What thickness/type wetsuit do I need?

[togamac]

I'd like to extend my water hunting season by wearing a wetsuit. I'm thinking of getting a bib type since I'll be in waist deep water at the most. The water temp in November will probably get down into the 50's. I usually hunt for about an hour to hour and a half at a time. I'm not sure of the thickness I'll need in order to stay toasty. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[mudpuppy]

I was talking to a guy yesterday about this and he said you have to go to a dive shop and try them on to get the right fit, ordering one off the internet or buying one on CL without knowing your size is not a good idea..He said you gotta be sure about the fit and also to get several layers, then you can wear the 5mil in the summer, and double up for spring, fall and winter with an extra 7 mil on top of the 5 for toastiness..or get the 7 for the work, and add the five on top...either way a fellow has to get the right sizes, since you cant put a medium 7 over a medium 5 and vice versa... said get some great footwear, a hoodie, and gloves or gauntlets too. He also said its easy to get overheated in a full wetsuit if the water and weather is too warm, so its good to have multiple layers that you can peel off, or just wear the thin top with the doubled up bottoms etc...Now bear in mind I will attempt to hunt Lake Mich all winter when those big storms blow out some good prime cuts, all last year, and today I wore chest waders, and they are fine except for when theres big surf and a guy takes a wave over the top..wading in a lake and busting through the ice last year the chest waders did fine until they sprung a few leaks, and a few times I almost stepped off the drop and swamped them, ..a full suit I think will let me get in a little deeper than the waders, a guy might have to wear a weight belt though, but I think overall if a fellow is determined to hunt cold water, a wetsuit is the way to go...a guy can get killed in waders and go hypothermic, but not in a wetsuit thats appropriate for conditions. Theres some other forum members that hunt in either wet or dry suits in cold water that should be along here to help us out too..glad you asked!
Mud

 

[JOE in MD]

I hunt in cold weather, I use a 7MM suit and been out while it snowed that morning. I use the "Farmer John" type suit (2 piece). I also have a 3 MM Farmer John suit for early summer/cool water. Plus I have a long sleeve UV dive shirt for "HOT" weather that I match up with the bottom of my 3MM suit. I have a friend that uses a dry suit which to me would be the best for cold weather, but they are pricey. The reason I bought the "Farmer John" suits is I can mix and match tops and bottoms of both 3 & 7 MM suits depending on weather for that time of season. I bought mine on line from a company called "Divers supply.com" they have a size chart that you can get your size right. Of course like mudpuppy said buying from a dive shop is best for exact fix, but you will pay top dollar( at least in my area). I also have 3MM and 7 MM gloves and "hard bottom shoes. The only bad thing when using a wet suit is when you get out of the water and it's 30/ 40 degrees and have to change into dry cloth it sure is COLD ( the bath houses are closed for season). LOL Good luck with what ever you decide, this was JMO.

 

[Jim in MA]

[size=medium]I also have 2 farmer johns a 3mm and a 7 mm to mix and match for water temp.
Purchased from http://www.leisurepro.com/c-982/wetsuits#!1 if the size you buy does not fit return for the right size no extra cost.[/size]

 

[mudpuppy]

That site you posted is great Jim in MA!

I'm looking at the Hollis Neotek Semidry 8/7/6
I know nothing about wetsuits, the reviews are good to read, anybody have exact models/makes of suits they use for detecting in cold water? And why you prefer them over something else? Even something simple like the zipper placement makes a difference...it would be nice to have the zipper up front so a guy can regulate his body temp no?

I'm also looking at the Farmer John 7 mil cold water package like Joe suggested that has everything a guy needs including gloves and boots for less money...I'm getting too old to be constantly suffering cold water, and slogging around the beach in waders..
Mud

 

[togamac]

Lake Michigan watch out! Here comes Mudpuppy year round!!

 

[ecoast]

That site you posted is great Jim in MA!
Mud

I actually have been to the store in NYC; VERY small; mostly warehouse, but the prices/service are EXCELLENT!

 

[KinTN]

Thanks for the link, but the site will not function unless I allow them to place cookies on my computer. That will not happen, so they have lost my business.

 

[mudpuppy]

I'm gonna head into my local dive shop in about an hour...I'm thinking I'll start out with a 5mil Farmer John type set up....not buying today, just looking and talking for a little more education....I sure wish wetsuits had pockets all over them, like even high on the shoulder or on the upper arm, for smokes and phones, etc...might have to modify one just for detecting...including cutting in a "fly" in the front and a backhatch on the rear for you know what!

I sort of like and am used to cold water, and I overheated today in my waders, so you think a 5 mil is a good thing for me? I can always layer up right?

Hey Togamac, the winter is where the sand really blows out big time! the dry sand is frozen like concrete, so I'm just thinking...
Mud

 

[JOE in MD]

I bought Neo Sports "Farmer John's" and they do have a small pouch type pocket at the top of the jacket. (Along the zipper line on the inside about the chest area) that could hold key's (Maybe)

 

[mudpuppy]

Boy...those 7mils seemed too stiff and heavy...seems a fellow would definitely overheat in a hurry...think I'll look at 3 mils...wow...theres nothing made specifically for us out there? Hmmm.
Mud

 

[togamac]

Mud,
You may have to spring for two. That 7mm may be just the ticket when the water gets in the 40's and a 3mm may let you stay all day when it's in the 60's. I'm definitely looking for the farmer johns with a jacket that zips open, not the kind that fastens like a onesy. As far as flaps and pockets, neoprene may be easy to cut and re-glue with rubber cement. Any input from someone who's done it would be helpful??
Mac

 

[mudpuppy]

Thats what I'm thinking too Toggy old pal...cut and glue all sorts of loops for waterbottles and finds pockets and front flaps and whatnot...make my own special gear to suit my needs..CL has a whole lot of wetsuits on it for cheap...

What we really need is 3 sets of farmer john 3 mils...one layer in the summer, two in the fall, and perhaps all three in the winter/spring. I'm also gonna look at light fast waders...That 7 mil was entirely too heavy to run up and down a beach wearing it.....Up here, I run down the beach, sweeping the dry furiously, then if I see where a sandbar has moved or a cut has formed, go on in there and give it a sweeping...then back up on the dry and keep on moving...so its not like I'm in the water all the time, which of course allows me to warm up between plunges...by gosh I'm sweating like a Politician on election night in 40 degree weather most of the time...sometimes I'll stay in the water for an hour or more depending upon the cut and finds...thats when I get hypothermic, and buddy, I can barely crawl up to the car and get it started when that happens... the winter time in some open water really is the ticket up here...nobody around...damn this gold fever!
Mud

 

[togamac]

Sounds awesome Mud. Be careful of that hypothermia. Maybe what you need is a two piece with waist high pants instead of farmer johns. Most of the heat is probably being lost out through the legs when you're in the water. Either that or ones with full length zippers down the legs so's you can get in and out quickly. I actually have some tights like that I use for winter biking, don't know if they make wetsuit models like that.
We gotta do something quick - cold nights moving in.
Are you a Youpper?

 

[ZOFCHAK]

Another thing to consider is the buoyancy of the heavy 5 and 7mm wetsuits. I have a 7mm semi dry suit and I can't use it in water over 4ft deep without a weight belt. Without the extra weight when I push down on the scoop it pushes me up instead .

 

[togamac]

Zofchak, I hear you on the weight belt. And, it's important that it's a weight belt that diver's use and not some home-made device because, for safety, it'll have a quick release buckle.

It sounds like you obviously have some experience. How do you decide whether to wear the 5mm or 7mm suit?

 

[tomcatpl]

i use a 4.3 wetsuit in the summer untill i get really cold then i jump into my drysuit..

with wetsuits everyone is different i can withstand the cold for a long time ..others get cold very fast

 

[ZOFCHAK]

Zofchak, I hear you on the weight belt. And, it's important that it's a weight belt that diver's use and not some home-made device because, for safety, it'll have a quick release buckle.

It sounds like you obviously have some experience. How do you decide whether to wear the 5mm or 7mm suit?

Since I'm a total wimp when it comes to cold I always prefer to side on the heavy side. If you get uncomfortably warm in a wetsuit you can always flush it with freshwater to cool down, but you can't make it any warmer.

I was out last week wading in water around 60-65 degrees and the air temp about the same. I wore a 7mm semi dry neoprene suit and was comfortable for the entire time (I was fairly deep). Yeah, the heavy wetsuits are a bit restricting, but I've actually found that to be a bit of a bonus while wading. I keep my arm tight against my body and use my core to swing the detector. IMO the stretch of the neoprene kind of acts like a spring and pulls back. This way I can go for long periods and rarely ever have to worry about by arm tiring.

 

[Hank68]

This has been a learning expericence, good. Post

 

[togamac]

I keep my arm tight against my body and use my core to swing the detector. IMO the stretch of the neoprene kind of acts like a spring and pulls back. This way I can go for long periods and rarely ever have to worry about by arm tiring.

That's a great technique for saving the arm. I discovered it too, by accident, when doing a large area on dry ground. But, because of the coil drag in the water, I'd recommend everyone learn it for detecting while wading.

HH!