Quote Originally Posted by Charon View Post
I'd like to jump in and get some advice. I've got a Henderson polyofin fullsuit that is supposed to have the warmth of a 2mm without any bouyancy. I'd like to get a 5mm to wear over it for diving upstate new york. I picked out 5 possibles. They are:

Pinnacle Cruiser 5 5mm $110
Pinnacle Elastiprene 5 5MM $175
Neo Sport X-Span 5mm $190
Henderson Hyperstretch 5mil $235
Pinnacle Merino-Elastiprene 5mm $265

I'd like to spend as little as necessary but enough to get a suit that will fit well (stretch and fit tight) and be easy to get on. I'm 5'10" and 205 - fit isn't a problem.
I personally think you will be way too cold with that combo to really enjoy your diving. I dive in New Jersey and have gone with a farmer john style wetsuit 7 mm, giving me 14mm along most of my body and I was almost always cold....cold to the point where I would end the dive a bit early.

I now dive a drysuit and am much more comfortable and suggest the same. I understand the cost is huge compared to a wetsuit, but I am just giving you my honest opinion. If you absolutely can't figure a way to get into a drysuit, I would go for the thickest warmest wetsuit you can find. The strechy ones are nice, but they tend not to be as warm as the regular style. There are also semi-dry suits out here which are wetsuits with sealed seams and zippers. They are warmer the seals block the flow of water.