wetsuit fitment

[Black-Gorrilla]

how do i know what size will fit me??
<DIV>im looking for one soon (been doing like 40' dives in FLA summer since last year... never used one... but now my brother took up diving too, so i can dive more often and trough the harsh FLA winters )</DIV>
<DIV>so im looking at a 3mil...</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>how good are those sizing charts that every company has??</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>

[wxboy911]

So far I have found that the size charts are close-each company has their own version of each size. Your best bet is to go to a local dive shop and try it on. That is the only way to be 100% sure it will fit perfectly. Try a bunch of different ones, remember which ones you liked, and spend some time on the web doing some reasearch...Price, if anyone has used the same suit and what they thought. Good Luck.

[tc_rain]

Look into Bare. I have two of their suits; 3mm and 7mm. Their size charts are right on the money. It is a good quality suit for a great price. ST carrysthem too so you canuse your$10 cert.

[Black-Gorrilla]

i was actually looking at the same one they are giving away this month... looks great, i've heard good things about it, and i want it.
i was just wondering on sizing... i might pick it up really soon.

thank you both.

[tc_rain]

I have the 3mm velocity and the 7mm arctic. Don't know if they still make that specific model but they are close to 2 years old and they still look like new. The fit is great which allows very minimal water transfer.

[picxie]

Personally, I would estimate down if you are in between sizes (according to the chart). I've just bought a pinnacle torso heater and was in between sizes and got the bigger one ... had to return it for the smaller one as it was a bit too big. I would ignore the weights it suggests too - as if you go off the weight on the Pinnacle charts, I should have been returning it for the next size up, not down!

[thor]

I have a Henderson Hyperstretch 3mm and a Bare 7mm. The Hyperstretch is great. I had to go down a size to get a good fit, and it fits perfectly. The Bare runs small, especially in shoulders and torso.

[namabiru]

Going down in size a bit is solid advice. When looking at size charts, I chose a wetsuit that was just below my waist size but close on the chest/legs, and it's worked well.

[nferra2]

Everything falls in line for me when looking at wetsuits, except for weight. Where do they find these people that have the same proportions as me and weight 40lbs less???

[WV Diver]

All good points. Once you have found what you think may fit you than you should remember that too tight is not good and too loose isn't good either. As a general rule of thumb, if you can get two fingers under the sleeve at the wrist and around the neck and ankles without an undue amount of stress to the suit or without the suit being really loose, you've found your fit.

Too tight cuts off proper blood circulation, too loose causes too much water circulation, both equal too cold.