Dry Suit Base Layer

[Kryssa]

Hello All,

I am recently OW certified and did all my dives in a dry suit. I wore a bathing suit under my undergarments because I was told to avoid cotton but want something else for the future.

What do you guys wear? Does it change depending on the water temp?

 

[David_57]

I use my birthday suit works fine up here in Canada even in temps as low as 34F

 

[Bubbletrubble]

A bathing suit is not the ideal base layer for drysuit divers.

I can recommend polypropylene long underwear. I use this top + this bottom underneath my undergarment.

My undergarment has thinsulate in it, so I try to minimize the number of times I wash it. Polypro underwear gets washed very frequently.

If the water is a little colder, then I'll layer a midweight fleece top over the polypro underwear.

 

[H2O 70]

What do you do when you pull a cotton t-shirt out of the washer? You put it in the dryer for 45minutes. How about polyester or nylon? Hopefully just put them on a rack to dry. They're dry in 30minutes. No cotton. It will just hold the moisture next to your skin.

Yes, what you wear depends upon water temps. You can buy suits specifically designed for diving. They come in fleece, or insulated with some sort of synthetic down. Go to Leisurepro and you can look for dry suit underwear.

 

[seanmcfarland]

I only have a few dives on my drysuit, but I have always worn UnderArmour (cold gear or warm gear) under my fleece undergarment and have been comfortable. They're easily available at any sporting goods store, and have great wicking properties. Usually the'yre the same ones I wear the next day to the gym (after a wash).

 

[kathydee]

A bathing suit under your drysuit? That’s interesting. A women diving Monterey with a bathing suit on under her drysuit caught my eye just a week or two ago. I see you live in San Fran- was that you?

Cotton absorbs moisture so you are right - it’s not an effective insulator. But if you are not getting wet, there is no reason to wear a bathing suit. Many of us wear synthetic thermal underwear under our insulated drysuit undergarments.

I have a polypropylene top and a pair of 100 weight stretchy fleece bottoms. The thermals wick moisture away from our bodies which keeps us warmer & and acts as a liner to minimize the need to wash the drysuit undergarment-- thus extends its life.

You can easily find this type of thermal insulation at a REI, or perhaps discounted at online stores such as campmor.com, sierratradingpost.com and REIoutlet.com. Just look for the expedition weight wicking thermals. Crew neck tops fit nicely under your drysuit. If you dive Monterey the same undergarmets should work year round. If you feel hot, just buy some mid or lightweight thermals and wear those ;-).

If you live in San Francisco you may want to drop into the Northface outlet store in Berkeley for very good deals. The local ski shops probably have excellent sales right now.

As far as under, under, under garmets. Well that's your choice - but I don't think wearing a wisp of cotton on recreational dives is a problem, just go with comfort .

I hope you join us in our NorCal forum for lots of fun & great local diving advice: NorCal - ScubaBoard

 

[Kryssa]

A bathing suit under your drysuit? That’s interesting. A women diving Monterey with a bathing suit on under her drysuit caught my eye just a week or two ago. I see you live in San Fran- was that you?

Cotton absorbs moisture so you are right - it’s not an effective insulator. But if you are not getting wet, there is no reason to wear a bathing suit. Many of us wear synthetic thermal underwear under our insulated drysuit undergarments.

I have a polypropylene top and a pair of 100 weight stretchy fleece bottoms. The thermals wick moisture away from our bodies which keeps us warmer & and acts as a liner to minimize the need to wash the drysuit undergarment, thus extends its life.

You can easily find this type of thermal insulation at a REI, or perhaps discounted at online stores such as campmor.com, sierratradingpost.com and REIoutlet.com. Just look for the expedition weight wicking thermals. Crew neck tops fit nicely under your drysuit. If you dive Monterey this should work year round, if you feel hot, just buy some mid or lightweight thermals and wear those ;-).

If you live in San Francisco you may want to drop into the Northface outlet store in Berkeley for very good deals, or just check in with your local REI Store. The local ski shops probably have excellent sales right now.

I hope you join us in our NorCal forum for lots of great local diving advice: NorCal - ScubaBoard

That was probably me I'm a plus size girl and my long hair was tied back in a braid. We dove from the a boat at K Dock Saturday morning (left about 9am, back around 2pm) and Sunday afternoon (left around 2pm, back around 6:30pm).

Yeah, I only wore my bathing suit because it's all I have that isn't cotton. I wasn't sure I was going to keep diving so I didn't want to spend more money buying clothing. But now I know I will be diving- we just booked ourselves on a 3-night liveaboard in June (you should come!) and will need something for that trip.

 

[a22shady]

I would look into the Fourth Element Undergarments they make great layers. If your looking for a less expensive substitute then go with under Armor

 

[tstormdiver]

I wear Under Armor polypropylene. It wicks the sweat away, is a thin layer of insulation & is flexible.

 

[D_B]

KathyDee has some good ideas and places to look for polypropylene thermals ... another source is military cold weather gear, they come in differing weights and they can be had for less than the usual price underarmor