Review on the Beuchat Mudial Competition Wetsuit 12.10.2011
Introduction
Wetsuits are not the easiest thing to give a review on as much as I can
describe the the suit itself, I cannot give an indicator if it will fit
you or not.
Sizes and fitment.
The comp suit comes in all the regular sizes which I must add is a different
kind of fit than the equipe and the reversible. Another thing to note
here is the Beuchat sizing is larger than the Omer. For example a size
three Beuchat is bigger than a size three Omer suit.
Again I have to mention that what follows is my experience with this wetsuit
and everyone has a different body shape and size. The Comp is a suit is
preformed to closely follow the contours of the human body shape. And
in my case it does this very well. With that said I find a size 4 is too
big and the size three although fits me well enough, is a little on the
small side and I wish they made a size between the 3 and the 4.The comp
isn't the softest suit out there but I did not find this to be a problem
as the fitment was good and I think the slightly firmer neoprene contributes
to the durability.
Thickness
For a while they were making the blue suit in 3mm but I think that has
finished and now they are made as either a two piece 5mm suit and a 5mm
long john with a 7mm top for both the Camo and Comp.
Note
Beuchat make a 3mm vest that can be worn over the long johns which does
make a noticeable difference. The only real drawback of this is if your
are not careful taking off your suit top, it comes off at the same time
which makes it a bit harder and is quite inconvenient.
Colours
Although the first generation of this suit came out with a silver lining,
they done away with that after a year which I thought was a good thing
as it seem to make the suit slightly less flexible and I didn't think
the silver contributed to the warmth. But it did do one thing, It allowed
the suit to be donned without soap when it was knew but as the suit aged
this layer would wear thin and not work as well.
Although I cannot tell what model is available in different countries,
I do know that they make this suit in two colours. The blue Camo and the
black Comp.
Durability
Now it's not often that a person doing a review on a product can make
firm comments about the durability of a product, but in this case I can
say I have used these suits for a long time and can say confidently that
these suits last. When these suits first arrived on the market there were
concerns that they had to many panels and that they might start to develop
holes in the joins and stitching. Eventually they will compress over time
and in my case it was after three years. The larger panels have only compressed
mildly but in the neck crotch and arm pits have thin down quite a bit.
Features
One of the things that Beuchat are emphasizing is the contours of this
suit which is one of the bigger reasons one would choose this suit. The
cuffs have been attached in such a manner to maximize stretch with the
sewing done in a wave form so that when the suit stretches it does not
pull at the stitching. The soft stretchy cuffs to help seal the water
in, supratex in the high abrasion areas for durability. One feature that
I would of liked is the inclusion of a knife pocket which I feel is the
best way to carry a knife.
Loading Pad
Although this suit does have a loading pad I would have to say that one
of the drawbacks of this suit is the loading pad is the same thickness
as the rest of the suit, and when loading a speargun with 18mm rubber
bands I find I will have a bruise on my chest at the end of the day. I
think an extra layer of 5mm neoprene as a loading pad would have been
better that putting supratex in this area.
Conclusion
Despite the thin loading pad and no knife pocket which admittedly only
a few manufaturers do, this is still a well thought out suit. The multiple
panels on this suit it holds together well and the durability of this
suit is great. From my days when I used to sell dive gear I found this
suit of the Beuchat Competition suit was the one that fitted the largest
variety of freedivers.
Pros
Good fitment
Good durability
Cons
No knife pocket
Big difference between sizes
Thin loading pad
