Seland Wetsuits?

Simon Beck

Member
Presently looking for an alternative to Warmbac. Does anybody here have any time/experience with Seland Canyoning wetsuits?
 

ah147

New member
They are very popular amongst certain circles.

The problem I find with them is the lower bit of the wetsuit does not have arms. It's shoulderless. I don't wanna cave like that.

So you have to wear the jacket, but then you have two layers of neoprene over your core and get really warm.

They seem pretty tough.

I use wetsuits from diving shops/decathlon etc and just run over the knees, arse, elbows and forearms with sikaflex to make em tougher.
 

nobrotson

Active member
To offer another alternative, as Ash just said I was recently put onto the range of wetsuits for sale in Decathlon. I think for the kind of caving that you do the Subea 5.5mm wetsuit could do the trick and is much more amenably priced than Seland's gear:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/mens-scd-100-55-mm-wetsuit-id_8354115.html

there are also 7mm wetsuits and 7.5mm semidry wetsuits if you are wanting something more substantial.
 

topcat

Active member
I use a surfers wetsuit and protect it with a light caving oversuit.

The benefit of this approach is a very well cut suit with pre bent elbows and knees using very flexible neoprene, and no zips, other than the pee zip I added myself.

The caving wetsuits I  have seen are much tougher but seem like suits of armour by comparison.

Tc
 

tamarmole

Active member
topcat said:
I use a surfers wetsuit and protect it with a light caving oversuit.

The benefit of this approach is a very well cut suit with pre bent elbows and knees using very flexible neoprene, and no zips, other than the pee zip I added myself.

The caving wetsuits I  have seen are much tougher but seem like suits of armour by comparison.

Tc

The downside of using watersports wetsuits for caving is that they tend to have a rear zip.  While this isn't an issue when you are wet caving on drier sections I find I overheat, which is where a front zip  comes into its own. 

Caving wetsuits are a consumable, Ebay is your friend.

My current wetsuit is a mongrel two piece.  The trousers are cut from an old O Neil watersports wetsuit whilst the top is a ye olde front opening item with a tenex crutch strap.  This is a distinct step up from an old sub aqua suits homemade wetsuit I used to own which someone had discarded.  It got so bad that I had to be gaffer tapped into it.  The final straw came when the zip fell off on the wrong side of Swildon's Sump One.

 

SamT

Moderator
What do people make of the old  school 80s caving wetsuits with the buttoned gusset. Usually black with a red liner.  I only say because I know of a couple that might be looking for a home.
 

Duncan Price

Active member
topcat said:
I use a surfers wetsuit and protect it with a light caving oversuit.

Ditto - even for diving shortish (20 m) sumps (with hood) - you get cold but the comfort out of the water compensates.

Having been a long time user of Warmbac wetsuits for cave diving, I have just spent some Decathlon vouchers on a nice warm diving wetsuit.

Duncan
 
I?d agree with Ash that having no arms in the lower section is a pain. Doing dry caving in Mexico after sumps I used a farmer John with a base layer on but.... that?s very little protection, and prob not warm enough in UK.  The other downside to those seland suits is aren?t they very expensive?
 

Fulk

Well-known member
quote from tamarmole:

The downside of using watersports wetsuits for caving is that they tend to have a rear zip.  While this isn't an issue when you are wet caving on drier sections I find I overheat, which is where a front zip  comes into its own. 

Agreed; some time ago I bought a surfing suit with a back zip that used to annoy me, so I contacted Warmbac who said they'd be happy to take the back zip out and put a front one in ? even though it wasn't one of their suits. It's much better this way.
 

topcat

Active member
My wetsuit only has a Pee zip........you have to climb in via the neck !!

The thing is, neoprene has developed over the years.  It is much warmer, faster drying and more flexible than of old.  However, I've yet to see a caving wetsuit taking advantage of these improvements.  I guess there isn't the market for it, volume wise?
 
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