake Michigan just fine without one. I use a 7ml Suite with a hooded core warmer & warm gloves or mittens!
I'm just fine for one dive in 39 Deg. water but I will admit two dives require a warm up!
As far as wet suites go I would spend the extra cash on one with glide skin or whatever the brand name calls the inner surface that slides on easier.
Zippers at the ankle's but not at the wrist.
  Yes in the future I will buy a dry suite, but not yet I've only got about 75 dives in so far and lots of other gear I want (Need?)
         Rik O+<

[MikeS]

I dive a dry suit but frequently dive wet as well.  I have a wetsuit with the zippers at ankles and wrists and would rather not have them.  They looked like a good idea when I bought the suit, but are unnecessary.

[Chris H]

The regulator thing isn't a bad idea, however, it has been my experience working in a couple dive shops that nobody makes and off the shelf suit that fits a woman well.  So, Sarah is probably most worried about staying warm on a dive long enough to worry about whether or not her regulator is up to snuff.  An exposure suit of any kind is a very important piece of gear.

Sarah, if you are planning to dive in the Great Lakes, a dry suit is a must.  Sure, you can do it without one, but you won't want to for long.  There is some good info in this thread.  Good luck with your new suit.  I haven't had a wet suit on in a few years, and that was a freediving suit.

[gbmortie]

Chris - you're right, I have a hard time finding an off the rack suit that fits...if it fits me in one place it doesn't fit in another! 

I just need something to get me by for now while I figure out just how serious I am going to be, though I'd like to go enough this summer to make it seem like this huge layout of cash was worth it  ;D .  A custom suit is going to be right around $400 and that is a huge stretch for me considering all the other money I am laying out right now, so the $800 is...well....a super duper stretch perhaps even an impossible one right now but I do need SOMETHING so I was planning on making due with the old 7mm for now just to "test the water" if you will.  I believe it will work for finishing up my checkout dives when the time comes for that, and this summer I think I will mostly do some smaller lakes, a lot of real local stuff.  I know, real boring to you guys but I'm just starting out here.

Thanks everyone for your takes on the suit question.  I'm glad I asked because I started out thinking both were a good idea but now I am thinking ankle only, if at all.  I still have some time to think about it but I wanted to ask some 'real' divers. 

Does anyone dive in WI in a wet suit?  Why does my lds stock so many if no one uses them?


Thanks

[matt t.]

Lots of people dive in Wi in a wetsuit, probably the majority. The majority of "serious" divers dive dry. The first 3 years of my diving were done in a wetsuit, ice dives and all. As stated by someone earlier, it's not the most comfortable way to go in "cold" water, especially on repetitive dives. Warm water poured down the suit can help, but in the end a drysuit is a nice piece of equipment. Expensive yes, but with good care can last a long time. Maybe some of the women here can chime in with some advice.
                                                                             matt

[Omicron]

I did a wetsuit for a year.  Then I went on a dive in November with my friends, dang near became hypothermic, saw my friends still diving in comfort even later in the year while I was landlocked, and bought a drysuit.

It depends on how much you dive really.  Instead of decidinfg now, you may just want to try and find a rental that fits "pretty good".  Dive with it for awhile, see how addicted you do (or don't...) get.  Then decide on the exposure suit.

Looking back, I wish I would have just bought a drysuit from the start, but I couldn't justify the initial cost of it when just getting into diving - so I understand the hesitation.  But now, my 7MM suit hasn't seen use since I got my drysuit, so I would really advise to think about spending money on a high-end wetsuit for Wisconsin.

The problem is, most good Wisconsin diving is coooold - too cold for a wetsuit really.  You get below the bottom thermocline in red granite, wazee, etc, it's 42 degrees, year round.  So even though you spent money on a high end wetsuit, you are still going to be uncomfortable at times.