...You supply them with 21 measurements (that’s double the measurements Elios uses).
Once you put on a full custom suit you realize how thermally efficient they are. The first one I got was a 7.5 for Northern California and it’s way too hot. I can be in the water for 2.5 hours with the 5.5 top and 3.5 bottom....
Yes a wetsuit can certainly be too hot. Spearo wetsuit with high or very high waist pants or long john pants and a hood tend to be much warmer than cheap surfing wetsuits. Where in the world are
PNW_spearo, where do you expect to dive?
Taking lots of measurements is a good thing but my custom-made Elios suit has proven to be
a great investment over the years and has been
a great fit. I still use it. I would recommend:
(1) Take each measurement several times (ideally on different days and at different temperatures), discard any way-out measurements and average the rest.
(2) Ideally get somebody else to measure you.
(3) Measure arms and legs on both sides of the body (e.g. my right calf is 1" bigger than my left).
Elios has become expensive from the UK, Polosub too. UK spearos seem to be opting for a company in Greece in more recent years.
My Elios suit is made of their cheapest neoprene (Elios suggested it as more than adequate for spearos and I agree). I think it was called Ecoline. It is quite stiff and much less stretch than my new, off-the-shelf 5.5mm Mares wetsuit but it compresses less. I would say that, on balance, it is warmer than the thicker wetsuit, probably because it doesn't compress or stretch (stretching reduces the effective thickness) as much. BTW neoprene that compresses less readily is considered desirable for SCUBA suits where the diver stays down deeper for much longer than a breath-hold spearo.
BTW Most wetsuit companies publish size tables, I found them useful but not entirely reliable and you should be aware that a manufacturer may publish different tables for different wetsuit models (which may be made to different patterns and/or from different materials and/or in different factories). Looking at tables a while back, I got the impression that Omersub suits might suit smaller/skinnier folk better. For stockier folk, like me, Mares seemed to offer better sizing and tolerances (more stretch) - but, even then, I had to loose quite a bit of weight to make the size range. I believe I saw some brands selling some suit models in longer fittings - might be worth checking. Another option might be to buy pants in one size and jacket in another size - often a far more expensive way to buy though
Beuchat make some nice wetsuits too. Rob Allen if you are in or near South Africa sell (and I think make) wetsuits - I bet they are good and roomy (South African's seem to be quite stocky, like me!) but not cheap from the UK these days.
A tailored suit is a better way to go I think though, esp. if you are not a typical "off the shelf" type of size/shape (e.g. lanky or stocky).
