Wetsuit Advice Needed

[kokopelli99]

Looking for wetsuit advice. I have a 4/3 full wetsuit, a 3mm farmer john, and 4mm top with hood. I have two sons, each about the same size as me. My goal is to have one full (or near full) outfit for each of us when they join me (not on super cold routes), but with options for various combos for myself when they are not with me (including super cold routes). We are all wiry and get cold easily (avg hgt: 5' 9.5", avg wgt: 144). I was thinking about getting a 7mm farmer john and maybe another top.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

[Canyonbug]

While others opinions might differ I'd recommend staying away from any suite larger than a 5mm for canyoneering. The amount / or lack of movement that you would encounter in anything larger would significantly impact your physical movements in a canyoneering environment. Look for suites that are designed and built for movement sports above water such as surfing and wake boarding. Suits designed for scuba diving are best suited when one is fully submerged the entire use.

I like the setup you described already being started. What I used on my last FreezeFest hike through the Black Hole consisted of: 5 mm neo socks, 2mm Neo Gloves. For the body I started with a 1.5mm underlayer for the legs and a 2mm underlayer for the torso. I was able to hike comfortably in this with regular clothes and jackets over top. When we hit the water I added a full length 4/3mm suite with a 5/3mm Vest / Hood combo on top of that. This worked out really well for me. I also have a 3/2 Shorty suit that I opted to leave in the car but could have put this on over as well if needed and in the past I have also used a Wakeboarding style Neoprene PFD for added torso coverage. Getting a setup that can be modified and changed around works really well for year round use, however I understand it costs more to get pieces than it does one single 7mm suite. The pieces are much easier to carry and pack as well.

Brands I like are HyperFlex (Surfing) and NRS (Kayaking). There are lots of others out there that other canyoneers use as well.

[Iceaxe]

While others opinions might differ I'd recommend staying away from any suite larger than a 5mm for canyoneering.

^^^THIS^^^


I have every wetsuit and dry suit combination imaginable and I wear my full 3/2mm 90% of the time. If I could have only one wetsuit that's what I'd own.

I now buy all my wetsuits from Tommy D Sports as the value per dollar can't be beat

Tommy D Sports
http://www.tommydsports.com/cat/wetsuit

[PhysWiz]

Iceaxe,
I like the web site you have recommended for wetsuits, the prices seem to be unbeatable. Have you used one of their suits in particular? There seems to be a lot of options and someone with some hands on knowledge of their product could be helpful. Clearly we are looking for <5mm and full. :nod:
Thanks,
Devin

[Kuya]

Iceaxe,
I like the web site you have recommended for wetsuits, the prices seem to be unbeatable. Have you used one of their suits in particular? There seems to be a lot of options and someone with some hands on knowledge of their product could be helpful. Clearly we are looking for <5mm and full. :nod:

Thanks,
Devin

They fit is a little bit loose on some people, and ok on others. you get what you pay for....

[Iceaxe]

My 5mm wetsuit is this one:
http://www.tommydsports.com/products/pages/7702.htm

My wife and kids all have this one in 5mm
http://www.tommydsports.com/products/pages/8805.htm

We all love the Tommy D wetsuits. I have a lot of friends also using Tommy D and have heard no complaints other than buying a wetsuit without being able to try it on kinda sucks, but their sizing info is accurate and my family had no issues.

We all have other brand wetsuits in the 2mm to 3mm range that I bought off ebay, KSL, garage sales and swap meets. I keep an eye out for good used wetsuits in the $10 to $15 dollar range and pick them up when I can. This method works good if you are in no hurry, but if you want a nice wetsuit in the near future Tommy D is the way to go. Kids wetsuits are always abundant and cheap in the used market if you keep your eyes open.

When my current 2-3mm wetsuit wears out I plan to replace it with a Tommy D.

Front zip or rear zip is the big choice in wet suits, I usually prefer a rear zip as they are much easier to put on and take off. But for my 5mm I bought a front zip as I knew it would be hot and a front zip allows you to easily unzip and cool off on the long walks between sections of water.

If a 5mm is not going to be warm enough I go to my dry suit which is a Kokatat Swift Entry
http://kokatat.com/hydrus-3l-swift-entry-dry-suit-men.html

I've used it to descend Kolob in December with 6" of snow on the ground among other stupid stuff, and always stayed nice and toasty, except for my hands and feet which froze. If buying a dry suit you need to know they are very temperamental. I buy them without a relief zipper as it's easy enough to just unzip the front and shrug it off one shoulder to pee. A relief zipper is just one more item that can fail. The Gore-tex ones are nicer than mine but twice the money. I have to problem with the swift entry except for the fact it's seldom used as I normally just go with a wetsuit which is more durable and with less chance of failure in a bad spot.

As I originally said, you can't beat Tommy D for the money. There are better wetsuits, but they cost a lot more. And keep in mind that wetsuits take a real beating in the canyons and will need to be replaced if used often, particularly if used in the skinny gear shredding slots. Tommy D is a lot of bang for the buck.

Hope that helps.

[Iceaxe]

Tommy D wetsuits are all currently 10% off with the following coupon code:

Coupon Code: Diveonin

The offer expires 9/14/15. This makes a heck of a buy for anyone looking for a wetsuit. Tommy D has recently updated their website so it looks a little different then their old website.

[Sandstone Addiction]

:2thumbs: Big thumbs up for Tommy D!

I wasn't sure which size to buy for my son, so I called the phone number and the guy that answered (pretty sure the owner) asked for the measurements and told me which size would fit him best. Sure enough, fit exactly as he said it would.

Fantastic customer service.

Not only that...but I was very impressed with the quality of both the workmanship and how stretchy the neoprene was. Way more than I was expecting from a suit that only cost $55. While it isn't quite as stretchy as my Hyperflex Cyclone2, my son, and others in my group that bought them, all said they were very comfortable.

Highly recommended.