I feel like i have a leak or I'm incontinent...

[Mitchell Teeters]

When diving my pinnacle evolution my underwear gets pretty wet. I don't remember wetting myself, but heck anything is possible I guess. The inside of my garment is not wet, the outside is damp (to be expected). I don't feel any water coming in. Is this normal?

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[Peter_C]

Do you get hot gearing up? If so it is totally normal. Good wicking layers will move the sweat to the outside too as will the cold water cause it to condense.

Story: A local diver found his drysuit to be leaking and took it back numerous times for repair. Then one day he never got in the water yet found his drysuit very wet inside. At that point he figured out it was all caused by sweat.

BTW if you are getting hot gearing up, make your drysuit the last thing you do, and work slowly but steady keeping your heart rate lower so you stay cooler. If you get wet, you will get colder faster underwater. Oh and get a pee-valve!

 

[yodelhawk]

Hello TN
I always have some moisture in my drysuit when I'm done. Pretty sure it's sweat. BUT... there is a sure way to tell. Take a whiff! Let's face it, we all know what pee smells like. If you do have a little problem make sure you tell your doc.

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

Ya I definitely get hot gearing up. Last night when I got in the water I thought I felt something but it was just for a second and that was all. Probably my imagination because I never felt any cold water coming in after. I'm new to dry suits so I'm still learning the ins and outs.

Sent from my DROID X2

 

[flots am]

When diving my pinnacle evolution my underwear gets pretty wet. I don't remember wetting myself, but heck anything is possible I guess. The inside of my garment is not wet, the outside is damp (to be expected). I don't feel any water coming in. Is this normal?

Yes, it's normal.

An average person can easily sweat 1L/hour with moderate exertion. In a drysuit, there's nowhere for it to go, so it ends up in your underwear.

Also, as mentioned, pee valves are awesome because you can drink anytime you feel like it and not care "if you have to go".

If you're looking, the OMS delrin pee valve has worked perfectly for years and is about $50 cheaper and lighter than the stainless steel version.

flots.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

one other thing to consider is on a warm day the inside of you drysuit is going to be quite warm and if the water is cold any humidity between the suit and your undergarments will condense and look as if you have a leak.

 

[krawlings]

As stated above you will have some dampness on your undergarmet . if you get a leak the odes are you will have mor than just dapness on the outer layer of you undergarmet. most of the small leaks have been in the sleeve from wrist seals not seated properly. do to the deep channel that my wrist tendons form when flexing forarmand wrist muscules and making a fist . if this is the case pull theseal up a little higher on the forarm. if you get a leak that stedy leak you will feel it colder and move from one location to another or spread. if you think you have one have your buddy look for any bubbles coming out and mentaly mark the spot . do this in the shallows (if shore diving that way you can fill your suit up more than you would normally . hold on to some thing heavy to hold you down while buddy looks. I have had real small leaks to a full blown flood .

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

Thanks for the feedback.

Sent from my DROID X2

 

[hypertech]

Inspect the seals. Sometimes you can see where it is failing. I've had two leaks in my drysuit both causing just dampness on the outside of the undergarment so it is certainly possible. If you are really worried about it, the next time you gear up you could inflate yourself like a balloon and spray soapy water on the seals to look for bubbles. If you do this - be sure to put it on youtube.

 

[Peter_C]

Last night when I got in the water I thought I felt something but it was just for a second and that was all.

Where? Possibly at the wrist seal area? I know with my current suit, I get a little more non direct, thru the latex seals, cold water contact in the wrist area that I feel when I first put my wrist underwater. Goes away in a few seconds. Water has been chilly here lately at 46 degrees.