I had a Phantom and found I just couldn't get in and out of it reasonably. At the time I had a chronic shoulder problem (since cured by a fabulous massage therapist) that had been going on for years and it was too painful, fighting my way in and out of the suit, so I sold it. But one of the things I did that made it easier, was this:
Go to the sewing store and buy a spool of sew in velcro. Cut it into 3" strips. Stick a strip every 6" along the leg velcro of the suit. Now it's only sticky in 3" sections, and the rest is disabled. No sweing, completely reversible, makes it much easier to manage the legs, and didn't seem to hurt the waterproofing any. I figured that as the suit aged, the velcro sections I was using would become less sticky, and someday I would either move those strips or remove them altogether. I didn't end up keeping the suit that long, but it was definitely effective. And even after giving up on the suit, I went on to buy an AST because I was impressed by the rest of the feature set.
And I *am* that hippy. Even women's sizes are a problem, and men's sizes are worse. The reason to choose the one-piece suit compromise is that when the men's sized trousers are part of a one-piece, then the gigantic waist is easier to live with, and at least in men's you can get more length. The Phantom fit me better than the heavily customized Roadcrafter it replaced. It was just getting in and out of it that made it a failed experiment for me.
I've been considering ordering that Teiz women's one-piece that is full custom, but you're getting back to Aerostich prices there, for something that's not even made in USA.
Go to the sewing store and buy a spool of sew in velcro. Cut it into 3" strips. Stick a strip every 6" along the leg velcro of the suit. Now it's only sticky in 3" sections, and the rest is disabled. No sweing, completely reversible, makes it much easier to manage the legs, and didn't seem to hurt the waterproofing any. I figured that as the suit aged, the velcro sections I was using would become less sticky, and someday I would either move those strips or remove them altogether. I didn't end up keeping the suit that long, but it was definitely effective. And even after giving up on the suit, I went on to buy an AST because I was impressed by the rest of the feature set.
And I *am* that hippy. Even women's sizes are a problem, and men's sizes are worse. The reason to choose the one-piece suit compromise is that when the men's sized trousers are part of a one-piece, then the gigantic waist is easier to live with, and at least in men's you can get more length. The Phantom fit me better than the heavily customized Roadcrafter it replaced. It was just getting in and out of it that made it a failed experiment for me.
I've been considering ordering that Teiz women's one-piece that is full custom, but you're getting back to Aerostich prices there, for something that's not even made in USA.
