Heated Wear

[stuartv]

Hey stuartv, you may recall I picked up a 12v long sleeve from W&S.
Honestly I found it wasn’t helpful at all at temps below 12c, even against bare skin with It fitting snug.
I purchased a Yellow Diving heated shirt, which replaced an earlier version I bought in 2012, this is definitely is warmer. For glove liners I use SF Tech. As you pointed out, I don’t think heated wear regardless of brand will ever be too warm/hot, it simply takes the edge off.
I had to wire things as well. E/O to waterproof connectors I got off of Amazon. Works perfect.
I’m very happy with my liners and shirt and look forward to many less chilled dives.

I am disappointed to hear that you didn't find the W&S shirt helpful below 12C.

Is that the Thermalution Yellow Grade Plus shirt you got? I was just looking at that, trying to figure out what its power consumption is, but I can't see it.

Thermalution Yellow Grade Plus Power Heated Diving Undersuit - 100m/300ft

I'm no physicist or electrical engineer. But, for this kind of thing, my guess would be that all the power it consumes is by virtue of converting it to heat. So, I would think a garment that consumes more power would be warmer (other factors, like outer insulation, being equal). I think the W&S shirt consumes around 42W. I can't figure out what the Yellow shirt does.

When you say the Yellow shirt is warmer, are you saying that because you can feel the heat of the shirt more? Or because you overall felt warmer (in otherwise the same conditions)? I'm just wondering if the Yellow shirt is really warmer, overall, or if it just feels warmer because (MAYBE) it has a smaller total area of heating panels, so if the amount of heat were the same, it would FEEL warmer (but only in the areas of the heat panels).

I am planning to go back to Jocassee over Labor Day to take an Advanced Trimix class. We'll be diving to somewhere between 300 and 330 feet, if the class goes according to plan. I think I might at least try the heated shirt and leggings plugged together to see how that works. I cannot imagine being unable to "get warm" with that going (and some kind of insulation over it).

 

[in too deep]

This is the shirt:
Thermo-Shirt
It's approximately 43 watts. The wire runs vertically about 1.5" apart throughout the front and back. Nothing on the arms or neck like the W&S therefore more power to the core, which is probably why it feels warmer.
I did try a Canadian branded motorcycle shirt which was very similar to the W&S with similar results of the W&S, shipped it back.
For me, the YD shirt works very well.
I wear Fourth Element Expedition pants and sweater with an additional set of Arctic pants, sometimes I'll and the second sweater as well...
...300 to 330...isn't that where the grim reaper hangs out

 

[stuartv]

This is the shirt:
Thermo-Shirt
It's approximately 43 watts. The wire runs vertically about 1.5" apart throughout the front and back. Nothing on the arms or neck like the W&S therefore more power to the core, which is probably why it feels warmer.
I did try a Canadian branded motorcycle shirt which was very similar to the W&S with similar results of the W&S, shipped it back.
For me, the YD shirt works very well.
I wear Fourth Element Expedition pants and sweater with an additional set of Arctic pants, sometimes I'll and the second sweater as well...
...300 to 330...isn't that where the grim reaper hangs out

Cool. I had not seen that shirt option before.

FE Expedition plus Arctic? MAN! That is some serious amounts of insulation. That would leave me like Randy in A Christmas Story. "I can't put my arms down!" LOL

 

[ZeroG]

@in too deep
Interesting idea, and I thought (like you) the danger is not being able to disable if something goes wrong. Using an external power source make this choice just as good as 'official heated dive gear'.

I'm following, please post back how the system worked for you.

 

[in too deep]

@in too deep
Interesting idea, and I thought (like you) the danger is not being able to disable if something goes wrong. Using an external power source make this choice just as good as 'official heated dive gear'.

I'm following, please post back how the system worked for you.

I’m using the Yellow Diving heated shirt which has a built in controller - off, 100, 50 - by toggling the battery switch it toggles through the power settings. From the input side of the controller I soldered 2 wires for a pair of SF Tech heated glove liners. I just started using a Nanight canister for its small diameter tube which conceals nicely for sidemount and scr, and its output is regulated with user changeable voltages, I set it for 12v.
If you have any specific questions I’ll try to answer them.
I’m waiting for Ammonite’s new dry suit bulkhead.