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What do I wear? Heavy polarfleece pants, polypro shirt, electric Polarfleece vest (yum!), 200g Thinsulate jumpsuit, 2mm compressed neoprene drysuit.

You know, since Bobbin' and girldiver are both interested in or meddling with doubles, we should set up a day to get the three of us together to play. I won't say I've got them sussed, but I've muddled through a number of issues with mine.
 
diving with doubes can be a little hard to get used to especially if they are a large set (E8 130's) and you are diving in cold water. Here in Nova Scotia the water temp is about 35 degrees f now and after the 110 fsw dive that I did last week I was completely wiped, and im not a small man. Around here girls usually hold off all of the deep doubles dives till the water is a little but warmer..... or they jujst dive from a boat.
 
I'm not sure I could stand up in doubled 130's, and I have NO idea what I'd do with that much gas. I think I could dive for about a week on tanks that big.

I figure that, since they use doubled Al80's in the Mexican caves, my 85s are just fine. Beyond that, it's stages . . . :D
 
So maybe a girl's doubles day is in order. I've got fit issues (my arms are going numb) and due to the weight of the tanks pulling on the harness the plate is digging into the top of my rear-end as I walk to the water. Add to that I need to get trimmed out properly. It's sure a different world....

I wear a Pinnacle Merino Evolution baselayer. it's 300g of merino, 100g thinsulate, 250g fleece all in one garment. It's working very well, far warmer than I ever found the Weezle, or the other similarly priced base layers.
 
Wow. You all really bundle up! I suppose, however, if you are down for an extended amount of time, its needed. How comfortable is the whole exposure suit outfit?
 
If everything fits well you are pretty comfy overall. Tips I've learned along the way include:

1. Suspenders are you best friend to avoid the crotch hanging down too far and impeding your leg movement. :) if you don't have suspenders you need to hike the legs up at your thighs as you enter the water or you end up with the crotch of the drysuit hanging down several inches too low and it makes kicking a bit cumbersome.

2. The base layer needs to be well fitted. If it's too big or small it can restrict your movement once you get the DS on. Wadded up baselayer is not comfy.

3. take your time when gearing up and make sure seams lay properly, your DS is not bunching or binding, and everything fits the way you like it. If it doesn't fit the way you want it to on the surface you won't be happy under the water and nothing sucks more than hating how the clothes fit you at minute 72 of the dive knowing you have 20 more minutes to go before you can strip it all off.

4. layers of clothing under a DS is fine, so long as you layer them properly. Don't put 2 fuzzy things together or the friction of the 2 fuzzy layers will mean your clothes will bind and bunch. if you have fuzzy expedition weight long-johns, get the kind with smooth/slick outsides so that they slide against the fuzzy mid-layer.

5. Don't always believe men when they say they are warm and you should wear what they do. :) Women's skin vaso-constricts sooner and more aggressively than men, which means that our skin is colder to the touch than men. That colder surface temp means that we don't radiate heat like men which is then absorbed/reflected back by the clothes we wear. I was told that the 400g thinsulate suit by DUI and the Merino Pinnacle layer were overkill and I wouldn't need such a thing diving in the PNW. So I spent almost 2 years freezing my @$$ off, miserable, buying 300$ layer after layer hoping to find the right combination. Then I read that Lynne is also cold sensitive and even has taken to wearing a heated vest lately!

6. Dry suit seals are tight, you feel like you are choking on the surface, but once in the water the discomfort disappears almost like magic. If it's still tight under water, the seal needs to be stretched or cut down. I still hate that part, but know it will get better once we submerge.

7. Front zip suits are great, but due to their design they are inherently more bulky in the torso than a back zip. There are more panels, more fabric, more seams. That means fit is even more important, and if you have a big baselayer on, and are blessed in the chest area, you can start to feel a bit like a turducken on Thanksgiving day. if you don't like the bulk you should consider a back zip.
 
I took a course in drysuit diving and - during the openwater portion - leaked a bit on the first dive. I was miserable for the second. Regretably, the seal didn't lie properly on my neck (a bit less "elegant" than some females'). I was colder than I have ever been in my life -- that says alot given that I was born in Buffalo, NY. :( Hopefully I will not be dissuaded from trying it again.
 
sarita75:
Hopefully I will not be dissuaded from trying it again.

I hope not, too! With the right combination of undergarments, a properly fitting hood, and dry gloves, even the coldest of water can be quite comfortable. Even more comfortable if you use Argon. Most recent dives were about an hour long in 39 degree water, and it was great!
 
sarita75:
(Oh, and how nice to be able to dive midweek! Color me jealous :) )
Ditto!
 
Yeah, I hate to say it, but argon DOES make a difference.
 

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