Pinnacle Black Ice questions

[ballfrog]

I own both a back zip and front diagonal zip.  

The back zip is *much* easier to get into and out of regarding my shoulders, expecially when I have my heavy underwear on.  The front zip is much easier to zip and unzip by myself, but I have to channel Houdini to get it on and off my shoulders.

I'm a short, fat guy, so the stock suits don't fit all that well, but I'm also quite cheap so I didn't spring for a custom suit.

The back zip, a Whites Nexus nylon shell, fits fairly well in the upper body, but if I have heavy underwear on it's like squeezing a golf ball through a garden hose to get my calves through the lower legs.  If you're going to go stock, make sure you try the heaviest underwear you'll wear with the suit.  I use the rock boots with that suit, but they are a pain to get on and laced.  I prefer the ease of just stuffing my feet with their merino wool socks on into the attached boots on my front zip tri-lam.

Weezle undergarments (Weezle Wear is what they call their street clothes) come in three weights.  My opinion is that the heaviest weight looks like overkill for all but ice diving.  Too much insulation results in heavy persperation and soggy undergarments, plus, you have to compensate for the extra bouyancy with additional weight.