2 wetsuits at once??

[MisterPG]

An alternate title to this thread could be... Cold Water Diving - Ghetto-Style...

So, I'll be doing my first ever cold water diving pretty soon, and I don't want to invest in a drysuit until I have the opportunity to try on (quite) a few first; unfortunately, I'll have to wait until I get to a larger metro area to do that.

Until then... I have 2 summer-weight wetsuits... a long and a shorty. They're about 2-3mil each. I'm pretty sure I can get both on without too much difficulty or discomfort. Other than possibly having to add a little more weight to compensate for the added buoyancy, does anyone see any reason I can't or (more importantly) shouldn't try this out in the local lakes?

~m

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I have done it. I found the double suits were more restrictive and less warm than a good 7mm suit, but its better than not diving. What kinds of water temps are you expecting?

 

[cloudflint]

I used to dive with two 3 mm suits layered up, it used to work pretty good. I also used to put rubber bands around my ankles and cuffs to stop the water circulating

 

[g1138]

It's better than nothing. Make sure your circulation isn't cut off, your neck isn't being constricted, and you still have a good full range of motion.
Monitor yourself in the water as always. If you feel cold or start to shiver, then it's time to call it a day.

Electrical tape around the wrist and above the ankles will keep the water from flowing and it'll come off without tearing your suit.
Keep the tape off your neck though.

If you need a 7mm then I'll assume it's cold enough to require booties, gloves, and a hood.

 

[freewillie]

How about renting a thicker wetsuit from local dive shop? You'll get better fit than two wetsuits without investing $$$ in something you may only use few times. My local LDS also rents a hood as part of the wetsuit rental.

 

[Seraphimx]

Well over here in QC we use two 7mm, one Jumpsuit 7mm + one Shortie with hood 7mm.
Torso 14mm + Arms&Legs 7mm

I guess water temps are warmer in BC then here.
If they sell combo suits, I think you should fit in, just make sure one of the wet is slightly larger than the other, so you dont have a sqeeze on the forearms and legs.

There's also semi dry, I've always been curious about those, do they work well?
They are also quite cheap 400$-500$ range
Mares Isotherm Semidry Suit discounts on sale Mares

 

[Shasta_man]

One reason: you'll be cold as hell. Big diff between 7mm on your legs and 3mm on your legs. It's not just your core that you need to keep warm. And you need gloves and booties to make a complete circuit of water within the suit.

A better idea is a cheap 7 mil suit until drysuit. You could rent as suggested. Whether to buy is based on how often you will dive.

 

[MrsBBC]

It depends on how cold the water is, but for 'cold' water diving, I would say that 2-3mm is not adequate for the legs and arms, 5-6mm is not adequate for the torso.

Then again, some instructors will let you dive in anything when you are hiring from them, it's all they have and you don't know any better.
Aged 15 I was put in a mens medium 7mm with the legs and arms rolled up, to dive from Portland, UK.
The following December I have no idea what I was wearing, but the first dive I did not have a hood or gloves and was hypothermic after the second dive.

Issues with weighting and manoeuvrability aside
I don't think you will be warm enough.
Follow other people's advice, hire or borrow an exposure suit that is appropriate.
It is better to spend money upfront to ensure that you are warm and safe, than to prematurely terminate the dive because you are cold

... and definitely wear a hood and gloves

Nic

 

[aquaregia]

I don't think that'll be sufficient. I dive 7mm arms/legs and 10mm core in California, and I'm still cold. Most of my friends use 7/12, 7/14 or even 10/20.

The danger with two wetsuits, of reasonable thickness, is that you can easily overheat while putting on the second one.

 

[SubMariner]

An alternate title to this thread could be... Cold Water Diving - Ghetto-Style...

So, I'll be doing my first ever cold water diving pretty soon, and I don't want to invest in a drysuit until I have the opportunity to try on (quite) a few first; unfortunately, I'll have to wait until I get to a larger metro area to do that.

Until then... I have 2 summer-weight wetsuits... a long and a shorty. They're about 2-3mil each. I'm pretty sure I can get both on without too much difficulty or discomfort. Other than possibly having to add a little more weight to compensate for the added buoyancy, does anyone see any reason I can't or (more importantly) shouldn't try this out in the local lakes?

~m

3mm won't be enough exposure protection for your extremities in cold water. The minimum thickness in cold water is usually 5mm, with more on the core.

As for drysuits, unless you are getting a serious cold water suit of 5mm neoprene, you'll be getting a shell suit where the amount of undies you put on beneath the suit determines how toasty you will be.

It really shouldn't take too long to determine which drysuit you want: put a list together of your requirements, then go from there. You should be able to come up with a short list fairly quickly.

Bonne chance,