Custom-fitted wetsuits

Just looked at your original posts you say you were freezing in 85F water - 30° I dive that water temperature maybe down to 28°C (82 F)in 0.5mm frogskins.  and many people I dive with in those waters are in shorties or boardshorts.  _ goes to show that people vary widely in their cold tolerance and taking people's advice on what exposure protection to use should be taken with a good sized grain of salt.

When you say 4/3mm suit I assume you mean 4mm body/3mm arms/legs?  Certainly a suit that fits well will help a lot - less exchange of water - but things like leg/wrist/neck seals - dry zippers etc are probably equally important.  You may want to look at 5/3mm suits or as you seem to feel the cold a full 5mm suit??

My problem is partly I get cold easily (3 dives/day for 2 weeks leads to it) but I've never had a well-fitted suit.  Last year I rented a 5mm when my 3mm was worn out and too cold.  And I got cold in the 5mm too, but not as bad.   After that trip I bought an Xcel 4/3, but it gaps in the small of the back...

Yes, 4 mil body for extra warmth, 3 mil arms and legs to lessen the struggle of getting the suit on.

I’ve always found zips at the ankles and wrists a huge help in the putting a suit on struggle. Although they usually seem available on 5mm suits, much less so on 3mm - although it often seems dictated by the latest suit fashion rather than practically. 

15 hours ago, phxazcraig said:

My problem is partly I get cold easily (3 dives/day for 2 weeks leads to it) but I've never had a well-fitted suit.  Last year I rented a 5mm when my 3mm was worn out and too cold.  And I got cold in the 5mm too, but not as bad.   After that trip I bought an Xcel 4/3, but it gaps in the small of the back...

Yes, 4 mil body for extra warmth, 3 mil arms and legs to lessen the struggle of getting the suit on.

 

If that xcell fits you well except for the back gaps-just have a custom suit shop make it fit you with a few alterations. Thats an easy job.

Alterations are what they do well. I just bought an xcel (4/3)and shipped it off to Otter Bay shop in Monterey about 6 hours south of here to add a relief zipper .I have been told that Cricket does good work.

Properly fitted suits are indeed warmer, it is you generating the heat, the suit's goal is to keep the heat in. Semi-dry type suits are even better but a bit more pain to put on. 

We also like Otter Bay, Cricket is a hoot. Good to know she will put in a pee zipper. Will have to send my old Waterproof up and get it modified.

BVA

On 2/4/2020 at 9:46 AM, onokai said:

If that xcell fits you well except for the back gaps-just have a custom suit shop make it fit you with a few alterations. Thats an easy job.

No, it doesn't fit me well.  The back gap is because the torso is too short.  Only way to remedy that is to splice in two more inches.   Tailoring might work when the suit is too big.  Hard to see how it works when suit is too small.

4 hours ago, phxazcraig said:

No, it doesn't fit me well.  The back gap is because the torso is too short.  Only way to remedy that is to splice in two more inches.   Tailoring might work when the suit is too big.  Hard to see how it works when suit is too small.

Sounds like you need a suit that  is called a extra long-or a custom as you mentioned

There must be custom  wet suit shop in all of Phoenix -thats a big place.

On 1/11/2020 at 11:30 AM, phxazcraig said:

After a week of diving in 85F water, I'm freezing in my 4/3 wetsuit with full hood. 

 

Wow! You must be really cold-natured. I spent a week in Feb in Utila 17 dives in 5 days. Water was 81-82 on every dive. I only ever wore a long-sleeve rash guard and board shorts. I started to feel a little cool at the end of the last day.

If you're that cold-natured, I would suggest to consider a drysuit.

Seaskin makes really nice 3mm compressed neoprene drysuits and really nice trilams.

All their suits are made to measure. I have one of each and had my g/f take my measurements using the form that they have. Both my suits came out fitting perfectly.

And, the best part is how inexpensive they are. The base model compressed neoprene suit starts at something like USD$425! The trilam starts at USD$525. All, plus shipping (which runs $60 - 80, I think - but it's pretty fast shipping).

http://www.seaskin.co.uk/

If you're that cold-natured, I would think you would get a LOT of use out of a good drysuit.

Perhaps I could do with a drysuit, but I really don't want to go that route.   I'm generally OK, I think, but for a couple of factors physically.  Mostly I think water pumping past my lower back is at the root of my issues, but I'm also thin so have little padding, and I've lived in Phoenix for 40 years.   You go through summers here (110F for weeks at a time, 99F at midnght...) you don't handle cold weather (or humidity) well.