Heating packets in Wetsuits?

[BORG]

I have noticed the Instant Heat packets in my local Wal-Mart and have used them before in my boots on cold deer stands years ago.

Has anyone used these before in wetsuits in the chest and back area to keep the water around the body core warmer in these cold winter waters. I have a one piece 7mm suit I would like to try these in.

This would be a mix between the lower cost of a wetsuit with greater warmth to increase comfort in colder waters to near drysuit levels or at least longer than just letting the cold blue water be "heated" by the diver's body.

Would the packets damage the suit when they are activated?

Maybe the packets could be hung around the neck in a bag or attached by tape to the suit on the front and back.

 

[Bryan]

I have noticed the Instant Heat packets in my local Wal-Mart and have used them before in my boots on cold deer stands years ago.

Has anyone used these before in wetsuits in the chest and back area to keep the water around the body core warmer in these cold winter waters. I have a one piece 7mm suit I would like to try these in.

This would be a mix between the lower cost of a wetsuit with greater warmth to increase comfort in colder waters to near drysuit levels or at least longer than just letting the cold blue water be "heated" by the diver's body.

Would the packets damage the suit when they are activated?

Maybe the packets could be hung around the neck in a bag or attached by tape to the suit on the front and back.

Good question.

I think it depends on the type of heat pack.

A sealed system, such as The Heat Solution (Campmor: The Heat Solution Reusable Heat Pack) would probably be fine in a wet environment.

An air-activated system, such as one which oxidizes iron filings when its sealed storage bag is opened, would become ineffective as soon as it got wet... the water would cut off it's source of oxygen, and would begin to dissolve some of the water-solubable chemicals in the pack.

Reference: What is a Heat Pack?

 

[Coll]

I don't know the specifics of it but I have a dive buddy who has some re-useable heat packets. She snaps them and shoves them in her wetsuit before the dive, she says that they keep her a little warmer but that it's not dramatic. She has two packs and she puts them on her back. Maybe if you rigged up a whole system of heating pads but for that amount of trouble I would just get a vest or some more neoprene.

 

[Missdirected]

Joystershell used to use something that was re-usable. I will shoot her this link.

 

[PfcAJ]

I've heard stories of these being used in drysuits before...with terrible effects. The rate of reaction increased in the hyperbaric environment and burned the crap out of the diver.

 

[spectrum]

The soduim acetate heat packs work great in wetsuits. These are fluid filled pouches with a cupped metal disc inside. Then you click the disc it sets up the crystallization (freezing) process of the fluid which happens to create a constant 130F temperature. You want a few mm of neoprene between you and the actual packet. They recharge with a 10 minute boil. The Campmor product shown looks like a small version. Read more here.

We have some that are in a cummerbund format and have about a 75 minute burn time. That's enough to suit up, get in the water and have a nice wet dive in the shoulder seasons. Unfortunately the model/brand has been discontinued.

There are now some being sold for diving that have the clicker in a tube making it accessible to activate on demand. They are beginning to appear in dive shops. The cummerbund wraps the warmth around the back and kidneys, right above the weight belt in a perfect spot. The effect in not unlike diving in a hot water bottle.

Pete

 

[Skookumchuck]

I've used the air activated ones between layers of socks in my drysuit but our cold water sucked the heat out of them very quickly.

 

[spectrum]

I've used the air activated ones between layers of socks in my drysuit but our cold water sucked the heat out of them very quickly.

I believe those rely on a fresh supply of oxygen for good performance. The stagnant air in drysuit boots is probably not optimal.