Hood Question

[bubbletrubble]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

Why 3mm? I'd cancel and buy a 7mm.

Anything cold enough for a hood, you'll want 7mm. The only exception I can think of is extreme repetitive diving in very warm water.

@Giffman: I'm with CompuDude on this one. Don't mess around with 3mm thickness. Get a 7mm drysuit hood. Although ScubaToys doesn't list the Bare 7mm drysuit hood on their website, they do sell Bare products...and I'm sure they could order one for you. For reference, LP sells that hood for $28. Which 3mm hood were you planning to get? It couldn't be much cheaper than that Bare hood. FWIW, I've been diving with mine for about 2 years now in SoCal water. It's warm, has quality stitching, and fits well. You may not even need to get that Otter Bay hood. :-) Save your money for other scubatoys.

[floater]

hey, i just realized, that even if the hooded vest had smooth neoprene on the outside like my DeepSee gloves, that could provide a workable surface for a latex(?) seal, water would still enter through the face opening and run into the drysuit unless the neck portion had a smooth, (working) sealing surface on the inside as well, or unless it was watertight and used with a full face mask to seal the face opening (I hear that's how most dryhoods work??)... so ignore my earlier post.

the outside of the hooded vest could be smooth just to work better with some "semi-dry" wetsuits, or maybe even regular wetsuits... i.e. minimize water exchange through the neck, but not stop it completely.

i would also second a 7mm hood, or 5mm at least if you think 7mm is too heavy for warmer waters... remember, you may also want to use over your hooded vest's hood also when wetsuit diving...

[mm_dm]

Originally Posted by bubbletrubble

@Giffman: I'm with CompuDude on this one. Don't mess around with 3mm thickness. Get a 7mm drysuit hood. Although ScubaToys doesn't list the Bare 7mm drysuit hood on their website, they do sell Bare products...and I'm sure they could order one for you. For reference, LP sells that hood for $28. Which 3mm hood were you planning to get? It couldn't be much cheaper than that Bare hood. FWIW, I've been diving with mine for about 2 years now in SoCal water. It's warm, has quality stitching, and fits well. You may not even need to get that Otter Bay hood. :-) Save your money for other scubatoys.

Ditto, go with the heavier hood. Be sure to burn a couple of extra holes in the top of the hood (with a soldering iron) once you get it. That way, your dive buddies won't be tossing rings at you when the top of your hood cones up.

[GIFFMANN]

Switched the order to the 5mm Mares. If that proves not to be warm enough, I'll sell it here and order the Bare 7mm.

Thanks guys!
Giff

[cummings66]

I think 5mm will be ok, I used to dive with a 5mm hood and didn't find it to be that cold for me, although I only took it to 42 degree temps.

[RoyN]

Need a 12mm, my head gets cold plus, its important to protect the core. The otter bay 12mm hood itself isn't that expensive.

[GIFFMANN]

Originally Posted by RoyN

Need a 12mm, my head gets cold plus, its important to protect the core. The otter bay 12mm hood itself isn't that expensive.

No, $80 delivered is not bad, but on top of the other expenditures right now, it's a bit more than I can justify.

Probably closer to January or so I'll be ordering one up.

[beperkins]

I son't know if I would use a 12 mil, that much bulk could make the experience of diving much less enjoyable.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by beperkins

I son't know if I would use a 12 mil, that much bulk could make the experience of diving much less enjoyable.

On a hood? I would never want something on my body that thick, since it's too hard to move, but I don't know about you, but I don't have many joints in my head that need to move. As long as you can open your mouth enough to insert the reg (which of course you can if you're wearing the right size), nothing on your head really moves once you're in the water. Thick hoods are fine. I'd love an Otter Bay 12mm hood, personally, but I'm waiting until my current 7mm hood dies before I spring for it.