First off - I’m not fatter, it’s just not originally my wetsuit.
I’m 5’-7", and I’ve been using wetsuits to dive as part of gold mining I’m doing in creeks. A friend, who is well over 6 foot, told me the other week he used to dive, no longer wants to do so, and gave me all his gear, including a one-piece wetsuit.
It’s a Large-Tall (label says LT, which makes sense for Large-Tall given how tall he is). Laying it on the floor, from neck to ankles, the suit is 5 feet long. That certainly seems like it would fit me, so I tried getting it on. I struggled to get it on past my heels, and it’s too tight to pull up my legs. It took me 10 minutes to get the damn thing off past my feet. My own gear is snug and hard to get on, but this was insanely tight.
I can’t figure how this was ever his suit. Even the LT tag doesn’t make sense. A brief on-line search about shrinking wetsuits reveals a bunch of “your suit isn’t smaller, you put on weight” jokes, which isn’t my situation.
Would the suit have shrunk over time to the point I can’t get it on?
Calf sizes are really variable and, AIUI, largely inherited. Are your friend’s calves significantly larger than yours?
The neoprene in wetsuits doesn’t shrink, per se. It can dry out, though, which makes them stiffer and less elastic. Most triathletes soak their wetsuits prior to donning them for a new season.
Wetsuits have a tight foam of neoprene encapsulating many tiny air bubbles. With each scuba dive those bubbles compress under added pressure of the water at depth and expand as the diver surfaces. Over many dives the neoprene springs back a little less eventually making the suit less thick and easier to put on but offering less insulation to the user.
You may need to lubricate the suit before trying to put it on. Water is enough of a lubricant for many, but some divers have been known to use other options, with brands in the market such as Suit Juice and Shark Snot… some divers even use Pam cooking spray.
I’d recommend staying away from petroleum based lubricants and plant oil based lubricants might not smell so nice after stewing away in a hot dive locker between dive days.
It’s the first step in the setup of an elaborate practical joke. First he gives you the wetsuit he never wore because it was way too small for him, next he’ll sneak into your house while you’re away and replace all your possessions with lookalikes that are 10% smaller. The payoff comes when you go to buy a bigger car to accommodate your larger size, and he confronts you at the dealership with a giant “gotcha” banner.