Question Help Me Settle a Bet . . . with My Wife

[Ryan Neely]

We are both getting cold diving dry in cold water. We dive identical rigs. She believes we can help minimize the cold by simply adding more weight so we can, in turn, add more aire to our drysuits. I think this will cause a buoyancy control issue. My solution is to add thicker undergarments (which will likely drive us to add more weight). Which is the better solution? (If we add thicker undergarments, will the potential added weight cause similar buoyancy control issues?)

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I wear a Weezle undergarment when it gets cold. It's much warmer than my DUI undergarment and doesn't require any additional weight.

 

[Outbound]

Thicker or better quality undergarments will trump adding more air. You can try adding an additional base layer first, or upgrading your current base layer. Lastly, you can go with argon for suit inflation.

 

[Zef]

We are both getting cold diving dry in cold water. We dive identical rigs. She believes we can help minimize the cold by simply adding more weight so we can, in turn, add more aire to our drysuits. I think this will cause a buoyancy control issue. My solution is to add thicker undergarments (which will likely drive us to add more weight). Which is the better solution? (If we add thicker undergarments, will the potential added weight cause similar buoyancy control issues?)

You know very well that no matter how this goes down you are going to lose.

That being said, you are nearly correct....to increase warmth you should CHANGE the undergarments you are wearing. It is not just a funciton of "thicker" undergarments but more a function of more loft, or more fibers to capture the air that will keep you warm.

Typically a thicker/higher lofting undergarment will require more weight to counter the increased air trapped in the fibers/loft.

If you just add more air to the suit, without changing undergarments, then you will have a larger air bubble to manage and that can cause problems with body position control and buoyancy management.

Good luck settling the bet with your wife. Perhaps invest in a helmet before sharing this thread with her.

-Z

 

[VikingDives]

You're both right, but the air on the outside of the undergarment is going to be cold air. The warmer/thicker undergarment helps trap warm air near your body, allowing more air in the suit that is warmer. And you'll need more weight.

 

[VikingDives]

You know very well that no matter how this goes down you are going to lose.

That being said, you are nearly correct....to increase warmth you should CHANGE the undergarments you are wearing. It is not just a funciton of "thicker" undergarments but more a function of more loft, or more fibers to capture the air that will keep you warm.

Typically a thicker/higher lofting undergarment will require more weight to counter the increased air trapped in the fibers/loft.

If you just add more air to the suit, without changing undergarments, then you will have a larger air bubble to manage and that can cause problems with body position control and buoyancy management.

Good luck settling the bet with your wife. Perhaps invest in a helmet before sharing this thread with her.

-Z

That's why I said they were both right (even though she's wrong)... Now he has a way to say it and she can still be right.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

She’s wrong, you’re correct.

 

[JohnN]

We are both getting cold diving dry in cold water. We dive identical rigs. She believes we can help minimize the cold by simply adding more weight so we can, in turn, add more aire to our drysuits. I think this will cause a buoyancy control issue. My solution is to add thicker undergarments (which will likely drive us to add more weight). Which is the better solution? (If we add thicker undergarments, will the potential added weight cause similar buoyancy control issues?)

Add a heated vest

DRY V3 Waterproof Heated Drysuit Diving Undersuit

DRY V3 - The Specs Overview DRY V3 for Drysuits designed for drysuits, featuring front and back...

www.ventureheat.com

 

[quietlife4me]

She’s wrong, you’re correct.

And you’re still wrong

 

[MaxBottomtime]

She’s wrong, you’re correct.