Is there an alternative for dry suit underwear

[MKC]

One of my friends just gave me an almost new dry suit (Trilam Tech Dry from Bare). Now I need to by underwear for the suit. I find them to be somewhat expensive for something I will only use 5 or 6 times a year. Is there any alternative like some other kind of clothing I can use to replace the authentic scuba diving underwear?

 

[neonistic]

What temp are your dives? I dove 77f with just some UnderArmor Cold. When I did my ice dives, I wore cotton long underwear, polypro (military issue), goretex liner (upper and lower), a sweatshirt, two pair of wool socks and a pair of cotton socks. I also used some chemical heaters but I don't think they helped. You could hit your local military surplus store for some cold weather gear.

 

[Ozwald]

I second the UA stuff. If its cooler a fleece over the UA will keep you toasty.

 

[Crush]

I went to my local sporting goods/sports shop (MEC) and bought moisture-wicking undergarments and an assortment of polartec layers. You can mix and match for your temperature and, if they get wet you can separate the items and air-dry them rapidly.

 

[divingtpapa]

I used my under armor cold gear as a base layer and it worked great. I just ordered Fourth Element Arctic undergarments, which is a 2 piece and socks for 300.00.

 

[davetowz]

Just remember a few basic rules.... Cotton kills...no cotton ever. other than that, as long as it fits under the suit( is not too bulky) keeps you warm(even when wet) and doesnt have things that pinch when squeezed... Dive it and enjoy it. Welcome to drysuits!

 

[TSandM]

If you are only going to do a half dozen dives a year, you are going to have problems with the dry suit. Dry suits are much more demanding of buoyancy control than wetsuits. More practice is better.

You CAN dive a dry suit with ski or mountaineering type fleece garments. You will not be as warm, and you will pay a significant penalty in weight. The reason diving undergarments are as expensive as they are is that they provide maximum insulation for the amount of air-trapping (which is what requires weight) AND they continue to provide significant insulation when wet. (Nothing worse than a flooded dry suit when you have a half hour's swim to shore, and your undergarment doesn't work well when wet.)

 

[Skarn]

I use underarmour cold gear as my base layer and Polartec 300g fleece as the outerwear. Get it from Cabela's. Very inexpensive and very warm. It's what my instructor wears as well as a ton of us.

Skarn

 

[herman]

Horse poo, you don't need fancy drysuit undergarments. Like you I don't dive a dry suit much 4 or 5 dives in the fall/early winter and again in the spring. I use my regular thermal underware covered with lined sweat pants, a sweatshirt on top and thick wool socks. I dive this comfortably down to 45 deg, any colder than that and I am staying topside. It is most likely not ideal but for a few dives a year it's fine. I already own them and I am not cold, what more do I need? I doubt it has any real issues with my weighting, I dive 22-24 lbs with an AL 80. I agree learing to dive the suit is a challange but once you get the hang of it, it's like riding a bike, a dive or 2 and most of it comes back.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

AND they continue to provide significant insulation when wet. (Nothing worse than a flooded dry suit when you have a half hour's swim to shore, and your undergarment doesn't work well when wet.)

I think that is the most important feature of drysuit underwear, they will keep you warm even when wet. It is not if but when you flood.