Wetsuit fit versus fabric

[Mark Lamont]

I just read an article on buying equipment here in DB. The author states that one can more easily enter their suit if it has a lycra surface and I take exception to that.
The easiest suit to don is a pure rubber skin two sides. The reason why is stretch. Wetsuit rubber whether from Rubatex or others is far more elastic than any fabric, stretch fabric or not. Additionally the stretch fabrics are biased in one direction meaning they stretch more in one direction than the other.
This little bit of information is also very relevant to fit and warmth. The whole basis for staying warm is to provide an air layer against the cold. That is not well achieved if the suit is ill fitted due to lack of stretch. Because of rubbers greater ability to stretch and conform to an individual shape, it can be cut smaller and achieve a superior body conformance.
Yes, I agree that a bottle of soapy water is required to lubricate the skins but is that bad? I always used shampoo mixed with water and came out smelling like a "rose" at the end of the day. I also refuse to urinate on myself. Another benefit to a skin two side suit if cut as pants and top. Unbuckle and roll up and roll down in the water and let go.
We should all remember that the industry is self sustaining. Training agencies certify instructors to sell equipment. Agencies were started by equipment manufacturers or had great ties to.
"Scuba is just a vehicle to the ocean" is a famous quote in one small part of diving but so true. Those that don't like the ocean will not be around for long. Our pioneers started with the most basic equipment and most without a wetsuit. They perservered because they loved the ocean.
New students are rushed through the shortest possible class and taught to buy, buy, buy!
The industry knows the drop out rate of new student and it's sorrowful. The article is not a open review of how to help newbies begin their equipment purchases but rather the same old industry push to earn money first. To quote Dr. Martin Luther King "It's always the right time to do the right thing?
Let's try to introduce people to the ocean for a long term relationship in the words we speak and our deeds. I certainly had many mentors during my journey.

 

[sross]

I just read an article on buying equipment here in DB. The author states that one can more easily enter their suit if it has a lycra surface and I take exception to that.

Have to agree with you there, ML.

When your suit is dry and your skin is dry, it's true that it's easy to slide into a nylon-lined suit, and you don't have to spend time lubricating. Also, I personally think that nylon-lycra lining is smoother for putting the suit on than non-lycra jersey knit nylon.

Having said that, though, once either the suit or you are wet, getting into a nylon lined suit is very difficult. You have to heave & tug, it's even possible to get rug burn, and so much for the vaunted strength of topstitched seams on nylon lined suits: heaving a wet nylon-lined wetsuit back on is a great way to tear some seams.

That's one of the nice things about suits with smoothskin or opencell inside, wet or not, you just re-use your lubricant and getting back into a wet wetsuit is no harder than when it was dry.

 

[foxfish]

Sorry but I dont quite follow you here - you are saying it is easier to done a smooth skin wetsuit that a nylon lined wetsuit?

It is certainly far less trouble to done a nylon lined suit.

With a lined suit you get it out of its bag & put it on! No lube just pull it on.
I find once the suit is getting old or more delicate (about 5 years for a lined suit compared to 3 for smooth skin) I use talcum powder to slide in without any need for hard pulling.
With my smooth skin suits I obversely use lubricant but this can be a bit hit & miss if you dont have the right mix or enough of the mix but anyway it involves much more pulling & squirming to get on.
You also need to be more careful as smoothskins can tear, especially when a few years old.
Also if you live in a cold climate, you need to transport warm lube mix but even then it can still be unpleasant climbing into a "wet" wetsuit on a cold windy day!
I do however agree if you get the lube mix right & on a nice warm sunny day, its a joy to shimmy into a nice slimy smooth skin.

I guess we all have our personal preferences & experiences & it is great to have the forum to put our point across but, for me, where I live & the conditions that I dive in, then I find a stretchy custom made to measure nylon lined suit works the best

 

[sross]

Sorry but I dont quite follow you here - you are saying it is easier to don a smooth skin wetsuit that a nylon lined wetsuit?

It is certainly far less trouble to done a nylon lined suit.

Hi FoxFish,

Not quite. What I was saying is, it's easier by far to put on a nylon lined wetsuit than a smoothskin when it's dry.

Once a nylon-lined suit is wet, though, getting it on is a whole 'nother thing. It sticks & pulls, and in fact there have been situations where I wasn't able to get it back on without help. Cornstarch & talcum aren't much help with wet nylon either, a wet lube, like conditioner or "suit slip", seem to be the only thing. Then after you're done, you have to wash the stuff out of the nylon . . .

Whether the inside of a smoothskin suit is wet or dry, though, it's about the same amount of work to put on.

Admittedly, for most people having to put a soaked wet suit back on to go back in the water is a rare event, perhaps never occurs.

The other thing about nylon-lined suits is that evaporative cooling from the water soaked into the nylon chills them down once you take them off & have them sitting out. A smoothskin suit will cool down to air temperature, but since it dries out so fast, at least it doesn't go below air temperature like a nylon-lined one.

 

[foxfish]

I guess there will always be some compromises.
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