Do you use more lead in Drysuits with improvised undergarments?

[elan]

Yes thats true. If you get a good undergarment they are not rhat floaty. My driend dropped 5lb after switching from regilar fleece based cloth

 

[fugly]

Wow, I wish I could get away with that little weight. All the people I know that are using the Arctic are using around the same weight as I am.

I dive around the East Coast and I use a 6lbs STA, 6lbs SS plate, 3lbs in each trim pockets (total 18lbs) with a 130 steel tank (empty -2lbs) 40cu stage (-1.5 full). This puts me right on the money at the end of my dive with 200 psi left. I also use the Arctic and UnderArmor cold gear as my base. A good wicking base layer and a good undergarment wicking layer combined together is what keeps you warm. It draws the mositure away from your skin to the outer layers and this is what keeps you warm without the bulk. It is well worth the money to invest in a good undergarment as it will reduce the amount of weight needed.

Fugly's -2 cents.

 

[Peter2222]

I just got in to diving with a dry suit.. did three dives with 45lbs of lead, it worked for me.. i told a friend about it and he cant be leave it..
this is the suit i use Bare Nex - Gen Pro .its a good suit 4mm, with a 5/6.5 mm hood & Bare super-hi loft polarwear extreme 500 gram thinsulate under garment . my back plate has 35lbs of weight, plus two attached pockets with 5lbs each, 80cuft Alum. like i said im new to diving with a dry suit, if any one has any ideas or advice im open to suggestions....thanks.....
[h=2][/h]

 

[ddmattos]

Pete,
Are you burping your suit before entry, getting as much air out as possible? Stick a finger in your neck seal, hug yourself, and squat. My buddies and I use trilam suits, backplate/wing and we use a total of 18lbs max, usually less. The crushed neoprene may call for the added weight, but 27lbs extra?

You may also have too much air in your lungs. This should decrease as you dive more and your comfort level rises. You can also look into an advanced buoyancy class from a competent instructor.

But first use a tank with 500 psi in a controlled environment (pool) with your buddy and do a weight check. Do not do this alone. Make sure you get as much air out of the suit as possible and then release air out of your bcd with YOUR REG IN YOUR MOUTH and ex hail. You may find you sink like a rock. Buoyancy changes take a few seconds so be patient. Find your minimum weight and go up from their. Otherwise reevaluate your gear setup. Gear evaluation from a competent instructor is worth it's weight in lead lost.

 

[TSandM]

Weight requirements are what they are. I dive with 31 pounds of total ballast with steel tanks (-1 to -2) in Puget Sound, and have to add a couple of pounds for Monterey. That number has been weight-checked repeatedly.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Weight requirements are what they are. I dive with 31 pounds of total ballast with steel tanks (-1 to -2) in Puget Sound, and have to add a couple of pounds for Monterey. That number has been weight-checked repeatedly.

Thank you, I was starting to think I was crazy. I have been trying to reduce my weight and it is just not a comfortable dive if I'm fighting to stay down with a shrink wrapped suit. I even went as far a couple of times as to purposely not inflate my wing at the end of the dive and when I got home submerge it in water and try to let more air out. I have always found the wing to have no air in it. I just think it is what it is when it comes to buoyancy and my bioprene may have something to do with it 5' 8.5" and 195#. I would love to swap to steel 100's to drop some weight but the ones I have are doubled up and I don't think loosing 6# is worth the $800 for a new set of tanks.

 

[fugly]

We can share how much weight each of us use, but each of us should not use it for any kind of reference. Each piece of gear needs to be considered for its buoyancy properties. What really sets each diver apart is their own unique physical shape, which when combined with equipment will determine the weight needed. A good LDS should be able to assist to fine tune ones buoyancy.

Fugly's -2 cent.

 

[boat sju]

Folks who dive drysuits, do you guys find yourselves using significantly more weight with multi-layered undergarments than one single thick undergarment? I have been diving with improvised undergarments that keep me warm down to 40 degrees. The LDS guy tells me that if I buy a proper undergarment (preferably one piece undergarment that you step into and zip) then I will be able to drop 5lbs from my weight. Makes sense??? Or is it sales talk?

Using separate pieces, tops and bottoms, which is what I use, you do end up with overlap at your waist. This excess material probably does require a bit more weight, but is a one piece union suit worth $500 or so more than the stuff I get from Cabela's? Not in my opinion. I've looked at some top of the line Thinsulate garments and if you squeeze off the openings you can blow them up like a balloon. I think they trap air - unlike Polartec fleece.

 

[Tristan.ak]

I dive with permaloft tops and bottoms for winter and only use 23lbs of lead with a ss back plate, for the pool its 0. I use al80s and still haven't dialed it in yet, but with a few more dives and finding the sweet spot I should drop 5-10lbs.