Elios 3 mm or 5 mm for finswimming

[X-Fins]

Hi everybody. I need a wetsuit for finswimming. Obviously will be a Elios. My problem it's the thickness. I would like to use it for river and sea, i,m living in the Nort of Spain (Cantabria). The lowest temp i suposse will be about 10-12 degree in the top of winter.

7 mm it's too much, 5 mm appear as the best option but i would like to know if someone has experience with 3 mm. Remember it's for finswimming, continuous and strong movements no stop allowed.

Best regards, Luis

 

[naiad]

I guess it depends on how much you feel the cold. If you are moving all the time, maybe 3mm would be enough, but I would need the 5mm. I have a 5mm Elios and it is very buoyant - I still haven't got the weight distribution right. I need 7kg to do pool dynamics with it!

Lucia

 

[OceanMan]

3 mm should be right.

 

[Aquagenic]

As long as you are finswimming I would say a 3mil is fine. If you plan to stop, breathe-up, etc. Then a 5mill is better. Either way, it's gotta be custom.

~JP

 

[Jon]

I would go with the 3mm. I just got out of the lake and was trying to finswim with my 5mm but it was so bouyant that my legs kept popping to the surface and messing up my dolphin kick. I don't have this probelm when I finswim with my 3mm.

I was very warm in my 5mm even though the lakes temps are in the high 40's(F) and the air temp was in the low 30's(F)- plus I had an 18 mph wind wich dropped the temp down a bit more with the windchill. From the sounds of the water your diving in a 3mm should be more than warm enough if your finswimming the whole time.


Jon

 

[naiad]

The 5mm is very buoyant. It's hard to swim without looking like a clown in it.

 

[land shark]

With the 5mm it takes me at least 6 Lbs just to submerge my legs enough to surface swim comfortably with some breaking. But then I'm a big guy It takes me 16 to 18 lbs to work 25 feet.

jim

 

[JPPLAY]

I don't think you are going to have that much trouble with buoyancy. I am around 160-170 lbs and with 4 lbs of lead I can swim at 10 feet and hold at that level if I am swimming. If I am not I will come to the surface.
One thing I know as a fin swimmer wear a weight belt would not make any sense. So you could get a harness and put a little weight on that or get a neck weight if there is a problem for you. I am completely level in my 5 mm suit so if you aren't doing too many unders with it it should be good. Remember though the extra weight will be good for training and will just make you faster in competitions when you take it away.

 

[Jon]

There's not a problem getting under the water- the monofin is powerful enough to push you down in a 5mm suit with no weight.

The issue is sustained surface swimming with a monofin, and front mounted snorkel, for exercise, or fun. The extra bouyancy in the legs, and not the torso, makes the kick rather inefficent. A pair of 3mm pants seems to make all the difference.

When I would swim on my side, no snorkle needed, with the monofin I could still make it around ok, but that's not the same as finswimming.

When freediving I only use 4-6 pounds with my 5mm, and more if I am spearfishing in shallow water.

The suits are so warm, and finswimming heats you up anyways, that a 3mm should do the trick.

Jon

 

[cdavis]

Hi X-Fins

Assuming you are going to be swimming hard all the time, a 3 mil elios is likely to be pretty warm, especially in water a little warmer than your minimum. I body surf(intermittant heavy effort) in a very poor surfer suit, 3/2 plus a hooded vest, in water down to about 14 C and can stay in for several hours. A 3 mil elios is much warmer than my suit.

Connor

 

[X-Fins]

Thanks too much for everibody. I think the worst thing can happen me it's to frozen me a little bit, in this case the next time i will wear a jacket cheast. I will write my experience. Thanks again!!!! you all was very helpfull

 

[Mr. X]

As everybody already said, 3mm would prob. be good for you. I was too hot in my 5mm suit in the sea Nov. 20th (there was a hard frost that morning too) -- will also need to add a lot more weight to my belt. The hood adds a lot of warmth (previously I owned a 2.5mm shortie and a longjohn triathlon suit - and either wore no head cover or a swim cap or two). I also wore booties (for the first time) and gloves (for spearfishing).

I am glad that I did not get the optional extra 2/3mm under vest option that they suggest whenever somebody mentions longjohn/farmer-john pants (they candidly told me not to bother with it -- spot on advice).

I like the suggestion of 3mm trousers/pants above, with a 5mm jacket or 3mm jacket. The crotch area is the most insulated/hotest in a spearo suit -- just the opposite of what nature intended for gentlemen! 3mm leggings would also reduce the floaty leg problem; a lot of people benefit from a little extra leg bouyancy but 5mm provides more that you can use. [I can't imagine ever needing a 7mm suit -- I would imagine heat exhaustion would be a real possibility!]

 

[X-Fins]

Hi everybody

only to close the post, finally was ordered 2 mm Neoflex nylon inside in two mm tailor made. I,ve been using it past year and this year for finswimming competitions and it's great. Any cold and very very warm and confortable.

Arms ahead cut. Next one wil be with Long Jhon pant as it's necessary to mantain the pants up while strong kicking, as the wetsuit was ordered with high waist the problem was solved with "velcro"

Pescasub.com - La comunidad de pescadores submarinos

obviously done one day before competition.....

Ok, best regards to everybody and thanks for the advices,