Question Add some Lavacore vs a heated vest (Venture Pro)

[raftingtigger]

This is just my opinion, non leaking suit first, wool base and good undergarments are much more important than a heated vest, I have and sometimes use the vest, the last version of the venture.

the battery placement will affect trim, my batteries weight 3 lbs and sit longways just below my rib cage, adjust as needed.

I prefer to using enough undergarment and lead to dive without using the vest, I personally will mostly feel the cold on my upper shoulders and upper arms, the vest doesn’t help that much but does take the edge off.

undergarments do lose some insulation over time, I would lean toward the halo 3D or the newer AR (?) but that’s just me, when my vest dies I wont replace it.

Non-leaking suit - Check. Diving dry is always a Whack-a-Hole, but I fix every leak - no matter how small - before the next dive. That is why I carry a spare dry suit with me.

Wicking baselayer - Check. I've always used synthetic since I react to wool. Maybe the newer wool won't do that, might be worth a try.

Undergarments losing insulation over time - Check. The 4th Element Arctic 2-piece has less than 20 dives on it. So maybe I need a warmer set (Halo 3D or BZ400), but I'm afraid of needing more ballast.

I just wish I had a test body of cold water close by so I could actually do some experimenting.

 

[lexvil]

Non-leaking suit - Check. Diving dry is always a Whack-a-Hole, but I fix every leak - no matter how small - before the next dive. That is why I carry a spare dry suit with me.

Wicking baselayer - Check. I've always used synthetic since I react to wool. Maybe the newer wool won't do that, might be worth a try.

Undergarments losing insulation over time - Check. The 4th Element Arctic 2-piece has less than 20 dives on it. So maybe I need a warmer set (Halo 3D or BZ400), but I'm afraid of needing more ballast.

I just wish I had a test body of cold water close by so I could actually do some experimenting.

I’m also a fan of waffle fleece as a mid layer, regular synthetic base layers always felt cold to me, merino wool works great and my help as a mid layer with your regular base.

finding cold water is easy my problem is my pool is colder than Monterey, fresh is easy to compensate for. It over 3 hours for me to get to Monterey and it takes close to an hour just getting off the hill.

 

[raftingtigger]

For anyone who is interested in what I've chosen to do:
Bought 2-piece baselayer of Polartec Powerstretch (what Xerotherm is made of) and a Rofos BZ400 undergarment.

If I remember I'll report back on how it works.