Real thick, 6 mil makes it hard to move.
Get yourself a cheap 2/3 mil and a hood and get in.
$100 bucks.
Snorkel Suits?
Started by
Michael Wolfe
, Jul 08 2011 06:50 PM
31 replies to this topic
#23
Guest_Casper_*
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Posted 21 March 2012 - 08:22 PM
Brand...
I have not seen that an issue. Look for a good stretchy material, heavy duty zipper, knee pads, good collar.
A full body provides all over protection... scrapes, leechs. Is plenty comfortable. 2/3 ( which means 2 mil on the limbs and 3 mil on the body / chest ) is generally stretchy and easy to put on. That should be plenty good for most KY waters in the summer months. My cement pond is now 66 degrees. Crazy spring. I took my first snorkel of the year yesterday rinsing ticks off after hunting the elusive dry land fish. Bare skinned it. Felt good.
With a 2/3 and a hood you will do fine. I think you could slip on a pair of armour all underwear and maybe improve it for a bit of extra warmth. I do not believe suits have to be so tight as many folks recommend... just snug.
Get a hood for sure. I like a beanie cap so you can hear. Some hoods are real tight and pull over too tight and then you cannot hear... " There is a gator swimming toward you" or other such pertinent info.
Being from KY i dont't know why you can't just do like the Turtle Man. Ive never seen him wear a wetsuit. He just gets in the water in his britches and shirt. Live Action!
I have not seen that an issue. Look for a good stretchy material, heavy duty zipper, knee pads, good collar.
A full body provides all over protection... scrapes, leechs. Is plenty comfortable. 2/3 ( which means 2 mil on the limbs and 3 mil on the body / chest ) is generally stretchy and easy to put on. That should be plenty good for most KY waters in the summer months. My cement pond is now 66 degrees. Crazy spring. I took my first snorkel of the year yesterday rinsing ticks off after hunting the elusive dry land fish. Bare skinned it. Felt good.
With a 2/3 and a hood you will do fine. I think you could slip on a pair of armour all underwear and maybe improve it for a bit of extra warmth. I do not believe suits have to be so tight as many folks recommend... just snug.
Get a hood for sure. I like a beanie cap so you can hear. Some hoods are real tight and pull over too tight and then you cannot hear... " There is a gator swimming toward you" or other such pertinent info.
Being from KY i dont't know why you can't just do like the Turtle Man. Ive never seen him wear a wetsuit. He just gets in the water in his britches and shirt. Live Action!
#24
Michael Wolfe
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- Board of Directors
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 21 March 2012 - 09:28 PM
OK, well I love the snorkelmeister... but froze to death in the crappy little 2/3 that I had... inspired me to get a 7 mil farmer john and jacket for Christmas... we will see if it is restrictive or too bouyant or whatever... but I am hoping that at least I will be able to stand it long enough to spend more time in the water... and earlier and later in the year... and if it is too much, then at least I can take off the jacket and still have something over my core.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#25
Guest_farmertodd_*
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Posted 21 March 2012 - 09:33 PM
Josh, a friend who has your build got a 5 mil one-piece hood/shirt with a 3 mill farmer john with velcro straps... It worked very well for him in 60+ and is very flexible..
There's not going to be any way around spending some money to insulate. Before he got that suit, I would be in bare skin, my friend would be in 3 mil and I'd end up seeing him shivering on the shore loooong before I was ready to get out. Now that I've lost some weight, I really understand the difference it makes.
Update.... It looked like this...
http://www.wetsuitwe...tops/666-S153MN
Then he had a full 3 mil that he'd put on over it.
Todd
There's not going to be any way around spending some money to insulate. Before he got that suit, I would be in bare skin, my friend would be in 3 mil and I'd end up seeing him shivering on the shore loooong before I was ready to get out. Now that I've lost some weight, I really understand the difference it makes.
Update.... It looked like this...
http://www.wetsuitwe...tops/666-S153MN
Then he had a full 3 mil that he'd put on over it.
Todd
Edited by farmertodd, 21 March 2012 - 09:38 PM.
#26
Guest_UncleWillie_*
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Posted 22 March 2012 - 08:59 AM
I've had mixed experiences with different thickness wetsuits, but there is one thing I will definitely stress if you want to stay warm -- get a decent hood that cover your entire head and neck. I am a small dude, very little body fat, and very cold natured. When I worked for GA DNR snorkeling in the Toccoa River (north GA) all summer, I wore a 3 mm farmer john, and a 3 mm shorty w/ long sleeves. This put 6mm over my core (thighs to chest). I had a great hood that could tuck down into your wetsuit around your neck and stayed warm most of the time. Fast forward a year. I was snorkeling from April to August for the University of Tennessee in the Little River, TN. and the Pigeon River, NC/TN. I had a 7 mm full suit. But I was freezing even in July because I had a crappie little hood (think skull cap helmet for motorcyclist - it only covered the top and some of the back of my head).
I reckon you've got to put it into context. I was in the water for the majority of the daylight hours during those summers, so it was easy to get cold when the shadows started getting long. But I just wanted to say that with a good hood that covered my entire head and neck, I could spend some mid-summer days in just a hood and a 3mm shorty.
I reckon you've got to put it into context. I was in the water for the majority of the daylight hours during those summers, so it was easy to get cold when the shadows started getting long. But I just wanted to say that with a good hood that covered my entire head and neck, I could spend some mid-summer days in just a hood and a 3mm shorty.
#27
Guest_farmertodd_*
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Posted 22 March 2012 - 10:13 AM
....and that is where the hooded vest will give you the most flexibility. If it's cold, you wear the hooded vest with your normal 3 mil. If it's not, you just wear the 3 mil. Maybe you'll wear both all of the time. Regardless, this is how to get 6 mil over your core, 5 mil over your head, will be much less flexible than a neoprene robot, and... not spend a fortune doing it.
#28
Michael Wolfe
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- Board of Directors
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 22 April 2012 - 06:27 PM
Update... got to use my new 7 ml farmer john and jacket combo the the other day before the bioblitz... it was great... yes I floated, but that was not a problem... and I was not too restricted to move... and I was very comfortable in the cool morning air and North Georgia Mountain... never even thought about the temperature. I did not have the hood with me, but used my regular neoprene 'cap' and was perfectly happy... oh, and it was not to walk down to the stream with the farmer john on and put the jacket on right before I got in the water... another benefit that I did not think of before. Anyway, I solved my problem and will be recommending the farmer john and jacket combo.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#32
brannon67
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- NANFA Guest
- USA
Posted 12 November 2014 - 10:04 AM
ScubaPro makes a Semi-dry suit called the NovaScotia, which is a 6.4 M suit, and Henderson makes a suit called the Thermaxx, which you can get in 3 ,5 and 6 M, with a fleece like lining. I myself, is debating on which one to get, the Thermaxx or the NovaScotia Semi-dry. But, Im very cold natured, so I need the insulation and protection, especially in the springs, rivers and creeks.
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