Mares spearfishing wetsuits - anyone use them? Review/sizing?

[Mr. X]

Hi, Do you have a Mares wetsuit? I am considering purchasing a Mares spearfishing wetsuit (or perhaps just pants) and I would be very interested to hear from anyone who already has one.
e.g.
- How accurate are their size charts? (There XL size looks like it might be a good fit for me - other manufacturers not so much ).
- How good a fit are they? Comfort? Warmth?
- Design/construction quality?
- Material - they claim the material is soft yet resists compression - sounds oxymoronic but I guess it would resist compression a little bit even if that resistance were very low compared to less soft neoprenes Sounds like they want to have it both ways! [I think compression resistance is more of a concern for those who go deeper and stay deeper longer e.g. SCUBA divers, competition freedivers and, perhaps, deep diving spearos).

Anything really!

 

[Mr. X]

This kind of thing:

...Or the long-johns pants.
BTW How critical is the height in the size-table to the fit of Long-Johns pants? I'm wider than Mares standard, so what fits me for chest, waist & hips might be a bit long in the leg and/or torso.

 

[Mr. X]

Found this on youtube:

 

[Mr. X]

I bit the bullet and ordered one of the Mares wetsuits after long and careful consideration of my measurements and their size tables, I bought size 6/XL. The best price I found was here (& free shipping) at Diving Direct: http://www.divingdirect.co.uk/spearfishing-c127/wetsuits-c137/mares-instinct-55-camo-p955/s4786
http://www.divingdirect.co.uk/spearfishing-c127/wetsuits-c137/mares-instinct-55-camo-p955/s4786

 

[Mr. X]

It arrived today. Initial impressions: very good

Before trying it on:
I compared it to my old made-to-measure Elios wetsuit first:
- legs 1.5"-2" longer & a little fuller in the thigh
- arms the same length
- shoulders slightly narrower
- chest several inches narrower
- hood the same or slightly larger
I expected all of the above, except perhaps the chest/shoulder (I have quite wide shoulders).

I also asked a former pattern-cutter to look it over, make similar comparisons & check against my measurements. It seemed close enough & with enough stretch to make up for the differences (this wetsuit is quite stretchy, at least as much as the Elios despite having more seams).

She pointed out some construction differences: e.g. More panels in the Mares, although no diamond gusset under the arms (as the Elios has) - but more on that later*, higher waist, some seams are "eased in on a curved" -to provide some additional room (e.g. under arms & tops of thighs).

The old Elios suit has a string & plastic frog for securing the crotch strap - its string could be adjusted if necessary & repair would be easy; the Mares instead has 2 tough (hopefully) plastic stud connections which seem easier to use but not as tough nor as adjustable or repairable. I notice the Mares system is the same as that used on the (far more expensive) Rob Allen wetsuits, so perhaps quite good?

Some precautions for trying the new spearo wetsuit:
I thought it prudent to take some precautions before trying the new Mares spearo wetsuit on on to avoid damaging it:
- trimmed finger nails
- wet myself (rather than wet suit) : showered with Dove moisturizing soap,
- put some fresh trunks on, put a plastic bag over each foot just before putting it through the pant leg (to avoid nails damaging it).

*Fit: Good
It is a bit longer than my old Elios suit but fits better than I dared hope the pants have a higher waist by an inch or two which I like - perhaps more warmth, perhaps more protection under the loading pad (TBC). I won't need to shorten the legs (relief). Despite the lack of diamond-gusset under the arms, it feels like I have freer arm movement with the Mares - a pleasant surprise - perhaps due to the "eased in"-seams and/or the stretch of the Mares? I am currently loosing weight & I think that will improve the fit further around the chest & belly (although length might then become more of a problem).

Pleased so far

 

[Mr. X]

Mares are an Italian company but this suit was was made in Cambodia.

The following warning is printed large & prominently inside both the pants & jackets of my Mares wetsuit:

"THIS PRODUCT IS MEANT FOR VARIOUS
WATERSPORTS ACTIVITIES LIKE SNORKELING,
WATERSKY(sic), SURFING, ETC., BUT PROVIDES NO
PROTECTION AGAINST COLD OR ELSE"

The quotes, punctuation & capitalization appear just as shown above.

I'm hoping it was meant to say something like "...provides only protection against cold." as it would be rather pointless if it really "PROVIDES NO PROTECTION AGAINST COLD". [Either way, perhaps they could reduce the price by a few quid if they didn't waste time & resources creating & printing such pointless gibberish?]

 

[Mr. X]

Just noticed one large nail gouge inside the sleeve of the jacket - opposite the large size number, 6 - probably from manufacture (perhaps when printing the size number?) or during packing/re-packing/unpacking . Not a big deal though, I will just glued it.

Don't get the wrong impression though, I really like this wetsuit: great design, good construction and well-made. The seams are all glued & blind-stitched, same as Elios.

The knee patches are very thin but a nice touch: they look quite good (bit too shiny) & will likely provide some protection against abrasion. The loading pad looks slightly thicker than the Elios one (which always felt inadequate to me when using a RA railgun). Both loading pads seem too soft to me, both appear made of lightly covered neoprene, I would prefer something tougher/firmer/hard, to better protect the wetsuit ...and me.

 

[Mr. X]

Just saw this ad. Brown camo Spetton wetsuit (Medium size only) for £ 87.95!:

http://www.scubastore.com/?action=ver_detalle_producto&id_modelo=70300

 

[Mr. X]

Mares vs. Elios spearfishing wetsuits

I read an interesting article by spearodave on his website spearo.co.uk yesterday - along the lines of "Why are Elios wetsuits better?".
He makes the point that mass-produced wetsuits (such as the Mares suit & Spetton wetsuits shown above, and similar offering by others such as Cressi et al) are generally made out of significantly softer, more stretchy materials - so that they can fit most people with just a few standard sizes - that makes sense. He is correct on that score, my new Mares suit is nice & stretchy, noticeably more stretchy than my made-to-measure Elios suit.

He says that softness will reduce the warmth of the suit. That might well be true, although probably mainly at depth: Elios told me something similar when I bought my suit from them but in that case they were telling me as a spearo why I didn't need more expensive, stiffer neoprene because that was intended for SCUBA divers who stay deep for long periods - so I got their cheapest offering Ecoline and despite that it has been warm for 10 years and is stiffer than the Mares: well done Elios! Dave also says that such soft suit will not last as long -- I suspect he might be right on that score too, the Elios will be hard to beat, but only time will tell; I generally look after my gear.

However, I will make a few points in favour of the Mares suit: because of its softness it fits really closely, yet allows more shoulder movement. I think that closeness of fit will help with warmth. Ditto the higher waist on the pants. Also, although product listing says 5mm, Mares may have taken this potentially reduced warmth into account by using slightly thicker 5.5mm neoprene: the model designation reflects the neoprene thickness, for example they have 30, 35, 50, 55 & 70 suits and their website confirms that: http://pureinstinct.mares.com/products/neoprene/suits/instinct-camo-brown/113/?region=uk . However, I would say my 55 suit feels, if anything, a tad thinner than the Elios. Almost forgot, its camo , it has some rudimentary knee protection & it's cheaper currently.

In the unlikely event that it is not warm enough, I will just get an undervest, e.g. http://apnea.co.uk/undervests/183-omer-tank-top-3mm-titanium.html, which would undermine any cost savings. But as Elios said when I asked about that option 10 years ago, yes it is available but you won't need it - and they were right again, of course.

 

[Mr. X]

BTW I bought socks & gloves to match the suit - not such a bargain but both were reduced & I found a discount voucher. I don't need gloves or socks currently but will soon enough (& my current 2mm superstretch gloves are not warm enough). I figure that I would eventually want these and they may not be available in the future.

I am not particularly looking for full color co-ordination though. I am quite keen to mix the suits the break-up my overall (rather large) profile, e.g. camo leggings & socks + black Elios jacket + Mares camo weight vest. Hopefully while the fish are try to figure out the camo parts they won't notice my black arm, hand & speargun! Well, worth a try!

 

[Mr. X]

The Mare camo socks & gloves arrived yesterday. Fit is on the small size.

In theory, I need Mares XXL size socks but nobody sells them & I figure Mares probably doesn't make them in this model, perhaps because the XL stretches sufficient to cover it? Indeed that appears to be the case, the XL fits snug but fine (although I prefer the easier fit of my £6 Mike's Diving socks - as my ankles are quite thick & sturdy).

In theory, I need the Mares L size gloves - I have exactly the specified palm size (also Beuchat gloves Large are a perfect fit, I've had several pairs) - however these gloves are real tight. Had I known, I would have opted for the XL. But at least they are not a sloppy fit. The palm feels suprisingly thick - perhaps just air trapped - and I have been using 2mm superstretch gloves recently (great feel but too cold).

So both are a bit too small for me but, hopefully, usable. It is warm indoors.and I know from experience my hands & feet will become a little smaller in the cold sea (although on a hot day, they will get bigger). Also, I am loosing weight currently & expect to be about a stone lighter by the middle of the season, so stuff being a little snug now is ok.

 

[Mr. X]

Update on Socks/Gloves sizing: XL socks fit perfectly fine (stretchy ). Should probably have got the XL gloves too: found a Mares-specific glove chart on PlanetDive and in their sizes (as opposed to Beuchat's) I am borderline L/XL perhaps slightly more XL - however Large work well enough.

 

[Brochman]

An interesting article Mr. X of which i only came across because i was eyeing up a Mares extrem 55 open cell suit and i had read up also that the more the suit stretches the less warmth it provides which i can understand as if you take a wool jumper and hold it up to the light you will see some light coming through the material, whereas if you stretch the jumper you will see more light so the jumper provides less insulation,its the same with neoprene i guess. How has the mares suit held up since last year? Would you buy another or go for an Elios or Omer etc?
Thanks.

 

[Brochman]

I found this suit which seems to fit my size better http://apnea.co.uk/clearance/450-imersion-wetsuit-seriole-black-85mm-jacket-high-waist-pant.html but how good it is is a different matter.
Also I will have to lug around more weight with the suit being a thick open cell.

So i guess i have got to weigh up between being warm yet spending more energy because i have to carry more lead so shorter dives or stick with my Beaver Icelandic semi dry and get an Open cell vest to keep my core warm and so less lead to carry so less energy spent. It seems to be more difficult getting it right for the cooler waters up in Shetland.