Drysuit gets slightly damp/wet

[a22shady]

Me and my g/f both bought Bare Trilam HD Tech Dry drysuits. I went to move mine today and as i went to grab the suspenders i noticed the Neoprene material on the inside felt wet. Suit did not leak on last dive i came out dry. Undergarment were little damp from sweating on the surface while getting suited up. So after i noticed that on mine i had her check hers same thing the material around the waist felt wet/damp is this a small leak in waist area that the neoprene material is absorbing and not getting on us. Or could this maybe be from sweating in the suit from being on land. Do drysuits build moisture in them once they are removed from being in the Colder water then getting into warm air. Thanks for any help

 

[piikki]

Condensation is real nuisance but normal.
You should make sure you always allow your suit to dry/air out also from the inside after diving. Bottoms especially get really nasty on long days when you stay in suit during surface intervals and get in and out of (cold) water. Leave the used suit in hot car for awhile, and you'll have a real winner! Neoprene parts like suspenders of course retain the moisture the longest.

Several times I have suspected I have a leak only to realize the insides of the legs were just saturated with condensation. On real scorching days when I dive to cold depths I first dry the suit from outside, then turn it inside out and hang it to dry again.

 

[lowviz]

Condensation is real nuisance but normal. ............ I first dry the suit from outside, then turn it inside out and hang it to dry again.

It also tends to drain down into the legs.

Coolest solution I ever saw was a fire company in upstate NY that made a drier out of 2" PVC tubing. Two legs, two short arms and a flex hose connection where the head would be. Hangs by the "arms". Hooked it up to an air supply. A new shop vac on the pressure side should work just fine. Very fast and effective. One of these days I'm going to borrow that idea too...

 

[piikki]

It also tends to drain down into the legs.

Coolest solution I ever saw was a fire company in upstate NY that made a drier out of 2" PVC tubing. Two legs, two short arms and a flex hose connection where the head would be. Hangs by the "arms". Hooked it up to an air supply. A new shop vac on the pressure side should work just fine. Very fast and effective. One of these days I'm going to borrow that idea too...

Very true about the direction of drainage. Some type of suits and hangers are perfect for drying head down.

I find that making sure the zipper is open and flaring out is enough most days, then some days pulling half the bottom out will aid the process. Only on worse days I need to pull the feet (as far as possible) inside out to make sure all the dampness gets taken care of.

I have seen some versions of those contraptions for drying in scuba shops and with some ingenious people. Takes a little space but surely keeps the suits in healthy condition.

 

[a22shady]

Ok Cool thanks alot guy's i was a little worried but after i noticed her suit was the same way and these are both brand new suits i thought it would have been pretty hard for them both to be leaking but anything is possible the condensation does make a lot of sense

 

[elan]

It's condensation. You get is especially if you dress up when it's hot and sweat.

And BTW, there is no neoprene there (other than the boots and the neck seal.), it's a Trilam suit

 

[a22shady]

The Bare suits have an ATR system which basically allows the suit to stretch up and down instead of using the crotch strap it's a neoprene type material to allow putting the suit on and off easier.

 

[elan]

The Bare suits have an ATR system which basically allows the suit to stretch up and down instead of using the crotch strap it's a neoprene type material to allow putting the suit on and off easier.

I'm not sure if it's a neoprene, as neoprene does not work well for such a purpose as it has good memory and will lose it's elasticity quickly in such an application but I understood what you mean. I'm more than sure what you have got is condensation. I got this in mine all the time. I have experienced leaks as well and they are very different.

 

[a22shady]

ok thanks for the advice