Bare Reactive 7mm - Review 2023

Review

The Bare Reactive 7mm wetsuit has an intuitive design that makes it comfortable, durable and easy to put on and take off. The innovative infrared technology featured in this wetsuit provided excellent heat retention and helps divers stay warm for longer on their dives.

It increases the diver’s buoyancy and should be taken into account when putting the weights into your BCD or belt. But that buoyancy is balanced and easy to get accustomed to.

The Reactive is equipped with good zippers at the front and back torso. After lubricating the rails, these zippers both are easy to open and close yet remained fastened under pressure.

The long seals on the arms and legs with the latex gaskets ensures heat retention and is worth the higher price tag if you are a diver who suffers from getting cold too quickly or are looking to spend more time at depth–with Nitrox, for example.

Additionally, with the three different color options, red, blue or black, the Bare Reactive 7mm wetsuit is sure to match your BCD and fins, if that’s your thing.

Features

Even though it’s all about the zippers and fabric, we found the secure straps well designed and useful for attaching a dive watch or torch. One on each wrist with a low profile too.

The Bare Reactive 7mm is a Nylon -2 Neoprene wetsuit with rear entry is designed for recreational diving in cold water and dives at extended depth. That usually means: difficult to get in and out. But the zippers try to dispel this tradition.

Although Bare wetsuits don’t usually have zippers, the Bare Reactive uses a few.

At the ankles there are small zippers designed to make the wetsuit fit closely to the body. These small added zippers also make it easier to get in and out of the wetsuit. The zipper liners have neoprene for added comfort and flexibility, and to prevent any rubbing against the skin.

There is a small zipper at the front of the collar of the wetsuit for extra movement and comfort. The velcro adjustment at the back of the collar–the “suit saver”–features a booklet-style cover protecting the collar edges from fraying.

The knees are reinforced using Armor Flex 2.0, a flexible PVC-infused fabric for added protection and resistance to wear. The elbows are not similarly lined, however. We’d like to have seen this too.

The crotch area is double lined for added durability of the materials. For men, that also leaves space for organs.

The Bare Reactive 7mm wetsuit also comes in a wide variety of sizes including short and longer length ensuring the right fit for all body types.

Seals

The Bare Reactive 7mm wetsuit features long latex gasket seams that are crafted to be easily pulled over your skin. Single lined with a smooth-skin material, all the seals on the Bare Reactive are durable, comfortable and guaranteed to help the suit keep you warm on dives. The seams are not stitched, but rather glued together, and covered with a waterproof tape. This means that water does not come into the suit through the seams.

The use of the No-Stitch Technology is often used in the construction of dry suits. This is the first wetsuit to use this No-Stitch seam construction. This ensures the diver stays warm with no water entering through the seams. The No-Stitch Technology also increases the stretch and comfort of the wetsuit.

The No-Stitch Technology is strong and durable, however, after some time the protective taping layer can fray and look damaged. This is purely aesthetics as the seams still hold strong. Altogether the seams ensure maximum warmth and comfort.

The Bare Reactive 7mm has some of the latest advancements in sealing technology. Including double cuffs, skin to skin seals on the wrist and collar cuffs. The skin-to-skin neoprene is also used for all the zippers to reduce chafing and increase comfort.

Materials

The Bare Reactive 7mm uses innovative ultra warm Graphene infrared technology that converts your body heat into infrared energy. This energy reflects back into your body to help increase heat retention. Bare has conducted medical studies that prove this claim and that have shown improvement in the body’s circulation, leading to higher blood oxygen levels when diving.

The Graphene Infrared technology combined with the Elastek Full-Stretch neoprene ensures that the Bare Reactive 7mm is ultra-stretchy and warm. The stretch of the neoprene makes it figure fitting yet allows divers plenty of movement when diving. This close fit also increases the warmth provided by the wetsuit.

The shape of the wetsuit and stretch make it great for most body shapes. The Bare Reactive 7mm is also tailored with ‘short’ and ‘long’ length wetsuit models available with all sizes from S to 4XL.

The Bare Reactive 7mm also uses No-Stitch Technology for all the seams. This innovative use of dry suit seams on a wetsuit increases the warmth of the wetsuit. It also ensures the seams are durable and chafe-less. Altogether the Bare Reactive 7mm uses high quality, innovative technology to construct a durable, warm and comfortable wetsuit.

The zippers are all robust and work really well. There are both YKK zippers and PK zippers.

PK zippers are made by Paskal, a company that’s actually been around for a while, producing mainly commercial solutions.

Accessories

The Bare Reactive 7mm wetsuit is designed for recreational diving and is made to be streamlined and comfortable. As most divers have a lot of gear whilst diving, the Bare Reactive 7mm has very few added accessories. The Bare Reactive 7mm does not have a hood, boots or gloves. Bare sells these items separately so that divers can customize their suit according to dives and water temperatures.

Some of the notable features included in this Bare wetsuit model is the addition of zippers. Bare do not tend to use zippers, however, the Bare Reactive has small zippers at the ankle cuffs as well as a small chest zipper. The ankle zippers provide extra tightness whilst also making it more comfortable to remove and put on the wetsuit. The small zipper at the front comes from the collar and allows divers to adjust and loosen the collar whilst diving. It can also help the diver to cool down if needed, or in warmer water temperatures.

Price/ Quality Ratio

Bare is a premium brand and they use the latest technology in all of their products. Their products are innovative and constructed with high quality. For this reason they’re also sold at higher prices than other brands on the market.

Using some of the most innovative materials including the Graphene Infrared Technology as a wetsuit lining with Elastek Full-Stretch Neoprene this wetsuit is guaranteed to keep you warm and comfortable on your dives.

A premium 7mm suit, if you are looking for a cold water wetsuit, this one is definitely worth the higher price point.

Do we recommend it?

Yes, we definitely recommend the Bare Reactive for scuba divers of all levels. The innovative Graphene Omnired infrared technology helps the wetsuit keep you warmer for longer when diving. That said, if you are diving 50ºF or warmer, consider whether a 5 or 3 millimeter suit is better, because it retains body heat so efficiently.