Wetsuit Selection- For Canyoneering & Triathalons?

[DiscGo]

I am in the market for a new wetsuit. I am doing Tought Mudder in 6 weeks, and would like to use my wetsuit for ToughMudder and future Triathalons but mostly I plan on using this for canyoneering.

I am thinking about going with something like this for both:


http://www.amazon.com/NeoSport-Short...ords=triathlon

But I don't know if I'd be better off going with a more traditional wetsuit for canyoneering like this:


http://www.amazon.com/ONeill-Wetsuit...ywords=wetsuit

Any advice?

[DiscGo]

After doing more research online I have discovered that the triathlon type wetsuits are not as durable. They are better for running and swimming but more prone to tearing / ripping when encountering rocks, or jagged edges. So it looks like a hybrid of the two is not really practical, so I will be going with more traditional wetsuit for canyoneering.

[Mountaineer]

Canyoneering tends to rip/tear wetsuits. I had a very small tear when I was in Zion Pine Creek, and I immediately knew where it was during my first swim... ;-)

I'm in the process today of applying aqua seal and Iron Mend on my canyon wetsuits to repair some of the cuts. Some people use a dry suit in really cold conditions, but it seems there is a chance of tearing the fabric which would lead to a potentially serious situation.

It is best to separate the activities. It may seem redundant to have more than one suit; but I have a dry suit and wetsuit(s) for my scuba diving, and another suit I bought (the cheapest new 5mm I could find) for canyoneering. Note that you do lose a bit of insulation if the suit was used extensively in deep scuba dives prior, but I'll bet if you got a used one it would work OK.

Good luck.

[DiscGo]

Thanks.

[ratagonia]

I'm in the process today of applying aqua seal and Iron Mend on my canyon wetsuits to repair some of the cuts. Some people use a dry suit in really cold conditions, but it seems there is a chance of tearing the fabric which would lead to a potentially serious situation.

Have you used the Iron Mend before?

Work well?

Tom

[Mountaineer]

Have you used the Iron Mend before?

Work well?

Tom

Hi Tom,
I haven't used it before, but giving it a try. You are supposed to use aqua seal first, then iron it on. Looks like many others have had success with it. I'm hopeful, and will let you know...

[ratagonia]

I am in the market for a new wetsuit. I am doing Tought Mudder in 6 weeks, and would like to use my wetsuit for ToughMudder and future Triathalons but mostly I plan on using this for canyoneering.

I am thinking about going with something like this for both:


http://www.amazon.com/NeoSport-Short...ords=triathlon

But I don't know if I'd be better off going with a more traditional wetsuit for canyoneering like this:


http://www.amazon.com/ONeill-Wetsuit...ywords=wetsuit

Any advice?

I think you will find long legs & long sleeves has the best warmth to weight ratio.

Tom

[TommyBoy]

I'm thinking of getting a new one also, I have a 7mil that I got for diving, but while it isn't bad as far as mobility goes, its big and bulky and a pain in the ass to haul around unless its late season and freezing cold. I tend to run warmer than most people and so I don't want to go too thick and I was trying to decide whether to get a 4/3 or a 5/4 and wondered if anyone had any suggestions.

[ratagonia]

I'm thinking of getting a new one also, I have a 7mil that I got for diving, but while it isn't bad as far as mobility goes, its big and bulky and a pain in the ass to haul around unless its late season and freezing cold. I tend to run warmer than most people and so I don't want to go too thick and I was trying to decide whether to get a 4/3 or a 5/4 and wondered if anyone had any suggestions.

I run somewhat cold, and find a 4/3 suitable for many canyons. Can boost with a hooded vest, or with Capilene underneath.

Tom

[jeremy1701]

When I went in the GC, I used a 4/3 and was very comfortable. I tried out a 3/2 in lake near my house and found that it probably wouldn't have worked as well, so I brought it back and got the 4/3.

[penmartens]

I personally like the 3 mil farmer john/ jacket combo best. I usually just wear the farmer. If it is a skinny canyon, I wear a long sleeved shirt to protect my shoulder. If it is cold I wear the jacket. Mine is a 5 mil which means a total of 8 mil on the torso. It gets me through anything. I have recently bought a 2 mil shorty ( both legs and sleeves are short). I am looking forward to using it in warm wet canyons and in combo with the farmer as an intermediate setup.
I am a bit concerned about the light weight fabric of the 2 mil and am planning to wear some protective clothing over it as well as gooing the seams in the hip and shoulder areas.
Penny

[Mountaineer]

Hi Tom,
I haven't used it before, but giving it a try. You are supposed to use aqua seal first, then iron it on. Looks like many others have had success with it. I'm hopeful, and will let you know...

A brief update on the use of Iron Mend. Mixed results. I had 3 wetsuits, and put 2-3 patches on each suit (arm and knee areas). One of the suits is a Henderson, and has reinforced knee pads. The iron mend overlapped the Henderson rubber and the neoprene, and didn't hold up so well. On the other suits, I had 2 patches come up (knees). Interestingly, they were small patches I custom cut (less than 2"x2"). The other patches that were bigger, stayed on. However, the patches themselves are pretty thin, so although they stayed on they will get a hole in them with use. Some tips: use bigger patches, make sure the suit is very clean, insure the aqua seal is smooth, press hard multiple times with the iron (and let cool 20 - 30 seconds between each), insure that the edges are sealed tight and there are no places that you can pick up with your finger nail.

I'll continue using this stuff.

YMMV.

[tcott]

A brief update on the use of Iron Mend. Mixed results. I had 3 wetsuits, and put 2-3 patches on each suit (arm and knee areas). One of the suits is a Henderson, and has reinforced knee pads. The iron mend overlapped the Henderson rubber and the neoprene, and didn't hold up so well. On the other suits, I had 2 patches come up (knees). Interestingly, they were small patches I custom cut (less than 2"x2"). The other patches that were bigger, stayed on. However, the patches themselves are pretty thin, so although they stayed on they will get a hole in them with use. Some tips: use bigger patches, make sure the suit is very clean, insure the aqua seal is smooth, press hard multiple times with the iron (and let cool 20 - 30 seconds between each), insure that the edges are sealed tight and there are no places that you can pick up with your finger nail.

I'll continue using this stuff.

YMMV.

Just curious, are you putting the iron mend on the inside or the outside of the suit?

[Mountaineer]

Just curious, are you putting the iron mend on the inside or the outside of the suit?

Outside.

[DiscGo]

For anyone curious to know what I came up with, I heard from too many people that the triathalon wetsuits are just too different from the regular wetsuits, more prone to tear, and thus not a good call for a hybrid of both options.

Every experienced canyoneerer recommended I get at least a wetsuit that went down to my ankles and most recommended long sleeve. With my admittedly less knowledge than others when it comes to canyoneering, I decided to do the opposite of what everyone recommended and do what felt right to me. So I went with a short sleeve w/ shorts wetsuit because it just seemed to fit me best from my own experience of dealing with cold water.

So I bought this wet suit


I am currently training for tough mudder on October 13th. I put this on last Saturday, had my kids hose me down and then I went running for 2 miles. By the time I had run 0.5 miles the suit was dry and I felt like I was on fire. I couldn't believe how hot I got in this, and how quickly. So unless October 13th is an extremely cold day, I can't imagine I'll be using this for tough mudder. I have used this wetsuit a couple of times already and been very happy with it.

[tcott]

Outside.

For rips and holes I would think putting it on the inside before gluing may turn out better. That way you would have the smooth ironmend patch against your skin while the not so smooth aquaseal would be on the outside. This would also hold the repair area together for you while gluing.