Camoflague Rash Guard

[andycornish]

Just looking for a bit of advice/review's, I'm currently still diving in my old excel 5mm that is still pretty warm, combined with neoprene shorts and top keeps me warm enough for long sessions and around 2 hrs on a night dive before I start properly feeling cold.
Been looking at replacing it but found that the dedicated spearo suits dont last as long (had this wetsuit for 4-5 years) and TomH who has one is no warmer than I am at the end of a dive.
Excel do a camo suit but only in 2-3mm so im looking at the camoflague rash guard which is basically an full length two peice camo rash guard, has anyone had any experience with them ? Or seen them in the flesh ?

Link below from the shop in falmouth.

Mares Camouflage Rash Guard

Also this is a cheaper option than buying a new wetsuit, and im a student who has yet to replace the rubbers on my 75 which i bought 3 seasons ago!

 

[bobdonny]

I went to the local army surplus store and bought 3 camp t-shirts for €2 each... a kind of green camo, blue camo and brown camo... not used them yet but I guess its the same principle Not sure they will make a difference but perhaps they will make me look like 3/4 black fish in the weed rather than one big predator

 

[foxfish]

You could buy a custom made suit made by Diveskin for about £130!!

You can order a nylon lined inside & outside & that will last you for years.

All the hype around, suggest you NEED a smooth skin inside to your suit but, as far as I can see most folk suggesting this are just passing on the hype & have never owned a nylon lined custom made suit!!

 

[andycornish]

Do they have a UK distributor ? I found their website for the US and I can imagine that the combination of custom made and shipping is a good few weeks ? Just had a look and it says $189 which is about £115.
What I have seen is seams of a suit are the first place to go specifically the seam running down the spine, im assuming from all the duck diving. Have you seen or used one ?
Also I can get the top and bottoms for £46 which then leaves money for new rubbers. I'm more looking at something to get me to the end of the summer, as next year is my last as a student and then next summer I will be working so will be able to buy lots of nice new things like a proper wetsuit, a longer speargun like a 110 and maybe even a RIB depending on how much work decide to pay me !

 

[foxfish]

Diveskin are in Greece, they use dollars on the site though!
You can normally get a suite from them delivered in two weeks & the post is very cheap too.
Loads & loads of forum members use their suits including me.

 

[andycornish]

That is strange ! And pretty quick then for a custom suit....definately worth thinking about.

Only problem is now lack of funds if I order a wetsuit from them then I wont have funds to buy a new torch, which I would like to upgrade from a frogman for when im going to tenerife in early september.

As always many things to buy and not enough money, a disadvantage of being a student !

 

[Misterdave]

loans come through in september.... new toys then? do camoflague suits help at all? would a white bellied one not be better like a ray?

 

[andycornish]

True but thats near the end of september and I will be heading back to uni them and dont get many chances to get in at uni.
It makes sense that they would, as the all black I am atm is more likely to make me look like a seal which cant help !
And if you only surface hunted it could, but as soon as you start going down and hiding in the kelp as soon as you tried to rise up to aim then any fish would see the white belly.

 

[scallywag]

Foxfish has realy messed my head up now! been spearing for two seasons now using a 5/3 winter surfing suit but time has come to upgrade (hard to get a decent breath hold when your teeth are chattering!) Having done some research I was sold on an open cell suit but now I'm told by one of the sites most experienced spearos that it may be all hype. Realy like the sound of the custom made suit with a lining. Can anyone else offer an opinion?

 

[foxfish]

Hi scally, you can read all the mixed opinions in depth here http://forums.deeperblue.com/wetsuits/80555-question-about-lined-suits.html
Some folk are absolutely adamant that smooth skin is far superior but I feel for our sea temps a custom fit suit is more important.
I feel the longer life & ease of donning makes up for what ever difference there might be in the warmth stakes however perhaps if you are fishing 6 hour long spearo copms a smooth skin might be more suitable as they are more supple.
I dont dive from Jan - to march but my brother OMD used his lined Diveskin 12 months a year!
To be honest my diveskin has seals at the wrist & ankles so I dont get any water ingress anyway.

 

[andycornish]

Sounds like more what I am looking for the reason I really like my excel suit is that it has lasted so long, and has good seals around the wrists and ankles which i like.
I currently have shorts and a vest top which are smoothskin on the inside and 2mm, they make a good difference to how warm i feel. So if I find that the wetsuit is not warm enough then I can just wear the layers as well.

 

[scallywag]

Thanks for the link foxy, I think I'm comming down on the side of durability and ease of use. Time to get the tape measure out and do my bit for the Greek economy. Planning my first night dive for the end of the month so it would be nice to have it for then.

 

[andycornish]

Il have a look at getting one for next summer and I just had to spend all my money renewing car insurace
Night dives are generally as you can guess a colder than during the day, if you at the surface most of the time I find you stay a lot warmer. Just be sure to either dive where there are lights on the shore or put some glow sticks down. And even an often dived spot looks different in the dark.