More on fitting the skinny kid: kayak wetsuit?

[Rick56]

Hi folks,

Thanks for the responses. Does anyone have experience diving with wetsuits made for kayaking, surfing, etc? I'm wondering if a pair of kayak shorts and a kayak vest that actually fit him would provide better insulation than a poorly fitting SCUBA wetsuit. He's likely to use it mainly in relatively warm water (Key Largo in April), but he runs cold.

Thanks,
Rick

[CompuDude]

Kayaking and surfing wetsuits tend to use neoprene that is less resistant to the crushing of depth, so they're not generally as warm underwater. That said, fit is generally the most important thing, so that may help counteract that.

[crpntr133]

I agree a wet suit should be better. Not sure why you can't find a good fitting wet suit. There are a ton of them out there. I have had troubles but since I found Bare, not any more. Pinnacle is another.

[Rick56]

It's true that there are a ton of wetsuits. Unfortunately, after many, many hours of searching the www and corresponding with various people, it doesn't appear that anyone makes an off-the-shelf suit for tall and really skinny. I'm trying to avoid a custom suit for a kid who will, hopefully, put on some weight soon.

Rick

[CompuDude]

I would seriously look into a suit that fits the skinny part, and worry about the tall later. Suit legs and arms that are a couple of inches too short are a lot easier to deal with than water sloshing around the entire middle.