Fusion: How many clicks?

[elan]

Ok, I've got six dives on my Fusion now and I can't say I am "toasty warm" in the MkII undies and our 45-50 degree water. I wonder if the problem is that I'm not keeping enough air in the suit. Recently I've been turning the valve about 4 clicks from fully open. I can't really see if there is air escaping or not because it's not really in my field of vision. So, question of other Fusion divers:

How far do you close down the exhaust valve once you are at depth? And I guess to make sense of the answers, "Do you use the suit or your BC as the primary buoyancy control?"

Thanks in advance,

Eric

I have no idea what MK2 is but in 45 degree water I use 250g thinsulate undies + 200g thinsulate vest.

I keep my valve closed 4 clicks, otherwise it dumps air too early

 

[Dogfish Doug]

Hey Eric, these are all good solutions from the folks here, the one problem being is everyone's physiology is different, so what one person finds cold, another may not. One common theme that we do notice is people seem to go two ways, either a very heavy undergarment which is super warm, such as the MK3, or they opt for the layering system, using multiply undergarments with varying thickness such as a MK2 jacket and john combination, or a MK1 under an MK2. Neither one is correct or incorrect, just a personal preference. The other factor associated in this equation is the weight factor, as you pack on the warmth, so too must you pack on the weight, finding that happy balance is the key. As for the second part of your question regarding air control, again I would say that is a personal choice, some people prefer to use only their suit for buoyancy control, while others put just enough air in to remove the squeeze, and adjust buoyancy with their bcd. Again considering the weight issue, the more air you like to have in your suit, the more weight you may have to carry. Personally for water temp at 45F I would wear a MK3 for warmth, and I prefer to put enough air into my suit to remove the squeeze, I leave my valve completely open, and use my BCD for buoyancy control. But these are my preferences I would recommend trying other ways as well to see what works best for you, and what you prefer to do. Not all that helpful I know, but i'm sure you will figure it out.Good luck and good diving.
Doug,

 

[fdog]

Wide open.

...Occasionally I'll close it down by a half when I really don't want to lose any gas out of the suit, like during a fairly deep descent.

But general recreational diving, I use the suit as "fine trim" for buoyancy, so it's wide open.

As others have said, insulation is personal; but If I was wearing a Mk2 on a dive in 45 degree F water, I would be done in less than 5 minutes. Anything less than 50 degrees, I'm in a MK3.


All the best, James

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

I seem to be in the minority however , I have my valve closed while diving . I do not want to be losing air from my suit and re inflating with cold air from my tank .
I will open the valve when I start my ascent . If I do need to dump a little air while diving I do it manually .
I only put air in the suit for comfort as in squeeze . BCD for trim .

 

[Dixter]

I guess I'm in the minority too... When I first get in the water I have the valve wide open and allow the suit squeeze to get all of the air out of the suit. I do burp the suit before getting in but there is always more air in there than I like to have when I first get in. After I get all of the air out then I close the valve and decend to depth, put a squirt of air in the suit to get the sqeeze out and use the BCD for final boyancy.

If I need to adjust the suit on the way up I push the left sholder up and push on the manual valve button to release the pressure while coming up. I normally come up with the BCD empty of air. Then at the safety stop I'm just working the suit with the manual button to get to neutral. This keeps some air in the suit during the stop and keeps me warm.

then when the stop is complete I kick up to the surface and put a couple squrts of air in the BCD for top side boyancy.

 

[weaserm99]

In those temps i am in the mk3 undergarment, the mk0 as a base layer and i will add the mk3 jacket if i am doing longer dives. If you do add the mk3 undergarment make sure to add some weight on, i find it to be a little more buoyant than some of the other undergarments i have worn but it definitely keeps me warm.