Drysuit seals - in or out?

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stuartv

Seeking the Light
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I believe that the norm for a drysuit with neoprene seals is that the seal is tucked in. E.g. for a neck seal, it would be worn like a turtleneck sweater, except folded to the inside instead of folded over to the outside.

But, what about silicone seals? Should a silicone neck seal be worn with the outside on the outside? Or should it be tucked in, like a neoprene seal, so the outside of the seal is what's actually against the skin of your neck?

And what about wrist seals? This is actually what I'm more interested in.

My current suits have latex seals all around, but when my newer suit comes back from DRiS, it will have silicone all around. I have always worn my suits with the seals rightside out. Not tucked in.

But, it occurred to me that if the wrist seals were tucked in, that would let the sleeve of my undergarment extend further down my wrist.

Any thoughts? Does "tucked in" just not work with silicone? Is it hard to get the seals to lay down flat and seal properly?
 
My silicone seals lay flat, and work well that way. The problem I see with tuck-in, would be twisting the neck or wrists might create channels.

I think getting a nice tuck might be a bit of a challenge as well.
 
Wear them 'out' and flat just like latex.
Silicone seals can be more delicate than latex, they stretch more but it's easier to tear or hole.
They tend to 'catastrophic' failure as there is no indication they are degrading or stressed like latex but they can be changed in a few minutes so as long as you carries spares, this is not really a problem. I've got through maybe half a dozen wrist seals and a neck in the 3 years I've been using them They cost less than a tenner each and quick chang so no big deal.

They are orders of magnitude easier to don and way more comfortable than latex. No need for all that vet lube or worse, talc. I find a smear of E45 cream on the wrists helps them off.
 
I've used both latex and silicone, and always wore all seals flat regardless of material. To do otherwise would mean less area for the seal, therefore more opportunity for leakage. If I had to fold a seal over (easily possible with the neck seal for some divers), I'd want to fold it out, not in.
 
My silicone seals lay flat, and work well that way. The problem I see with tuck-in, would be twisting the neck or wrists might create channels.

I think getting a nice tuck might be a bit of a challenge as well.

I was also thinking that getting a nice tuck might be the most challenging part. But, assuming you get a good tuck, why do you think twisting would be any more likely to create channels? I was actually thinking that if wrist seals were tucked, so they went up the arm instead of down, they would be less on top of the part of my wrist where the tendons might stand out, so they would be less likely to get a channel.

They are orders of magnitude easier to don and way more comfortable than latex. No need for all that vet lube or worse, talc. I find a smear of E45 cream on the wrists helps them off.

I had been assuming I should keep using my talc bag even on silicone. So, that's wrong? Are they recommended to use some kind of lube? Or recommended to don with nothing at all? What is E45 cream?

I always have a squirt bottle of mixed water and baby shampoo in my dive bag. I use it for defog and wetsuit lube. Could I use a little bit of that for silicone seal lube? If so, do I put it on the seals or on my skin?

I've used both latex and silicone, and always wore all seals flat regardless of material. To do otherwise would mean less area for the seal, therefore more opportunity for leakage. If I had to fold a seal over (easily possible with the neck seal for some divers), I'd want to fold it out, not in.

Folding it out would mean there is no flat, cut edge laying against your skin. The edge of the seal would be a bowed out. With tucking it in, at least you would still have a flat, cut edge against your skin - even though it's on the inside.

I think having the flat, cut edge on the outside (i.e. not tucked in and laying flat) would be the best seal. But, it seems like tucked in would be second best and better than folded over on the outside. No?

Also, how do you figure having the seal tucked in versus out would make any difference to the area of the seal? It seems like that would only be the case if the sleeve were, for example, too short and the seal not positioned far enough up the arm. Otherwise, from wherever the seal touches the wrist, whether the seal goes towards the elbow or towards the hand, it should grip the same amount of surface area, shouldn't it? And, going towards the elbow would actually mean a tighter seal (since your arm gets fatter in that direction) plus (maybe) not being on top of the wrist tendons, so less likely to channel water if you really flex your hand.

Part of the reason I posted this question is because I remember reading a post or two a while back from someone on here that specifically said they wear their neck seal tucked in and it works fine. I know they weren't using neoprene (otherwise, it would not have been a remarkable statement whatsoever), but I don't remember whether they were using silicone or latex. I think they were using silicone, but I don't remember for sure.

I realize it probably sounds like I already made up my mind and asking the question was pointless. But, that's not it at all. I'm just trying to play Devil's Advocate and fully explore the idea before I decide whether I want to actually try it. I thought maybe someone would post something on the subject that I haven't heard of that makes it obvious it's a bad idea. Or maybe someone would post and say "I've been doing it that way for years and it works fine."

In the end, I have a feeling that getting a good tuck on a wrist seal, while wearing thick undergarments will be too tough and the question will be moot.
 
E 45 cream

I have all my seals flat. No leaks, no discomfort

I use the 50/50 baby shampoo and water to assist release
 
But, assuming you get a good tuck, why do you think twisting would be any more likely to create channels?
Just watching how the material bends and shapes. I could be wrong. If you try and succeed I'd be interested in hearing.
 
E 45 cream

I have all my seals flat. No leaks, no discomfort

I use the 50/50 baby shampoo and water to assist release

Ah ha! So, E45 is just a basic lanolin/paraffin lotion. Got it.

So, you use the diluted baby shampoo on your hands, after a dive, to help get the seals off. But, nothing on your hands or the seals to help them go on?
 
Ah ha! So, E45 is just a basic lanolin/paraffin lotion. Got it.

So, you use the diluted baby shampoo on your hands, after a dive, to help get the seals off. But, nothing on your hands or the seals to help them go on?
I use KY or similar lube to get them on - its more viscous.

Always interesting when you go to a gas station at 5am for a large tube and batteries (for the dive torch) :D
 
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I use KY or similar lube to get them on. Always interesting when you go to a gas station at 5am for a large tube and batteries (for the dive torch) :D

Why not the baby shampoo for getting them on, since you're using it anyway for removal? Does the shampoo promote wicking water in under the seals?
 

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