I dove a 7 mm Tilos fullsuit into the soft ice below the thermocline in Lake George in late spring and wasn't the least bit cold but hated the amount of weight I had to carry. If I had to go to 14 mm I would quit diving. Simply too much weight to carry. I'm not real big on going real deep so I'm sure I'll be fine with what I'm planning. Unless I'm going well below the thermocline I only wear a 3 mm shorty.Originally Posted by acelockco
The only thing I believe in is disbelief - except in the case of unexpected miracles.
When I was a kid I had a custom made 7mm farmer john with separate jacket hood attached no zippers, and in 60 degree water still froze my tail off.
We are all so different!
SMN Publisher
If weight is your concern, then a tri-laminate drysuit is surely the answer.
I wish you the best of luck in whatever you try.
Anyone have opinions who have used these 5 specific suits?
The only thing I believe in is disbelief - except in the case of unexpected miracles.
Ok, I have done a tad of editing of a few posts to ensure we're all having a group hug, lol.
I have the 3mm Henderson hyperstretch and the 3 and 5mm Pinnacle merino elastiprene or whatever they call it, lol.
All of these have worked great for me, they are all comfortable. The Pinnacles have leg zippers which I would be happy to do without although they don't cause any problems.
After several years of use, the stitching on the Pinnacles has started to unravel at the ends. Just tack it down with a drop of Aquaseal.
The fabric on the arms of the Pinnacle seems to hold up a bit better to surface abrasion.
I don't think you can really go wrong with either suit.
I don't know about the Hendersons, but the Pinnacles are available in quite a range of sizes, where they have stock ones and "short" ones.
Now last year I did try a new Poseidon 5mm "Flexisuit" drysuit. This is unique in that it is relatively thin for a drysuit, but the suit worked really well and was really comfortable.
You can read that full report here
I am amazed you dove a 7mm wetsuit in icy conditions and were fine. I am getting cold just thinking about it in my office behind the desk! I can't see how a 5mm would work in those conditions, but maybe you were a polar bear in a past life, lol
I keep wondering if the 5mm Poseidon Flexisuit drysuit would be the ticket for you. It is not inexpensive compared to a regular stretchy 5mm from Henderson or Pinnacle.
SMN Publisher
To be accurate, I didn't dive under or in ice. In my locale we refer to the hard cold in spring fed lakes under the thermocline as soft ice. It is a real shock to go from 50's water to 39 or so. The 7 mm was fine for me in those conditions.I am amazed you dove a 7mm wetsuit in icy conditions and were fine. I am getting cold just thinking about it in my office behind the desk! I can't see how a 5mm would work in those conditions, but maybe you were a polar bear in a past life, lol
I wouldn't be diving a 5 mm. Under the 5 mm would be the 2 mm polyofin, so 7 mm warmth with 5 mm bouyancy. And what I actually did was to get the Pinnacle 3 mm. I'll see how I do with that in the conditions that I dive up here. If I need more, I'll get another Henderson polyofin and keep to 3 mm bouyancy. I hate lead. The damn tank is heavy enough for a guy my age.
The only thing I believe in is disbelief - except in the case of unexpected miracles.
The term soft ice did confuse me a bit, but then again, that is not hard to do...thanks for the clarification. Of course, at 39 degrees, I would still freeze my tail off in a 7mm with anything under it.
SMN Publisher
I am freezing just thinking about it.
I MISS FLORIDA!
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