Suspenders or not?

    thats your choice to think what you want . the jbl suit is the only suit on the market that fits me stock without additional tailoring , i have owned ,or tried just about every suit in the market and also have a couple customs i know exactly how a suit should fit.
    phil

    I think its a matter of how well a suit fits. I fill out my 3mm speardiver suit pretty well and It doesn't leak even a little bit. Heck I could probably save and reuse the conditioner in my suit after a day of diving. I think the skinny tall guys seem to have it the hardest.

    My first real wetsuit was a custom 1/4 '' Rubatex camo, built by Bess from M+B wetsuits in Long Beach Ca in 1981, I believe it cost me close to 200 bucks, so I was pretty careful with it the first week on my inflatable.The following week I went on a friends boat to the island.The skipper was Rene Rojos, (long time commercial diver and Spearfishing Word record holder). Rene was also a member of the Scuba Pro gear test team and had a long life at sea. When Rene saw my spanking new suit he told me to cut the farmer johns top off just under the peck muscles. I resisted for a few weeks but the next time I went to his boat we tied a string around my chest to mark out the cut line with chalk, then preform the surgery, sealing the threads with glue. Every suit since has been ordered this way or modified if off the shelf. Rene still commercially dives sea urchin in the ice cold Channel Islands and still wears them this way..... my 2 cents.


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    I must say that I have to agree with Dan and Don...


    If a smooth cell wetsuit fits well, you get no water circulation at all. There is also a trick; bend the top part of your high wait pants exposing the rubber side to the outside. This will create a perfect seal against the top. You cannot do such a thing with long johns (or suspenders).


    In Europe, where they are one step ahead of the USA regarding freediving and/or spearfishing, nobody is using long johns anymore.

    Marco Melis

    A bad day fishing is ALWAYS better than a good day at work.

    Quote from phil herranen

    i have never noticed any restriction in breathing withe ether type of pants with a correctly fitting suit , the reason for 7mill on your arms and leg is they need to flex and bend ,and 14mm on your core because that is where all your vitals are and where the mass of your body is , also when you get cold your blood vesels in your arms and legs constrict to keep blood in your core to conserve warmth . the military makes heated vest to keep your core warm so you can wear thin sleaves and gloves so intricate work can still be done in sub 0 temps . almost all surf suits have a thicker chest than arms and legs .i have worn both and a high wast is colder and you get more water flushing than a farmer jon . the only advantage to a high wast pant is the ability to do a water dump which isnt really a option when you are diving in water cold enuff that you are wearing a 5mm or 7mm suit. to me it makes no sense to wear thick sleaves and a not a doubled up core
    phil


    Agreed 100%.


    Dan, I think the difference between our definition of cold water (45*) and your definition of cold water (70*) might be responsible for the difference of perspective here.


    I have a custom 7mm Polosub suit for all of my NorCal diving. It fits me absolutely like a glove. And even that suit allows a small amount of water in. If I hop in and hop right out, I'll stay dry, but if I'm shorediving for 4 hours, I will end up with water in my suit (and yes, I have a pissette, so the water in the suit is not urine).


    When I ordered it, I didn't realize that Polosub's default is high pant, or I would have requested the suspender type. I can tell you with no equivocation that a high pant for up here is not as good as the suspender. Not only is a 7mm so thick that having that seam right around your diaphragm is super annoying, but also the seam where the high pant ends creates just a tiny air space in the suit right there. That spot fills with water over the course of a dive and put cool water exactly where you don't want it if you plan on being in 45* water for a couple of hours. The Polosub is still the warmest suit I've owned (compared to OMER, Beuchat, Cressi), but I do regret not getting the suspender pants.


    I'm gearing up for a trip to Mexico, leaving next week and I was looking at buying a Speardiver 5mm. When I saw that suspender type was not an option, I moved on and am considering other brands.

    Quote from tufual

    i am 6 ft and 155 lb is it hard to find suits for my size ?


    I'm about half inch short of 6 foot and weigh 175. I wear a large in most wetsuits but some are a bit baggy in the butt.


    I would guess if you buy off the shelf (not custom) that a medium would fit your shoulders and waist better but you'll look like Jethro on the Beverly Hillbillies with your ankles and lower forearms showing. The only problem with that is fire coral...at least in the Caribbean.


    But all brands fit a bit differently. I wear a medium Mako (where ever that's made), I wore an XL ScubaPro a few years back. A ML Long (I believe) Riffe one piece 1.5 mm. But it's a bit short in the trunk and "wedgies" me a bit. A large Spetton HexSkin....


    Jake swears by his Speardiver and so does my stepson Tino. They are built different but both wear a small size, Tino being longer and leaner. Jake is a bit of a freak...:D....but the Speardiver seemed to contour to them both very nicely. (3mm)


    Hope that helps. Since I can't dive....I ramble a lot....:D

    thanks hank .. i don't need a suit yet because Trinidad water is warm but when i graduate to deeper stuff i probably would especially with fire coral . :)

    Be safe ... Happy hunting .

    A Speardiver suit is not a Polosub suit, so you can't make a conclusion about Speardiver suits from your experience. But I can safely make the following general statements. To get a Speardiver quality wetsuit from one of the better known brands you will pay about $150 more. Some of them offer high waist and some offer suspenders. This means that you will pay about $150 more for 2 square feet of neoprene that will theoretically will keep you warmer. Here is a picture demonstrating the difference between suspenders and high waist. I disagree about this extra bit of material providing any kind of additional thermal protection, or preventing water circulation. As a matter of fact the Lycra lining on the outside of the suspenders will negate the suction of the open cell jacket against the skin, and will channel water.



    If more warmth is required the best solution is to go to a thicker suit, or at least a thicker jacket. Or use an open cell vest under the jacket, like the Speardiver comfort freedive vest.


    Jump in 50 degree water from a boat; water will force it's way up your leg. I like waisted suits for 3-5mm I have suspenders on my 7mm for max warmth. I even wear a vest sometimes. Once you're at 7mm, it's hard to find a warmer suit.

    I am torn on this issue, and have to debate myself every time I buy a new suit. I like the waist high for comfort reasons but agree with Phil on the farmer john feeling warmer. I don't think that the pants let in more water, but I think you feel it when it comes down onto your upper back (happens when you duck-dive) more quickly than when wearing the farmer john. Wearing your weight belt very tight helps considerably.

    It boils down to an anatomical wetsuit design and the right choice of neoprene, which translates into a well fitting suit and no water circulation. Yes if you stand in front of fireman's hose and hold out your arms water will go in.

    Quote from JimCuda

    Where were you 4 years ago?!

    Down the street from you :)

    Quote from UWAddict

    (...)but also the seam where the high pant ends creates just a tiny air space in the suit right there. That spot fills with water over the course of a dive and put cool water exactly where you don't want it if you plan on being in 45* water for a couple of hours. (...)


    with the suspenders, that air gap would be under the arms and in the chest and back exactly in the areas where you feel cold the most...


    I've used farmer john's but now have a custom Polosub Forza Tre... I only feel wet in my hands, face and feet... Just fro reference, (as everybody feels different) was yesterday almost 6 hours in 15ºC with a 5,5mm...

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