Drysuit undergarments

[cummings66]

I've layered fleece thermals that way and it's fine. I have a US35 undergarment which is a lightweight fleece garment and then I layer it with a fleece thermal bottom and top. Works fine for temps in the 30's but fleece tends to slow the air movement and makes it a little harder to move the air in the suit up to the dump valve. I.e. the thinsulate undergarments allow the air to move quickly from spot to spot and that makes venting occur faster compared to a fleece undergarment.

So, I like thinsulate for that reason and see no difference in warmth.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Lots of folks discuss the one piece undergarments and all the different grams of thinsulate etc but I find it quite comfortable in the dry suit just dressing in layers. For the temperature range of 40 to 50 I'd probably have a pair of long undies on with a pair of polar fleece long johns over top and for the top section a long under shirt, long sleeve t shirt and a polar fleece undershirt top covered with a Bare Xcd2 pro.

Layering is a MUST for me. It requires a ton of weight but it does help. Sometimes I have so many layers on I feel like a mummy!

 

[Tristessa]

I'd be curious as to where this could be had for $100 as well. The price converted I think came to around $135 and I don't know if they'd even ship to the US. The ones I've found here cost around $185 so it's not cheap, but there's many paths to $100.

I was doing some dives in Greece throughout december in a lake at 700 meters searching for a sunken village(long story). The average temp was 41 degrees, with the lowest being 38 and the highest being 44, air temp was 29.

My normal undergarments were not really cutting it and i was getting pretty cold, pretty quick-- so one of the other divers proposed i try his northern divers, what a revelation! We drove the 2 hours back to Athens and i pick up a pair from an lds, on sale, for 85 euros~100$....i think they were normally 145 euros.
I completed the rest of the dives, and i was really toasty throughout the series.
(12 dives total over 5 days--no village, but i'm sure it's there, and i'm returing in 2 weeks).
Mine do not have mesh at the cuffs like the ones in the previous picture, but they do have the tin foil-like material throughout the suit and the thumb loops.

The thing the pisses me off is that the last time i bought an undergarment i paid around 350 for it!!!! i have it for sale if anyone's interested! Barely used!

 

[String]

Im actually stunned that anyone stays warm in a flecaton 200. 3 people in our club had them and all had to replace with warmer undergarments as they got uncomfortable cold in them.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Im actually stunned that anyone stays warm in a flecaton 200. 3 people in our club had them and all had to replace with warmer undergarments as they got uncomfortable cold in them.

Yes. I was waiting for this comment. I knew it would come. Only a matter of time. I unfortunately go back to my original thought, once again not having found the undies from Heaven...Toasty Warm in 35 degree water in your shell suit? Yeah right!

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Im actually stunned that anyone stays warm in a flecaton 200.

Beats me - but I'm warm, toasty indeed, in a flect 100, thermals, a neoprene drysuit and 12-16 C water, and have been fine, but not warm, in the same set up for short 20 min dives in 4-5 C and 40-50 min dives in 10 C water.

Depends how cold the water is and how hard you are working I guess.

For shell suits and colder water I don't think you're going to find one ideal suit: I'd agree the best way to go is to just layer up with a good insulating suit, an inner fleece garment and thermals on under that - I use use the fleece in warmer water, the flect in moderately cold, and both combined when chilly.

We'll probably need a poll to settle scubdobadoo's 'Nonexistance of Toastyness' claims

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

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

What are the buoyancy characteristics of flectalon?

I have a 400 weight thinsualte which is warm for 50 degree water, but I need about 9 pounds more weight to stay neutral than I do with a 7 mm wetsuit. That seems like a lot to me. I was wondering if other materials offer the same warmth but with less need for added weight.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Depends how cold the water is and how hard you are working I guess.

Cheers,
Rohan.

I will admit that I like to putter along at a very slow rate and take it all in. I also like to take photos so I do spend a lot of time waiting and watching and this certainly doesn't help me stay warm. I rarely cover a great distance if any at all. I will also add that last dive season I got a better fitting hood and that also helped a great deal. Some day I might try dry gloves...

I think it really varies from person to person, nonetheless, 38 degrees is just plain cold and as someone said before, if your extremities believe you are cold then the rest of your body may believe it is too. One last observation, I live in NYC but I am originally from Florida and I really do hate the cold weather with all my heart. :cussing:

 

[TSandM]

Not to hijack, but dry gloves made a HUGE difference for me.