Do you view cold-water wetsuits as great tools for exploration, or as some kind of torture device? If it’s the later, you’re not alone, There’s a whole fraternity of divers who’ve sworn off temperate and cold-water diving because the hate fighting their way into a neoprene straightjacket just to survive the experience. One solution is to make the leap to diving dry, but that typically requires more money, as well as time, to learn a new set of dive skills. The other option is to find the right wetsuit, one that’s built with an equal emphasis on ease of use and staying warm. Nearly all wetsuit manufactures have at lease one such model – a suit that claims to be a high stretch, ultracomfortable wonder garment that will take the huff-and-puff out of gearing up and diving in.

Henderson Hyperstretch 7mm

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Nearly effortless to don, this suit feels limber enough, even at 7mm thick, to allow a runner to stretch out his hammies before a jog. KEY FEATURES: While many of the other wetsuit we used put a great emphasis on special features – such as cuff seals and waterproof zippers – Henderson has kept the Hyperstretch relatively simple, relying instead on the amazing elasticity of the suit’s material to both ease donning and deliver a good fit. Hyperstretch is neoprene that can stretch to 250 percent of its original size. The extras on the Hyperstretch include: Lycra-trimmed cuffs, glues and blind stitched seams and an adjustable collar, all designed to help keep water from sloshing in and out of the suit while diving. DIVER IMPRESSIONS: It’s amazing elasticity makes Hyperstretch the king of comfort. It dons with little effort, which made gearing up easy and fast, once on, there was no Michelin Man sensations or binding at the joints. The big suprise with the Hyperstretch was its warmth. The super-stretch material conforms to every curve (and bulge) of the body, so there’s no room for water transfer. This outstanding fit helps compensate for the lower insulating quality of high-stretch neoprene. While Hyperstretch wasn’t the warmest suit we tried it still handled the 57°F water just fine, and we think many divers would trade a little warmth for such a comfortable fit.