Bare 7/5mm Ultrawarmth Omnired Dry Hood

As a general rule, thicker neoprene insulates more, so colder water pushes you toward thicker accessories, but fit, dive length, and personal cold tolerance matter as much as the millimeter number. Divers commonly lose a great deal of heat through the head, so a hood is often the highest-value warmth upgrade for the money. Remember that every added piece of neoprene also adds buoyancy you will need to account for.

Boots should fit like a snug athletic shoe, with no heel lift and no crushed toes; a little water inside is normal, a sloshing pocket is not. Try them on with the socks you would actually dive, and remember your fin foot pocket has to accommodate the boot. Hard-sole boots protect on rocky shore entries, while soft-sole boots are lighter and pack smaller for boat and travel diving.

Gloves should be snug across the palm with fingertips reaching the ends without bunching, since trapped air and loose fingertips destroy dexterity. Thicker gloves are warmer but make buckles, clips, and inflator buttons harder to operate, so choose the thinnest glove that keeps you comfortable in your conditions. Try working a clip or buckle while wearing them before you commit.

A hood should seal around the face and neck without restricting your throat or jaw, and lie flat on your head without pulling the mask strap out of position. A loose hood flushes cold water continuously, while an overly tight one is distracting and uncomfortable. Many hoods have a vent to release air trapped during descent, so check yours and burp out any trapped air before you go down.

New neoprene compresses and relaxes with use, so a boot, glove, or hood that feels firm out of the packaging usually settles slightly after a few dives. It should still be snug afterward rather than loose, because neoprene that stretches into a loose fit was probably oversized to begin with. Buy for a snug fit when new, but never for a fit that restricts circulation or breathing.

Yes, because every piece of neoprene you add is buoyancy, and a hood, boots, and thick gloves together can shift your weighting noticeably. Do a proper buoyancy check any time you change your exposure protection rather than assuming your usual weight still works. The weight-check procedure is covered in your training, and a dive professional can help you re-do it.

Rinse them inside and out in fresh water after every dive day, since they hold sweat and salt more than any other gear, and dry them fully inside-out before packing. Dry them out of direct sunlight and never on a heater, because heat hardens neoprene and weakens glued seams. Store them dry and unfolded, as damp neoprene sealed in a bag is how gear picks up a permanent smell.

The neck seal is designed to mate with the BARE drysuit collar, so the best sealing performance comes with a BARE drysuit or a compatible collar or neck seal. The mating seal feature is built around the BARE drysuit collar interface, so sealing performance depends on a compatible collar. Call us if you want to confirm your suit's collar.

OMNIRED is a lining technology that embeds 13 thermo-reactive minerals in the fabric. Those minerals convert your own body heat into infrared energy to increase circulation and body warmth. BARE states the technology is scientifically proven and FDA-determined to conserve body heat and accelerate thermal recovery, which is why it is paired here with a high-loft inner fabric for cold water diving.

Yes. The face and neck areas use trimmable ELASTEK / Glideskin-in material, so you can fine tune the opening after you confirm the overall size fits. Trim conservatively and in small increments, since material cannot be added back. BARE's size run spans forehead measurements of 21 to 24.5 inches and neck measurements of 13 to 18 inches across XS to 2XL.

The GEN2 vent lets air trapped inside the hood escape while preventing water from entering. Trapped air under a hood can lift the hood off your head, change your buoyancy and muffle hearing, so venting it on descent keeps the hood sitting flat against your head and the face and neck seals in contact with your skin.