Semi Dry suite recomendation
I'm 6'0" / 182cm and around 160lbs / 72kg, and I'm in the market for a semi-dry suit for cold German waters as well as the Mediterranean (a drysuit isn't feasible for me). All the different brands, sizes, seals and approaches are confusing the hell out of me.
I visited an LDS and the guy basically told me that "semi-dry" is just marketing, and that I should focus on getting a really good fit instead. Would you all second this?
I tried a 7mm Waterproof W7 in S, which was too small, and a W7 in ST, where the torso was too long( I could fit a hand between my shoulder and the neoprene sitting on top of it). With a hooded vest underneath it filled the gap and the fit was okay, but still not great as it still feelt squeezing and not comfortable. Seems like I fall right between the two sizes.
I also tried a Bare 7mm that fit perfectly or at least felt nice. Squeezing and tight but not to mutch. Wearing it hasn't bothered me at all. but I'm bothered by the lack of pockets, and I'm not sure whether its small internal flip seals will work as well as the proper double arm and leg seals on the W7.
On top of that, when I checked the Bare and Waterproof product pages, neither suit is even marketed as a semi-dry in the first place.
Am I overthinking this? Should I just buy whatever 7mm suit fits me best? And realistically, how much of a difference do proper arm and leg seals actually make, and how much does a true semi-dry gain over something like the W7/Bare Velocity?