Where is the best place to order neoprene from?

[Raayvhen]

You'll be fine with 1.5 mm. It just won't be as buoyant.

[mermaidsammi]

I got. My neoprene from my local frabric land for 20$

[Raayvhen]

That really doesn't sound right, are you sure it isn't neoprin?

[Mermaid Menanna]

I just talked to a guy named Ryan at Macro International. They are a neoprene wholesale company. They can accommodate us mers with smaller orders (instead of the bulk orders they typically handle) and their prices are great! They don't have as wide of a variety of colors as some of the other, more expensive retail places, but here's what he quoted me today. 1 sheet, 49" x 89" (with the typical +/- 5% that all of the others also quote), nylon lined on both sides, 1.5mm, is $36.96. You would have to call to find out what they have available at a given time, since they are actually a wholesaler and can only accommodate the smaller quantities with what they have current in stock, but tell him you're a mer and what you need it for. He was a huge help to me. He said this is high quality, closed cell foam neoprene and they sell to most of the major quality wetsuit manufacturers. I will be ordering mine this week, just need to double check my measurements to make sure I'm getting enough. (I am plus size and want a larger fluke, so thinking 3 sheets) I have been all over the internet and couldn't beat this price anywhere.

Just a word of warning... call before you order from most places (unless you're getting the info here from someone who already has ordered) to make sure it is wetsuit quality and waterproof. There is apparently a new fad for neoprene clothing that is NOT designed to wear as wetsuit/underwater wear. I almost made that mistake and could have wasted $100+ on fabric that would have turned out to be useless. When you call just ask if it's designed for making wetsuits.

http://www.macrointlco.com/

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

Getting ready to order some 2mm neoprene from Foamorder and I think I can get away with the "half neoprene sheets" since I'm not doing the fluke. Does it need to be nylon on both sides? But it looks like the price would only come out to around $50? Maybe I am miscalculating how much I need, based on everyone else's amounts and prices they paid?

[Mermaid Whisper]

The post regarding JoAnn’s was over 5 years ago.

I typically get 3 yards of fabric for my tails because I have a competitor and I’m a bit bigger. Average mers could probably just do 2 yards, but you want to make sure it’s as wide as possible (50”+) to get the most out of it.


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[Mermaid Clara]

I bought my neoprene from Mood Fabrics it comes in many colors and I ordered 4 yards because my fluke at the time was huge but I think that if you have a smaller fin you could get away with 3 yards but I used 2 yards for my leg portion and 2 yards for the fluke part and used scraps to piece together a top. It's important to measure twice and cut/sew once because once you sew it multiple times the neoprene isn't as strong as the first time, because there are tons of needle holes that can tear a apart if you don't adhere the holes together with neoprene cement. Which is why I scraped my neoprene tail.


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[Talvikko]

For European mers, there's a Finnish company called Shelby Outdoor that sells neoprene of various thicknesses and colours as well as the supplies required to work with it.

www.shelbyoutdoor.com