Good morning. I hope you’re having a good Wednesday morning. It’s a little soggy out there if you haven’t noticed. And cool. This Missouri weather is crazy. So do you know what next week is? Why, it’s the Spring into SCUBA sale. This year the terms are a little different. We’ll be closed on Monday the 10th, then the 11th through the 14th from 10am-7pm make sure you come by. Here are some of the fantastic deals, but we’re not limited to just these, that’s why you NEED to come by and see us!
This blog post is supposed to teach us new things, right? Wouldn’t you agree? Now I’m going to share with you what I learned today. This is a good one… I learned that I can’t read. Oh wait, no that’s not it. I can read… most days anyway. No, I learned that I have a list of the items we’re going to cover on this blog and last week we switched it around a little bit. So this morning I thought I was going to be writing about one thing when in fact I was writing about something else.
If that isn’t bad enough, the thinking I’m going to be writing about one thing and instead writing about another… I read my list and it said Pyroflex Steamer and I wasn’t sure what a Pyroflex Steamer was until I googled it, then I realized, I own one. {palm to face moment!} In my defense, we always just call it a Pyroflex or the 1.5 mil… we never call it a Pyroflex Steamer. So that right there let’s you know that today I’m going to introduce you to the Pyroflex Steamer.
Let’s discuss really quick what you want from a wetsuit. A wetsuit is worn for thermal protection as well as protection against the elements. The form-fitting neoprene that a wetsuit is made out of minimizes water flow next to the diver’s skin, helping to retain heat at the same time. Different climate conditions require different thicknesses of a dive suit and they typically range from 2mm to 8mm so the Open Water SCUBA Diver Manual informs us.
SCUBAPRO decided to reinvent the wheel. When tropical diving, a diver really doesn’t need an 8mm dive suit. In fact, most people will dive in a 3mm or less. Thus, the 1.5mm dive suit was invented, just for tropical thermal protection.
The Pyroflex 1.5mm Steamer is light weight, durable, and most importantly, it is a highly efficient insulator for better heat retention. Earlier this year when we learned about the Pyroflex Rashguard, we learned about the X-Foam, which is a SCUBAPRO exclusive formula.
- Petroleum free – made from limestone neoprene
- Complies with P.A.H. tests (check out the rashguard for more information on that!)
- Lighter weight – perfect for travel
- Greater elasticity – increases comfort and mobility
- Higher insulation efficiency – that means better heat retention
- Very durable – help last for years of diving!
The Pyroflex Steamer is lined with high tech fleece which makes it plush and nice to wear. This lightweight suit is perfect for tropical diving, snorkeling, or pool training (although we like to dive in a heated pool during the cool months and Deb and Grady’s pool is nice during the warm months!)
So for those who want the Technical Information
- Quality exterior Everflex is an X-Foam neoprene formulation, which is lightweight, durable and a highly efficient insulator for heat retention.
- High-tech plush and fleece interior linings reduce water flow and provide extra warmth.
- Water blocking design features reduce convection.
- Provides insulation under water as well as at the surface.
- A slightly higher neck collar delivers maximum comfort from BC chafing.
- Thumb loops and heel stirrups avoid ride-up when the steamer is used as an under layer.
- Premium YKK front zipper makes easy work of donning and doffing.
- Available in 6 men’s and 5 women’s sizes. Click on size chart for more details.
- Available Sizes:
- Men: S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL.
- Women: XS, S, M, L, XL.
- Available Sizes:
I mentioned earlier in this if you’ve made it this far, I own one of these suits. Let me tell you some of the pros and cons of this particular dive suit:
- Pros
- Light weight, especially when you’re limited on room/weight while packing for a trip.
- Front zips so you don’t have to remember the zipper goes in the back.
- Light weight also as tropical diving in warmer water conditions.
- Stirrups to help keep the legs down (plus you would have been totally fashionable during the 80’s and 90’s when stirrup pants were the IN thing.
- Color markings are different between men’s and women’s so if you have multiple suits at your house due to your whole family diving, you can at least grab based off of color markings, mens versus womens. Now if you have multiple divers of men or women, I can’t help you there.
- If you get warm while diving, just unzip and keep on diving, although be ready for the heckling that goes along with that…..
- Great ease of movement due to it being a smaller mil suit.
- Cons
- Try getting out of a suit that zips in the front. If you need help, ask Grady, he can demonstrate for you.
- This is more for tropical diving, so around this part of the country, maybe not, although I know someone who dove Mermet Springs just to prove they could.
So, what’s the take away message? If you plan on doing a lot of tropical diving, this is a great compact suit that gives maximum protection. It’s light weight and durable. The ease and convenience is what makes this a suit that made its way into my set of dive gear. If you want to see one, feel it, smell it, touch it, caress it, or whatever suits your fancy, by all means, come see us… NOW!