Wetsuit sizes - really??

[rarescrambler]

Based on feedback I've received on a previous CC post, we are planning to purchase wetsuits for our Bahamas Out Islands cruise in early February. So, the search is on. But I have a question about the sizes I'm finding on the many wetsuit websites.

 

OK, I admit I'm not what you would call "petite" - I'm approx 175 lbs., 5'8", and typically wear size 14 pants, XL tops. Not what I would call huge.

 

But most of the websites seem to stop quite a bit smaller than this. My question to those of you with wetsuit experience - do the sizes run true to the size charts. I can't imagine that I'm so large that even a XXL wouldn't fit. It's hurting my feelings . . . :o)

[rednose83]

I'm off the charts too lol

 

I wear an XL usually.

 

I'm similar in dimension to you.

 

Try scubatoys .com or divers supply. Both let you exchange and have good prices.

[Laurie S.]

I just bought my wetsuit last night at the local dive shop. I wear size 14 clothes, but had to get a size 12 wetsuit because the 14 was too big. I enjoyed that. ;)

[rarescrambler]

Rednose for the quick response. That's a help. What brand do you typically wear? That seems to make a difference as well.

 

I know I'll eventually find one. But reading the reviews on some of the ones I've looked at, some say runs too big, some say runs too small, some are just right. I feel like I'm searching for Goldilocks!!

But the opp'y for this disparity occurs any time 2 or more people are asked a question. Always different opinions/experience. I posted this just in an attempt to see what the majority of people say.

[rarescrambler]

The local dive shop we went to earlier in the week, when we asked if we could try on wetsuits, directed me to the Akona website and told me to look at their size chart, then call him with that and my measurements.

 

I wasn't really satisfied with that service. But considering the fact that I more than likely will purchase online rather than pay twice as much at a store, I didn't push it too hard.

[swimmom2]

I bought a new hendserson H2 I believe is what it is called. I am a size 6 and bought a size 4. I wanted the 6 it felt more comfortable, but they said it was too big. Every time I put on my suit though it is a definite struggle. So, the brand I bought, you needed a smaller size. Hope this helps.

[rednose83]

Rednose for the quick response. That's a help. What brand do you typically wear? That seems to make a difference as well.

 

I know I'll eventually find one. But reading the reviews on some of the ones I've looked at, some say runs too big, some say runs too small, some are just right. I feel like I'm searching for Goldilocks!!

But the opp'y for this disparity occurs any time 2 or more people are asked a question. Always different opinions/experience. I posted this just in an attempt to see what the majority of people say.

 

 

From scubatoys I have the 3mm Pinnacle that is in the closeout section. Love it!

 

I also have the 5mm from divers supply called Edge. I haven't worn it to dive yet but it fits me nicely. both have ankle zippers!

[Dive Master]

I am hard to fit and a fairly big guy. I like the Henderson Hyperstretch wet suits. They are expensive but they do fit great. Henderson's new Neosport line also is made with the hyperstrectch material and is a little less expensive.The most important thing in a good wet suit is Fit, then Fit, and does it fit?

[rarescrambler]

So, what constitutes a "fit"? One poster mentioned too much of a struggle to get into hers. I assume they have to be snug, but how tight is too tight? Will I just "know"?

 

This may seem obvious to those of you who have experience with these, but I've never had one on in my life.

 

So much to learn . . . so many questions and decisions :o)

 

Thanks to all for your responses.

[Scubachick84]

I had a friend just get certified for scuba and he had this problem too, not knowing how it should fit, he got his rental far too tight to the point the divermasters were a bit concerned on the day of the dive.

 

It should fit like a glove, but not be so tight that it's hard to take a deep breath or feel like it's choking you. The crotch should come all the way up, same with the armpits. It will be a bit of a struggle to get into, but it shouldn't have you breaking out in a sweat getting it on. It's meant to let a thin layer of water in and hold it there, not allow the water the flow freely. I've heard that it's much harder for women to get the right fit because we have curves in different places and have such a variety of body shapes.

 

I would really suggest going back to your local dive shop, or maybe one in a neighbouring town if you didn't like the service at yours. I wouldn't buy a wetsuit online without first knowing EXACTLY which one I wanted. It's like trying to find the right pair of jeans! Good luck.

[bruce-r]

So, what constitutes a "fit"? One poster mentioned too much of a struggle to get into hers. I assume they have to be snug, but how tight is too tight? Will I just "know"?

 

Pretty much that's it. The suit should be in contact with as much of you as possible without squeezing more than a little. You should be mostly comfortable wearing it once you have gotten it on.

 

Getting the suit on is another matter. That can require some work.

 

If you order from scubatoys.com and the suit doesn't fit, they will exchange it. The chart for Bare wetsuits covers a wide range of sizes. Bare is a quality suit, but without the premium name price you'd pay for a Henderson.

[rarescrambler]

Thanks, everyone, for all your helpful advice. I ended up getting a 3m shortie from Leisurepro - good price, and they have the same risk-free shipping policy.

 

Can't wait til it gets here! Wish me luck!

[scorpluvsdolphins]

Hope you like your wetsuit. I am 130 lbs 5'3" tall and bought a Camaro 40 medium from sierra trading post. Weird sizing chart. I paid $90 bucks. It dries very quickly on the outside. When everyone else's suit is still wet, mine is dry.

 

GET A SKIN! Everyone talks about how hard it is to get into a wetsuit, not if you buy a skin. I would definitely get one if you are wearing a shorty as it will protect your legs. I put my wetsuit on in about 15 seconds or less (not including the zipper). The skin lets is slide right on.

 

I freeze, so I have a 4/3 and where it all year long in Florida. Even in the summer months.

Good luck.

[pygy88]

I second the comment about going to local dive shops and trying them on THEN going online bargain shopping specifically for what worked when you sampled brands/sizes. Maybe even try checking at pawn shops, or craigslist for a bargain.

 

The short suit I purchased was pretty close to my regular clothing size, I wear clothing 4's and 6's, I bought a sz 6 wetsuit as it "played nice" with my curves better than the 4.

 

In the past when I had trouble getting into a particularly troublesome long wetsuit I found that wearing pantyhose over my swimwear made it easier to slide into the darn thing. I had one that required a 15 minute streching regment and warm up before tackling it... and I mean stretching and warm up for me and the serious cardio I was about to get trying to pull the dastardly suit on...

[rarescrambler]

and both of them need to be exchanged (shock & surprise!) Back to the drawing board.

 

Thanks to all for your advice/input. I'm just glad we started this process now for our trip in early February!

[CaribQween]

Based on feedback I've received on a previous CC post, we are planning to purchase wetsuits for our Bahamas Out Islands cruise in early February. So, the search is on. But I have a question about the sizes I'm finding on the many wetsuit websites.

 

OK, I admit I'm not what you would call "petite" - I'm approx 175 lbs., 5'8", and typically wear size 14 pants, XL tops. Not what I would call huge.

 

But most of the websites seem to stop quite a bit smaller than this. My question to those of you with wetsuit experience - do the sizes run true to the size charts. I can't imagine that I'm so large that even a XXL wouldn't fit. It's hurting my feelings . . . :o)

 

Don't let your feelings get hurt. Wetsuits are much different than regular clothes because they are so form fitting. And of course, we're all shaped completely different. When we were getting our 3mm suits, my husband needed a suit much larger than he normally wears in regular clothes. I needed one smaller than I would normally wear. I'm 5'8" and about 225. I got a Bare 3mm that was a 14+. They said that would be the same as an 18 just one would be longer/taller than the other. I normally wear a 1X in tops and a large in pants. I would recommend finding a dive shop that rents suits. Then they should have a whole bunch of suits in different sizes that you could try on. Before we got our suits, we went to Scubabasics.com and "chatted" online with a representative that asked us for our measurements. Then he gave us the sizes he thought we should get based on those measurements. When we went into the store, we asked for the sizes he gave us and he was right on. But I wouldn't advise getting one without trying it on first. Obviously, you've already learned how hard it is to get the right fit :(.

 

Suits do need to be pretty tight which makes it really difficult to get them on especially as you go up in thickness. When we bought our wetsuits, we got them made out of Elastek material which is more expensive but well worth it because they are much, much easier to get on. I have arthritis and would have a very difficult time if it weren't for the Elastek. I agree about getting a skin also. It really helped us when we rented 7mm suits during the cold weather. The pantyhose do the same thing, just not as attractive. Also, its much easier to get a wetsuit on if its wet on the outside. We learned that tidbit when we went on a two-day dive weekend and hung up our suits to dry in the hotel room. We turned them inside out and so the inside dried, but the outside was still wet when we turned them right side out again. They were so much easier to get on because you could grip them better. Of course, it's the legs that are the hardest part so if you're getting a shortie you don't have to worry about that as much. Good Luck.

[CaribKng]

Don't let your feelings get hurt. Wetsuits are much different than regular clothes because they are so form fitting. And of course, we're all shaped completely different. When we were getting our 3mm suits, my husband needed a suit much larger than he normally wears in regular clothes. I needed one smaller than I would normally wear. I'm 5'8" and about 225. I got a Bare 3mm that was a 14+. They said that would be the same as an 18 just one would be longer/taller than the other. I normally wear a 1X in tops and a large in pants. I would recommend finding a dive shop that rents suits. Then they should have a whole bunch of suits in different sizes that you could try on. Before we got our suits, we went to Scubabasics.com and "chatted" online with a representative that asked us for our measurements. Then he gave us the sizes he thought we should get based on those measurements. When we went into the store, we asked for the sizes he gave us and he was right on. But I wouldn't advise getting one without trying it on first. Obviously, you've already learned how hard it is to get the right fit :(.

 

Suits do need to be pretty tight which makes it really difficult to get them on especially as you go up in thickness. When we bought our wetsuits, we got them made out of Elastek material which is more expensive but well worth it because they are much, much easier to get on. I have arthritis and would have a very difficult time if it weren't for the Elastek. I agree about getting a skin also. It really helped us when we rented 7mm suits during the cold weather. The pantyhose do the same thing, just not as attractive. Also, its much easier to get a wetsuit on if its wet on the outside. We learned that tidbit when we went on a two-day dive weekend and hung up our suits to dry in the hotel room. We turned them inside out and so the inside dried, but the outside was still wet when we turned them right side out again. They were so much easier to get on because you could grip them better. Of course, it's the legs that are the hardest part so if you're getting a shortie you don't have to worry about that as much. Good Luck.

 

I agree with my wife. The Elastek was night and day. We were doing some different dives to get ready for our advanced certification, but it was during the colder weather, so we rented the 7mm suits. The first suit I rented, I was lucky enough to get the Elastek because that was all they had left. But when we rented for our advanced dives, I got a regular bare 7mm and it was much, much harder to get on, even with the skin :eek:. By all means, try on the wetsuits before you buy. They are all different. Hope this helps.

[KJHorton]

If you haven't gotten a suit yet and belong to Costco, check out their website. They have Bare 3/2 full suits for $49.99. What a a great deal! You can always check to see if they have them in your local store too.

[MPM]

I will probably be in trouble if my wife reads this post, but she is 5' 8", and goes slightly over 200 lbs:rolleyes: She wears a size 14 Henderson 5 mil, or a size 14 Henderson 3 mil Shorty we purchased from http://www.scubatoys.com. We have spent a lot of money with them because they have been so good to deal with. There is definitely a difference between the men's cut and a ladies wet suit. Just ordered a 3/2 full suit for our next Caribbean trip in January. We have used our shorties in the Caribbean closer to summer, but several people have recommended a 3 mil full for diving this time of year.

 

~Mike

[rarescrambler]

If you haven't gotten a suit yet and belong to Costco, check out their website. They have Bare 3/2 full suits for $49.99. What a a great deal! You can always check to see if they have them in your local store too.

 

 

Thanks for the lead, but the website showed only sizes 8, 10 and 12 in ladies.

We ended up buying from leisurepro. I got a 15/16 and it seems to fit pretty well. The legs are a little loose, but the rest of it is much more comfortable than the 13/14 was.

 

My husband needed a 5X, and that was difficult to find. Leisurepro has the risk free shipping so we could return/exchange without having to pay shipping every time, and they had free shipping right now as well.

 

Thanks to all for your input and advice.

[georoc01]

I am hard to fit and a fairly big guy. I like the Henderson Hyperstretch wet suits. They are expensive but they do fit great. Henderson's new Neosport line also is made with the hyperstrectch material and is a little less expensive.The most important thing in a good wet suit is Fit, then Fit, and does it fit?

 

I agree..And I have the same thing. The other thing right now is that now that Henderson has a new line out, you can find the old henderson hyperstretch on a good discount. I bought one this weekend for 50% off.

 

Brings them inline with the less expensive suits with the better fit.

[w&k]

I agree..And I have the same thing. The other thing right now is that now that Henderson has a new line out, you can find the old henderson hyperstretch on a good discount. I bought one this weekend for 50% off.

 

Wow - Where did you find hyperstretch at 50% off? If they still have some, there might be wetsuits under the tree this year!

 

Wendy