Advice for undersuit

[luka27]

OP: Just a thought, but have you tried on your drysuit with some clothes that approximate thickest undergarments to ensure that you have adequate range of motion/comfort?

Haven't tried but the drysuit is a little bit bigger than it should be so I don't think there will be problems regarding that.

 

[luka27]

I use a 4th element arctic plus normal boxers for temperatures in the teens Celsius, and it’s fine up to about 80 minutes or so. Tried the same setup ice diving ant it was cold.

well that are the temps I will be diving in (10-25 celsius) also the drysuit itself is neoprene so I think it should be good. Don't think that I will be able to ice dive in Croatia anytime soon

 

[BabyLitigator]

well that are the temps I will be diving in (10-25 celsius) also the drysuit itself is neoprene so I think it should be good. Don't think that I will be able to ice dive in Croatia anytime soon

You’d be surprised. There are mountains.

Other thing is each undergarment setup affects buoyancy. Depending on how often you plan to dive you may want to limit the variance.

 

[luka27]

You’d be surprised. There are mountains.

Other thing is each undergarment setup affects buoyancy. Depending on how often you plan to dive you may want to limit the variance.

yeah forgot about mountains haha. Thanks for the advice, I'll sure keep an eye on that!

 

[MntryDvr]

I've experimented a good deal with underlayers when diving dry, and have occasionally been surprised with what worked out nicely; for quite a while I wouldn't consider diving without my cable knit button up wool vest, clearly not designed for undersurface use! Lesson: whatever works, works. And don't skimp on getting a good, thick hood.

 

[grf88]

Merino base layer with 4th. Element Arctic for my cold water diving. Ragg wool glove liners and Alpaca wool socks.

 

[luka27]

So at the end I have bought Bare BS Polar Stretch Midlayer. What base layer do you suggest for it? To remind you I'm diving in neoprene drysuit in temps from 10C to higher.

 

[landphil]

I dive my Arctic in a trilam suit down to 10c with a thin merino base layer pretty comfortably. That Bare mid layer will probably take you down to 15 in a trilam; and maybe 10 in a neoprene suit. And 25c is likely too warm for both of them- although, I’d have switched to a wetsuit by 20c; so, I might not be the best resource for max drysuit temperatures

 

[stuartv]

11C is not really all that cold. With a neoprene drysuit, you shouldn't need all that much.

But, it really depends on how long the dives are that you will be doing, which you did not say.

For a base layer, I do not use or recommend Merino. I recommend Merino for a mid layer.

For a base layer, I recommend the Seaskin Tech Base shirt and leggings, or the Fourth Element J2 base layer.

I have been using the Seaskin for years and it works very well for wicking moisture away from your skin so that you stay feeling dry. It is also very inexpensive (relatively speaking).

I just got a 4E J2 base layer set. Only 1 dive on it so far, but it also seems to work very well for wicking. I partly flooded my suit at the start of my dive yesterday. Didn't have the zipper that last little bit shut. I proceeded to dive anyway and ended up feeling warm and dry the whole dive. The water was 12C or so.

For mid layers, I have or have had:

4E Arctic shirt and leggings
Seaskin 150 and 250 undersuits
Waterproof MeshTech 3D shirt and leggings
4E Halo AR suit

It is hard to say as I have not dived them all directly back to back. But, I feel pretty confident in saying that the Halo AR suit is the best of the lot. Very warm, and also very low bulk. And it will absorb a decent amount of water and still keep you feeling dry and warm.

 

[luka27]

11C is not really all that cold. With a neoprene drysuit, you shouldn't need all that much.

But, it really depends on how long the dives are that you will be doing, which you did not say.

For a base layer, I do not use or recommend Merino. I recommend Merino for a mid layer.

For a base layer, I recommend the Seaskin Tech Base shirt and leggings, or the Fourth Element J2 base layer.

I have been using the Seaskin for years and it works very well for wicking moisture away from your skin so that you stay feeling dry. It is also very inexpensive (relatively speaking).

I just got a 4E J2 base layer set. Only 1 dive on it so far, but it also seems to work very well for wicking. I partly flooded my suit at the start of my dive yesterday. Didn't have the zipper that last little bit shut. I proceeded to dive anyway and ended up feeling warm and dry the whole dive. The water was 12C or so.

For mid layers, I have or have had:

4E Arctic shirt and leggings
Seaskin 150 and 250 undersuits
Waterproof MeshTech 3D shirt and leggings
4E Halo AR suit

It is hard to say as I have not dived them all directly back to back. But, I feel pretty confident in saying that the Halo AR suit is the best of the lot. Very warm, and also very low bulk. And it will absorb a decent amount of water and still keep you feeling dry and warm.

Heyy thanks for writing,

its an old drysuit so I was also a little bit sceptical. My dives are usually about 50ish minutes. Do you think that just the Bare BS Polar Stretch Midlayer is enough? Maybe with normal skiing base layer?