Wetsuit options

[glubglub]

I'm shopping for new freediving suit. Thinking about 1.5 - 2mm but not sure about the warmth in the Pacific (upper 50s - 60s F water). Is 3mm warm and flexible enough? My regular non-hooded 3mm is great for dynamic practice, but I wouldn't go to depth with it.

If all open cell wetsuits allows very minimal water inside the suit, shouldn't the thickness difference be apparent only at deeper (> 45 ft) water?

Also, are waist pants better than long john pants? Theoretically there should be less friction on the torso area (= more flexible?)

Ideas and/or suggestions?

 

[Killa]

well you put something thicker between you and the water, and if it's the same material you'll loose less heat through it, don't forget you still lose heat

in practice that would mean that with a 2mm suit you can be in the water for 1 hour before getting cold, in a 5 mm suit you can be 4 hours (just a rough example, don't hold me on those numbers)

 

[kevtron]

I was actually wondering about the difference in pant styles as well. Though my main thought was that with waste pants it'd be easier to undo the beaver tail to take a pee break than with long johns. Any thoughts on this in practice?