How "Dry" is a "Drysuit"?

[D_B]

I'm new to drysuit diving but my DUI Flex 50/50 is bone dry except when I over exert myself (during training for example) it gets damp inside from the condensation
I've read here many times that cotton is the worst thing to wear as an undergarment, and I'll second the suggestion of military heavyweight polypropylene thermals, thats what I put on under my 340g fleece undergarment

 

[chris z]

I've been diving with my TSL350 for a little over a year now. DH has one also (it is kinda funny since we look like a matched set in them).

Anyway, we both find that inside of the drysuit and the outside of our fuzzies are damp after a dive, especially when it is warmer out and we start sweating when gearing up.

I did have a bad dump value straight from the manufacturer that took a few dives to diagnosis. When that thing leaked, it LEAKED, my enitre left arm was wet from shoulder to wrist. Our LDS fixed right away and it has been wonderful ever since.

We got our base layers at a clearance at REI.

 

[SteveAD]

I have done mutiple dives with my cell phone in my undies pocket to demonstrate to students my faith in my drysuit. I have yet to flood a phone......(knock wood)

 

[BabyDuck]

i'm a brand new drysuit diver, too. i've had 7 total dives on it, and 1 was totally dry.

in my limited but newbie experience, a *leak* is sopping in one area, like just the left arm or just chest to bellybutton. wringing wet, drippy, squishy. so if you're a bit damp on your upper body, i'd go with sweat/condensation.

i've seen a suggestion somewhere, i think on tds, to give the damp area good sniffs & maybe a lick. if you're leaking in the ocean, it will be quite salty, if you're leaking in freshwater, not salty, if it's sweat, it'll smell like sweat, and if your p-valve is leaking, well, you can figure it out!

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I love her for her deductive reasoning abilities.

It is pretty much right on the money.

One of the joys of dry suit ownership is occasionally having to figure out where the damp came from.

Seal leaks tend to be isolated to damp around the seal (neck or cuffs/lower arm) and the magnitude of the leak is directly proportional to the damp to squishy/drippy scale.

An all over damp is usually condensation or sweat.

Zipper leaks or pin hole leaks tend to create small round damp areas.

Water rushing in means you forgot to close the zipper.

If you suspect a leak, plug the neck seal with a largish bottle or can and plug the wrist seals with soda pop bottle sized bottles, then zip it up, air it up with the inflator until it looks like the pilsbury dough boy and spray it all over with soapy water looking for bubbles.

 

[RockinDOG]

Wow - a lot of great advise here!

What you are experiencing, based on what you wrote, is utterly and completely condensation. The minute you zip up your drysuit, it becomes 100% humidity. Whether or not you exert yourself, you will perspire. Some people will perspire up to a cup an hour!

The folks are right - if you have a leak you will usually see it as a wet spot. Dampness all over in your upper body is perspiration.

They are also right about the cotton t-shirt - cotton will absorb your perspiration and it will keep it there right next to your body. That very well could be why your legs are fine. The fleece from the 150 moves the moisture to the outside of the jumpsuit where your t-shirt is keeping it next to your skin.

Dump the t-shirt and give it try. I think you'll find that works wonders.

Have fun!

Susan Long

 

[TBURKE]

I have 2 DUI CF200's and have been diving dry since 1987. I have 300gm thinsulate underware. I wear them all year long. (Jersey Shore) I have neoprene seals and they do leak around the tendons in my wrist when moving my hands around. Sometimes, when people are not carrying enough weight, they hold their hand on the exhaust valve too long and let water in.
The vast majority of moisture in my suit is condensation.
I love my CF200. It's the best cold water, wreck diving, dry suit made.

 

[WRChadwell]

I own a DUI CLX450. Since I purchased it, my wetsuit use has fallen off dramatically. There have been dives where I have surfaced and had absolutely zero leakage; others, especially when on a "working" dive, where I have had a little seepage around my wrists and I am fairly damp from my elbows on down. I think those cases are to be expected. After all, why do you think they're called "damp suits"?

 

[mikeguerrero]

I have the DUI CLX450 with compressed neoprene drygloves. I am completely dry except in the tips of my fingers, I will feel slight moisture but not leakage. This is from my hands becomming sweaty when I don't add enough air to the suit.

If I shift my air from my torso up to my hands on a regular basis through the dive I will not get the sweaty tips on my hands.

MG

 

[gxsr_sarge]

Since I originally posted this thread, I've discovered that I had a very small tear on the inside of my DS that came out through one of the seams in the front (because of the double layering of the TLS DS). Have NO EARTHLY IDEA HOW IT GOT THERE!! The suit was sucking in the water and wetting the front of my torso first (due to the flat positioning) - then of course, the water would head down to my feet when I finished the dive. I was able to discover this with the help of a friend that taught me how to turn the DS inside-out, inflate it and check for bubbles with soapy water. A patch with Aquaseal did the trick.

Now I just experience very very slight moisture - prob due to perspiration or slight water seepage from the neck seal.