Neoprene Pockets by
Terrapin Wet Suits
Pockets can be added to your wetsuit anywhere they don't interfere with
zippers, kneepads, or double layers (such as semi-dry suit seals).
Pockets can be made in either our standard sizes or a custom size and
shape you specify, with or without a covering flap.
Pockets are usually made from 2.0 mm thickness neoprene, to provide
plenty of stretch. They are attached to the wetsuit with glue and
stitching, but do not have a stiff back, so don't impede the stretch of
the underlying suit. Pockets larger than 6" tall will have grommet
drain holes. Other thickness materials and extra interior
fasteners can be included on request.
Terrapin's Stretchy Tech Pocket set includes one flat
flapped pocket and one bellows flapped pocket. While there are
several schools of thought about the optimum pocket placement, there is
no published "standard" that I am aware of, so unless otherwise
specified, one bellows pocket is placed on the left leg and one flat
flapped pocket on the right leg. These are placed on the front of the thighs, with the top of
the pocket opening at the level of the crotch. The reasons for
this include:
- Tech divers and cave divers often dive with side-mount tanks, so
if the pockets were on the side, they would be under the tanks and
not as accessible.
- Some people believe front placement is the most "streamlined"
location for going through small spaces, and the most streamlined
for minimizing your "hole in the water" as you swim. Since the
pockets stick out 1.5" and your knees travel more than that as you
kick, the front placement doesn't contribute to the height of
your "hole in the water" (but would add 3" more to the width
of the hole if a bellows pocket is placed on each side).
- Since the bellows pocket flap sits approximately 1" above the
top of the pocket, it lies on the front pelvic area in the front
(default
placement) location. The front pelvic area is flatter than the side hip, so
if the pockets were moved to the side, the flap would be wrapping
around the curve of your hip. This would make it slightly harder to
lift the flap off the velcro, and also put more strain on the outer
ends of the flap as you try to lift it with one hand.
- Finally, from a purely aesthetic view... very few of us want
anything on our hips or thighs that makes us look any wider than we
already are!
However, you may want to have your pockets placed at a different
location, and that's just fine, too! Some reasons to move the
pockets to the side might include:
- Placing the pockets on the side
raises them several inches (depending on how wide you are) when
you're swimming in a horizontal attitude. Anything in those
pockets is then several inches higher above the silt if you're diving
near the bottom, so less likely to get caught or drag bottom.
- Placing the pockets on the side
allows them to also be placed higher on your body (nearer your
waistline), since there is no need to put them below the flex point
of the leg at the crotch (as there would be if the pocket is in
front). This may allow the diver to reach the contents of the
pocket more easily, depending on the length of his/her arms and
torso.
To show where you want YOUR pocket attached, please print out the
template (below) for the pocket you select (either flat flapped or
bellows flapped). Be sure the scale of the template matches the
dimensions written on the drawings (you may have to adjust your printer
properties to get them full-sized). Put on your suit and pin
the template to the suit with safety pins at the location you want the
pocket. If you want a pocket of a different size or shape, you can
cut that out of paper and pin it in place, too.
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Click here to download template at
approx. 1:1 scale |
Click here to download template at
approx.1:1 scale |
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Alterations page
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