Posted by kelphead on September 13, 1999 at 01:13:03:
In Reply to: Wetsuit purchase-2 Piece or 1 piece posted by Coco on September 12, 1999 at 19:06:40:
coco, it really does come down to how prone you are
to cold water temps.
if you get very cold in 60-ish degree water, then
a 2 pc, hands down, is your only option. if you
don't get cold easily or can handle 55-65F degree
water, then you may feel just comfy in a 1 pc on
a 30-40 minute dive.
so, evaluating yourself right there will dictate
how much neoprene you will need.
that said, here are what some pros and cons are
w/each set up:
2pc farmer john/jane & jacket style:
**more warmth
**easier to get into than the 1 pc (according to
some divers)
**easy to get into using a lycra skin suit
**can use the long sleeved shorty jacket by itself
if one doesn't want to use the john/jane part (i've
read of a diver using just the long sleeved 6.5mm
jacket in tropical waters b/c she didn't know what
to expect and did not want to invest more $$ in a new
suit and she seemed happy w/that decision--i, too,
will probably do this next time i dive warm water
b/c i was still chilled wearing a 2mm tropical suit)
1pc suit:
**only wearing half as much neoprene, therefore only
need half as much lead
**just need to deal w/one piece and not two, so quicker
suiting up
**more flexible, obviously due to less neoprene
i personally use a 2 pc farmer jane/jacket style and
find that it is very easy to get into--i do NOT struggle
as others have described (but that's b/c i also wear
a lycra skin underneath).
i think that if you wanted something modular, you may
want to consider something like:
*a full 6.5mm 1 piece suit
plus
*a hooded sleeveless shorty that you could wear
either over or under the 1 piece.
the benefit of this arrangement is that if you wanted
to just wear the 1 pc by itself you could and if you
needed that extra warmth, you could add that to the
torso w/the sleeveless shorty.
w/a 2pc setup, such as the one i use, you cannot
wear the farmer john/jane part by itself b/c you don't
have the sleeves to protect you.
if i had to do it over again, i probably would go w/that
modular example that i mentioned above b/c i think
that gives a diver somewhat greater flexibility in dressing.
whatever your decision, best wishes.
kelphead.