Pinnacle Merino Wool Wet Suits

Posted on Feb, 2010 in Home/Reviews/Pinnacle Merino Wool Wet Suits

I will admit it, I am a wimpy scuba diver, in fact i may be in the running for president of the wimpy diver’s association (heck i even wear my drysuit when teaching in the pool sometimes), now there really is not a wimpy diver’s association it is something that divers refer to when talking about wearing exposure suits and who has more neoprene on their body. No matter what i always tend to get cold, that is until I discovered Pinnacle’s secret weapon, Merino Wool Lined Wetsuits. Now some people are probably saying “Wool, in a Wet suit”? Yes, wool, more specifically Merino Wool.

Merino Wool is not like any other wool on the market, it is regarded as one of the finest and softest wool of any sheep in the world. So this is not like those old wool sweater grandma would knit for your Christmas present. Some people may also ask, wool retains water just like cotton, however wool retains heat, where cotton will make you colder. Wool is also very good at wicking away moisture, meaning if you are getting suited up and start to sweat the suit will draw the moisture away.

Pinnacle has incorporated merino lining into many of its wetsuits, specifically their cold water suits, however this does not limit it to the cold water suits as they have also lined some 3 and 5 MM suits with the merino. By adding the merino lining the suit to some people is gaining about another MM in thickness, if not more. For example i have worn the Pinnacle 5MM Merino Elastiprene wet suit in water temps around 55 degrees, however i also wore two 5/3 hooded vests, 7MM boots, 7MM Gloves and 3MM socks, after about a two hour period i wanted to be out of the water. This was a great way to test how warm the suits are but i will never be doing this again.

There are some drawbacks to adding the merino lining to wetsuits, it makes them a little bit more positively buoyant, which requires a tad more lead to sink someone underwater, however i will gladly wear a few extra pounds to make sure that i am extremely warm when diving.

Now this last part does not affect warmth but some added features to the suit, pinnacles knee pads are made out of a tough yet flexible cordura material, meaning they are extremely durable yet still allow the diver to move around. Another nice feature for theses suits is the shoulder pads that help keep your BC System from slipping, these are made from a non slip rubber material.

If you have any questions on these suits post your comments below and I will get back to them or call me at the store.

Till next time

Alex

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Tags: merino, merino wool, pinnacle, Pinnacle Aquatics, pinnacle merino, pinnacle merino lined, scuba diving wetsuits, scuba wetsuit, Wetsuits

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