Drysuit undergarments

[CCRDiverDave]

The choice of undergarments will make the difference between being cold or being warm underwater. Just like one can wear a t-shirt on some days, and other days one must wear a heavy down jacket.

I have read some threads here from users who get cold after a couple of dives in 40 degree or so water. I get cold just thinking od diving in water that cold!

DUI has some rather nice cold water undergarments that use 400 gram weight Thinsulate. DUI will custom measure and make their undergarments to fit your body type exactly. Their warmest model they rate for water at 35-50 degree's F

Pinnacle makes a really killer warm undergarment that uses multilayer insulating technology depending on the body area to be kept warm. They use a combination of Thinsulate and a material they call Merino. They rate this model at below freezing to 50 degrees F.

Weezle in the UK seems to have quite a following for undergarments, even here in the U.S. They have a heavy duty model using a Swiss made high loft material. Weezle has Zillions of sizes to fit most every body type.

 

[cummings66]

I'm not sure what you're getting at. Are you trying to form a list of different companies that make undergarments?

If you are then add Viking, they have some nice undergarments. Personally I find the temp guides to be off for me. My 200gr thinsulate undergarment is plenty warm in 36 degree waters. I have a 400 gr Viking that's way to warm for water temps around here.

To be honest I think the only difference I've seen between brands are the prices and materials they build them out of. A 200 gr Viking vs a 200 gr DUI is pretty much the same as far as warmth goes IME.

 

[Tristessa]

the best i've used in cold water is the northern divers flectalon 200. I used it this winter in 38-40 degree water and stayed toasty warm for the whole 40 minutes. It's inexpensive compared to other brands such as DUI, and it also packs nicely for travel. I bought mine for 100$!!, and as far as drysuits and undergarments go- it's the best purchase i've made yet. I use it with a DUI TLS350.

http://www.ndiver.com/site/undersuits/flectalon_undersuit.html

 

[CCRDiverDave]

They apprently make one even warmer then the Flectalon 200 model.

Interesting material around the wrists.....I have a Moby's 200 gram Thinsulate which is really comfortable, but it doesn't even have thumb loops to hold it in place while donning the drysuit arms....The Flectalon suits have 10 different womens' sizes and 15' guys sizes, with a custom option.....

 

[scubadobadoo]

Here we go again. That word "toasty" being used in the same sentence with 35-40 degree water! I don't care what I use, I am still cold in my dry suit when the water is that cold or even warmer. 200, 400, fleece, thinsulate, DUI, Moby's, Viking, Bare, a pink bunny suit with a heater, all of it at the same time...it doesn't matter. "Toasty" warm is a joke. Nobody is TOASTY warm in 35 degree water (in a shell dry suit) after 40 minutes unless they are in a heated bubble and they are experiencing hot flashes!

Am I warmer than a wet suit diver when I get out of the water? Instantly! Am I warmer IN the water than I was in my wet suit? No a whole lot. Will I go back to a wet suit for cold water diving? NO! Nonetheless, who are you polar bears?

 

[Tristessa]

scubadobadoo,

besides my hands which were blue and my face, i was sweating throughout the entire dive with that piece of undergarment. Toasty warm is not an over statement. After going through many different undergarments i found one that was both inexpensive, and held up extremely well as per the manufacturer's claims. It's a great product, and i wanted to share my experience here. I personally am not a polar bear, but i'm sure we can find others here.

 

[cummings66]

I would have to add my 2 psi here. Yes I am much warmer in 36 degree water in a drysuit than I am in a wetsuit, hands down. Now I don't sweat under water no matter what weight I use, but I do get uncomfortably warm in a 400 gr thinsulate undergarment and my air usage goes up.

There is a common stretching of the truth that many drysuit divers allow to continue. Sure it's warmer, and yes depending on how much squeeze you live with you can feel the cold, but it's not the same as the feeling in a wetsuit and this is what lets you do longer dives in comfort.

I can dive for hours in 36 degree water and a 200 gr thinsulate undergarment, but I tend to run warm compared to others. I'm comfortable in 42 degree water in a 7mm Akona wetsuit as well and don't mind dives that last over an hour, many can't handle it.

I would never myself apply the word "Nobody" to a statement, there is always somebody out there who bends the norm.

I've had many divers tell me they can not belive I'm comfortable in a 200 gr thinsulate undergarment with a shell suit, I dive Viking, and to that I'll say dive with me and you'll see for yourself I don't get cold. I even had one guy say I was too cheap to buy the 400 gr undergarment and this is why I said I was comfortable, then I drug out my Viking Arctic Plus Undergarment to prove that I did have a choice in what I used and that I did NOT need the heavier undergarment. If you are cold natured that is what you want, it's 400 gr thinsulate and a fleese type of lining under it. Very very warm, best I've seen. If you don't move underwater then this is suitable for you.

I'm probably going to be in New York, near Fulton in May, want to dive? Seriously, I am thinking about diving in NYS on Vacation this May when I visit Dad, I just don't know much about diving around there. I am bringing my drysuit, I'm no fool.

 

[The Kraken]

The Bare "Hi-Loft" is nice.

the K

 

[Rick Inman]

The best undergarment, IMO, is a good fitting drysuit. The right amount of material to get a good loft is key - depending on how much loft is required for the undergarment. Weezles in too tight of suit will be cold. Too much material in your drysuit increases the surface area you loose heat from and forms pockets of air where they shouldn't be.

I finally bought a custom drysuit (DC) and it fits, and the same amount of insulation is keeping me warmer then in my rack drysuit.

The beginning of of good insulation is fit, both insulation and drysuit.

 

[The Kraken]

I guess I'm just a lucky puppy. My first dry suit purchase is a Bare XCD2 "Tech". The standard stocking size that I selected fits as if it were a custom cut suit.

The d/s coupled with the Bare "Hi-Loft" undergarment fits perfectly and keeps me quite comfortable in 43 degree water for a 60 minute dive time.

Like we say down here, "Even a blind hog will find an acorn sometime."

the K