Thermocline fourth element wetsuit substitute

[thereisnofishofsuchvirtue]

Hola!

Anyone used the fourth element Thermocline range? Claims to be as good as a 3mm wetsuit... going to the red sea in a few weeks and thinking of buying a set...

http://wwwfourthelement.com/thermocline_explorer.php

Can't find any reviews of it online but the bloke in the shop was saying it was the dogs...

Cheers!

[ChristianG]

http://wwwfourthelement.com/thermocline_explorer.php
Correct link is <http://www.fourthelement.com/thermocline_explorer.php>

Marvellous what a full stop does nowadays. :rolleyes:

As for the suit itself, I don't know it but it sure sounds like a, perhaps crushed, "steamer" to me. Or is my cynicism showing?

Sorry.

[Fiona]

I have the long sleeved top, I used it under a 5mm semi dry on my last trip and it does in fact offer an entra layer of warmth.

Haven't used the one piece suit on it's own, but I guess for warmer conditions it would does as it says.

[whitenoise]

Hiya,

I've got the long sleeved top and the mens explorer as well, and they are good bits of kit. My advice is that the sizing is key, and you really need to try on multiple sizes. Originally I bought the XL top because I'm a 35-36ish waist, and the Large size was just too tight. However after a number of dives I was finding that the top was actually too big - I now have the Large size.

You can't really compare the sizing to 'normal' clothes since the idea of the top is to be like a 'second skin'. So it must be tight and very snug! If you get the size wrong, the top just doesn't work. IMO I think its better to go on the smaller size, than the larger size since I have found that after a few wears the top gets a little bigger and has more stretch in it. Some might recommend to get a size bigger, but as per my experience above, this just didn't work.

Overall good bits of kit, excellent as a layer under a wetsuit, or by itself. You also require less lead, which is always a bonus :)

Edit - Just noticed that it looks like FE have updated their sizing page (for mens sizing anyway) so probably what they say is now probably more accurate - they recommend Large size for me, where as before the change I was between their Large/XL sizes.

[TooTall]

Blimey - at close to £200 for the top and long johns I'd want it to make me a cuppa in the morning and sing songs to me at any deco stop! It might be great, but it doesn't look all that durable IMHO.

[Fiona]

Blimey - at close to £200 for the top and long johns I'd want it to make me a cuppa in the morning and sing songs to me at any deco stop! It might be great, but it doesn't look all that durable IMHO.

How durable does it need to be, mine was worn underneath a semi dry and they can be worn like a dive skin. Can you explain durable ?

[TooTall]

The OP seems to be hinting at using it as a wetsuit - so I'd want durability as an outer layer. As an undersuit, different matter.