by dtc » Wed Oct 03, 2012 11:33 am
Most manufacturers make 'MT' (medium tall), although you have probably looked at the websites showing the measurments for these.
Some of the higher end wet suits nowdays are very flexible, and the website measurments are the maximum sizes the suits can stretch to; but they will also fit people 2-4 inches narrower/shorter/thinner than the website measurements. So it might be worthwhile trying on a few suits, if you can - its not necessarily a total loss even if the suit doesnt appear to fit based on the website figures. That said, as others have mentioned, once you are into these upper end suits, the price difference between them and a custom is not that much. By upper end I mean suits like the e-bomb, x-zip2 etc etc.
Keep in mind that each maker has slightly different cut and fit. Your best bet is to hit a large store, line up 5 or so suits and try them all on. Its an exhausting process (I had to try on 7 to find one that fit me).
Finally, the front zip suits have many advantages; one being that they dont flush as easily as back zips, and so can work a bit better even if they dont fit as well as you like.