Let's talk bee suits.

[prakel]

Welcome to the Forum Roland, nowt wrong with "lurking", to use forum parlance, but always nice to see a new face.

Thanks for the welcome.

My first suit from Maisemore I've ended up hating, aside from the holes in the mesh, the fencing "supports" also quickly deformed after a few goes in the washing machine making it very difficult to keep the veil off my face.

Funnily enough, one of the best 'veils' which I ever owned came from Maisemore about twenty years ago. It was a bright orange smock with an attatched wire veil and integral hat, in the end I lost it in a move and have not seen another like it on the market. I agree that it does make sense to keep a smock or even a hat and veil handy for those 'light' five minute jobs -as well as for when you drive off to an out apiary wearing your all in one BBwear suit and then realize that you've left the hood on the kitchen table....

Roland

[prakel]

Funnily enough, one of the best 'veils' which I ever owned came from Maisemore about twenty years ago. It was a bright orange smock with an attatched wire veil and integral hat, in the end I lost it in a move and have not seen another like it on the market.

OK, so I'm repeating myself now...

But there is a reason for doing so, in one of those strange coincidences which sometimes happen I've actually stumbled on the very jacket although it no longer appears to be available in the snazzy orange which I liked so much.

Product #4031 at:

http://www.holtermann-shop.de/index.php/cPath/57_172

To me, the real selling point of this jacket is the fact that it has a wire veil and the integral hat (Dadants all in one requires that you use a seperate hard-hat; I think they're missing a trick there).

[gavin]

And the prices are attractive too. I like the round wire hat that keeps the veil off the face, but as I've been finding out lately (having organised some beginner visits and decided to provide them with freshly laundered suits) they don't sit as comfortably in a washing machine.

[Rosie]

I have about a dozen or more suits from various suppliers as I need to lend them out to the beginners on my beekeeping courses. I think BBwear take some beating although there are plenty of cheaper ones that are more than adequate. However, at the BBKA spring convention I invested in a ventilated jacket supplied by Maisemore. When I got it home I realised that it was grubby around the cuffs and had 2 small holes in the veil but notwithstanding that I have tried it a couple of times and it seems to be performing well, apart from being surprisingly heavy considering it's mostly holes. I am waiting for global warming to kick in now to see if it's any cooler than a standard suit.

In the old days, before global cooling arrived, I used to wear silk longjohns and vest under my BBwear all-in-one but for the last 3 or 4 years it's been woolly jumpers.

Rosie

[Jon]

In the old days, before global cooling arrived, I used to wear silk longjohns and vest under my BBwear all-in-one

Too much information!

[The Drone Ranger]

http://www.bbwear.co.uk/acatalog/Suits.html
Try the BBwear jacket they will make longer arms and body adjustments to size for no extra money.
Clive (every which way but loose) swears by them