First time Drysuit purchaser

[Tafflad]

I am considering buying a Drysuit ... have a rail full of wetsuits, but missing out on local diving as it's too cold - or too damn uncomfortable in a 7mm suit + 7mm over jacket. !

Looking at Whites Fusion as it seems such a leap forward in design.
Q is what undersuit should I pair with it ...
A lot of posts on this forum mention Whites Glacier Mk2 or Mk3 ... does anybody know what water temperatures they are suitable for ?

I am in UK and typical water temp in spring it is 5C/40F rising to 18C/65F in summer & dropping to 10C/50F by Jan.

I can't see me diving when it's much under 10C/

 

[GotNoOcean]

When I was researching undergarments earlier this year for MY first drysuit, I saw a lot of good recommendations for Weezle suits, a UK brand. I couldn't find a distributor for them anywhere near me, but I suspect your luck might be better!

Cheers!

 

[tstormdiver]

I had the White's catalyst & while a good & very rugged drysuit, I found the MK2 not quite enough for what I needed. I dive quarries & below 60ft (18m) the temperature plummets to 42 degrees F (5.6 degrees C). I could make about a 20- 30 min dive before getting cold. Of course, how cold you get is very individual, I'm a big cold water wussy. I can't say how good the MK3 is, never tried it. I recently got a custom DUI & wear 650gm wt. undergarment. I'm now as snug as a bug in a rug.

 

[Randy43068]

You'll end up with a few different undergarments. Don't sweat it, get one and use that as a baseline.

I got an el-cheapo from Ebay and it works OK. Not of high quality, but for 70 bucks I can't whine much about it. You can also get a good deal on used ones on Ebay or if you watch here and some of the other boards you can pick up good used ones there too.

You also don't have to be limited to using SCUBA only undergarments. You can mix and match fleece under-apparel to your hearts desire. Limit the use of cotton as it acts like a sponge to water. Some people say never use cotton at all, but I've found a cotton long sleeve T-shirt to work OK under my thermals now and again.

I have some mix and match items I got from the thrift store that work really well, too.

Keep in mind, the heavier, or thicker the undies the more flotation you'll experience. I dive twin 130's and have to add weight when diving the thick undies in cold water.

Hope this little bit of info helps...

Randy

 

[Tafflad]

When I was researching undergarments earlier this year for MY first drysuit, I saw a lot of good recommendations for Weezle suits, a UK brand. I couldn't find a distributor for them anywhere near me, but I suspect your luck might be better!

Cheers!

Weezle well know here that's for sure ... plenty of stockists, Weezle Extreme is used by a lot of drysuit divers

 

[Gombessa]

I've heard the same as you have: Mk2 layered is OK, but not incredibly warm. The Mk3 is supposed to be very warm, comparable to the Weezle Extreme + and DUI 400G. Mine should be coming in any day now.

 

[TSandM]

Well, for the lower range of temperatures you listed, the MK3 should work well. I was very comfortable in 45 degrees for over 60 minutes in the Fusion with the MK3, and I get cold very easily and tend to wear a lot of undergarments. I think you'd cook at 65 in the MK3, though.