Farmer John wetsuit 3mm or 7mm

oh wait I did have you on a waveski …
Never mind …



it was not a very exciting one though …

My farmer john breathes pretty well …
through the arm holes …

Back to the original question
Since a Farmer John allows complete arm movement would a 7mm be better? After all if you get too hot you can always take a swim. Thats what I do in the spring and in the fall.

not just arms
You need easy movement of the torso, abs, shoulders, and to some extent legs.



When I wore a 5mm farmer john I felt like a hube rubber band was resisting my every move. Granted the higher quality neoprene in surf suits is probablly better, but I’d think 7mm would be a problem in any material.

Wetsuit/neo vest/drysuit combo
I used this combo and was able to continue to “practice my roll”, aka swim a good bit, down to water temps of 45 degrees farnheit. Also hood and gloves of course. That was when I was in a state of mind that was much more doggedly determined than I have been since. And even then, water at 45 degrees was my stopping point.



The wetsuit was a typical paddling suit, a Farmer Jane, NRS vest and a long sleeve hydroskin top under the wetsuit. I had neo. Dry top was a good one.



My own experience -

Somewhere below 50 degrees a typical paddling wetsuit is prohibitively cold and uncomfortable, so I stop doing the things I should be contuing to practice or play with out there.

A drysuit with the layers I need to keep me warm, even Goretex, will leave me sweated up some underneath unless it is a perfect day of low to mid-fiftes air and water temps. So I frequently change into dry layers at lunch break if it is a longer paddle.



All of this is about the typical paddling wetsuit - NOT the much more advanced suits that surfers use these days which are a step way above and cost halfway between the basic wetsuit and the more expensive dry suits. There are probably just a handful on this board who have any real experience with them - Sing is one.

I Don’t Know…
It depends on local conditions, and your own personal tolerance for cold water.



The trouble with asking a question like that on a national board is you are going to get opinions from people that just don’t have a clue

Yup…

– Last Updated: Mar-17-10 5:52 AM EST –

bottom line - whatever one wears, it's a compromise between the conditions, the venue and one's skills. The latter makes a huge difference in deciding what kind of compromise one makes in the choice of immersion gear. All immersion gear is a compromise of factors.

Have no clue what the OP wants to do or the skills s/he has or not. When in doubt, say nothing. Though in likelihood, given the question, I would suggest with the majority, go buy a "drysuit" if you can afford it and experiment with the layering to figure how much to layer underneath without getting drenched in sweat and yet still have enough insulation for some "immersion time" necessary for self or assisted rescue, a swim in, or staying alive long enough for someone to pull one out.

sing

I haven't worn my two drysuits in years. For me and what I do, my wetsuits are much safer.

personal preferences
Personally I like the freedom of a wetsuit and the lack of dependency on a gasket. It is a given with me that I am going to get wet. I just want to be warm enough so that I can function well but cool enough to not overheat.

good combo for me: farmer John 3mm with a hydroskin or similiar long sleeve top. gives me 3.5 mm for my core and the rest 3mm. If it gets real cold I also have a hydroskin vest that I can wear bringing my core up to 4mm.

Having a wetsuit also (mostly) takes the need for a breathable drysuit or drytop away and a splash jacket with a neoprene/velcro collar is sufficient for any wind chill.



caveat: I base my decisions on the fact that my number one choice of dealing with a capsize is a roll and my number two choice is a re-enter and roll. both take seconds.



ocean travels off shore would get me in a drysuit



As the water temps increase a bit and the weather gets balmy, I absolutely love my Stohlquist shorty 2mm wetsuit. That and a shorty semi dry top is my absolute favorite combo for comfort.





Paul

i think what I was suggesting frank
is that a newer full 4/3 surfing suit actually has really good range of motion and is really warm. Maybe too warm.

if it’s…
that warm that all you need is a farmerjohn suit style …then you only need the 3mm. I have 5mm neoprene waders…and they keep me comfortable in 40 F water w/ insulated longjohns on underneath …7 mm farmer suit is overkill.

Drysuit
with layers underneath.



jim