Humble Bee 430 Ventilated Beekeeping Suit with Round Veil (Open Box)

I've just started beekeeping, and following my mentor's directions, one of my first acquisitions was this beekeeping suit. There are a lot of suits to choose from, so I did a lot of research before I picked this one. There were many reasons I settled on this, including that it comes at a reasonable price. I like the attention to detail in manufacturing -- for example, the brass zippers (as opposed to nylon, which can come apart). We live in Arizona which can get very hot in the summer, so I like that the suit has high quality ventilated patches. It is also reasonably lightweight, without sacrificing protection. I got the full-size square "hat" veil instead of the fencing-veil style, because I want the 360-degree view, and the way the mesh stays away from my face. I like the built in loops on the legs and sleeves so I can hook them around boots and thumbs, to keep the suit fully deployed. I followed directions, and for my size (5'10" tall and 190 lbs), I got the large. However, when it arrived and I tried it on (over long pants and shirt), I found it too tight to get on comfortably. I returned it and ordered the XL, which fits nicely, with room for clothes underneath. I recommend to the manufacturer that they call this suit the "L", and make new sizes in XL, XXL, and even XXXL, for North American men. One issue I had with the hat/veil is that the shape is made by the mesh itself, which is stiff. In storage and shipping, this mesh had gotten bent, so I straightened it out as best I could, but it still touched my ears and was kind of floppy. The hat is soft, and thick enough cloth, to protect the top of your head, but the cloth that connects the cap portion to the veil is thin cloth without any support. I didn't like this, so I cut a piece of cardboard to stiffen up the cap. For your info, to fit the shape, it should be 11-inches square. You can round the corners for an easier fit. I measured each way to center (5.5 inches in from the edges), and using that, I made a circle 7 inches round and cut it out with a razor knife, so my head could fit through the cap. I had to cut out an extra half-inch front and back so the final shape was oval. Once I'd fitted this into the hat/veil and knew it would both accommodate my head, and hold the veil in place (away from my tender skin), I glued it in. Actually, I didn't use glue in case I need to change the cardboard stiffener in future, so I used duct tape to make loops of tape (sticky side out), and set them on the cardboard in several spots, then pushed the cardboard into place so the "loops" secured the cardboard to the cloth. The end result is a veil that won't let the bee stingers anywhere near my ears or other parts of my head. I recommend to the makers that they consider using some kind of stiff interface on future versions of the suit to deal with this issue permanently. I like that the veil zips on, with a double-ended zipper, so if you want, you can half-unzip it from each side, and let the hat/veil hang on your back when it's not needed. When the zipper is full closed, there's a flap of cloth with velcro, to totally seal the bees out. I've now tested my Humble Bee suit while working my hive on several occasions. Unfortunately, a few of the girls have tried to defend their colony, but the stings don't reach me, thanks to my Humble Bee suit. By the way, I always wear boots with the suit, not running shoes, say, which could allow a bee to crawl through the laces and up your leg. The suit's legs have zippers, and are elasticized, so I get a good fit around each ankle of my boots. I coupled this suit with these beekeeping gloves, which have elasticized arm closures, and leather gloves on the end NATURAL APIARY® BEEKEEPING GLOVES - GOATSKIN - STING PROOF CUFFS - EXTRA LARGE - Soft & Durable Leather - Long Thick Sleeves. I'm very confident working with my girls, knowing I'm fully protected in my Humble Bee suit. It comes in a cloth zippered bag to store it when not in use. However, due to the issue with the shape of the veil, I hang that part to keep its shape. Recommended!