just as cold in a drysuit

[cyklon_300]

Try adding a little more air to the suit. Its an insulator. Just as the water in a wet suit warms, so does the air in your suit!!!

A different explanation of how the thermal protection of a wetsuit works...

http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/exposure_protection/wetsuit_hype:_10_big_lies/3/

 

[mnj1233]

A different explanation of how the thermal protection of a wetsuit works...

http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/exposure_protection/wetsuit_hype:_10_big_lies/3/

Cyclon I read the article and found it very inciteful. According to it I am off base to say water in a wet suit is a "warmer" for lack of a better term. However air is a factor when it comes to warmth. The air in the suit provides the loft needed in the undergarment to in turn create the insulating effect. Is this how you read it as well???

 

[JimJam]

Just started diving dry this year. Bought a whites shell suit and a bare 200 undersuit. I feel just as cold after my 2nd dive as i felt in my wetsuit. I went dry to stay warmer but sometimes I feel warmer in my wetsuit. The only thing I noticed is that my hood doesnt tuck in as well and my head is really cold. I know most heat is lost through your head, but it seems a littlefar fetched that my head making my body cold. The 200 should be plenty warm for me. Any suggestions?

Like Soggy said, some people are more resistant to cold than others. This is 100% true.

However, I dove Cape Ann this weekend (Chester Poling, 90ft, 48 degrees) with a 300gm DUI Thermalmax with an Under Armor "Cold Gear" shirt underneath...and I was actually pretty warm. I got a little bit of a chill on the second dive, but not too bad.

Realistically, you should not be cold in a drysuit...of course you might get a chill, but you didn't spend all that $$$ on a drysuit to be cold! If you ARE cold, regardless of the time of year, you're doing something wrong. Invest in a better undergarment or figure out a better layering technique. In the winter, I've gone so far as to take my summer undergarment and wear it under my winter undergarment...and this worked pretty well...it does hinder flexibility, but I was warm. Try looking for a good 200 gm fleece sweater/pants set...you can find them at Cabela's or even a Sports Authority type place...start here before dropping a ton of $$ into undergarments.

 

[J75]

Get yourself a 7mm hood that fits you well, and try keeping a little more air in your suit. You need to keep some air in the suit so that the undergarments can maintain an insulating layer of air to keep you warm. If all else fails, try the Bare Polartech wear, and as a last resort, try Argon.

 

[Soggy]

Cyclon I read the article and found it very inciteful. According to it I am off base to say water in a wet suit is a "warmer" for lack of a better term. However air is a factor when it comes to warmth. The air in the suit provides the loft needed in the undergarment to in turn create the insulating effect. Is this how you read it as well???

This is partially true. Gas is the insulator in a drysuit and a certain amount of gas in your drysuit is required to loft the undergarment. However, once the undergarment is lofted, additional gas will not make you warmer, it will only create a bubble at the shallowest point in your drysuit.

This is why Type-B, boot thinsulate, in 200g and 400g (ala DUI 200/400g, Bare CT200, Viking B200/B400, etc) is an ideal insulator for a drysuit. It is precompressed, so you do not need a substantial amount of gas in your suit to maintain warmth, unlike other materials which require a lot of loft to be warm.

 

[doole]

I regularly dive in 35 deg water and I'm not a 'warm' person; I get cold rather easily. It's GOT to be 400G thinsulate, at least.

You get to a point where you've piled on so much lead you just can't believe you could possibly need any more underwear, but you've got to go for it anyway.

It's the underwear. A drysuit keeps you dry, not warm. Maybe try wearing a foundation layer of expedition weight polypros.

 

[Web Monkey]

About 1/3 of the heat you lose can be from your head, not including your neck. A good hood is very important.

You can also add thicker DS U/W, or add additional layers. Drygloves are also a huge help.

Terry

Just started diving dry this year. Bought a whites shell suit and a bare 200 undersuit. I feel just as cold after my 2nd dive as i felt in my wetsuit. I went dry to stay warmer but sometimes I feel warmer in my wetsuit. The only thing I noticed is that my hood doesnt tuck in as well and my head is really cold. I know most heat is lost through your head, but it seems a littlefar fetched that my head making my body cold. The 200 should be plenty warm for me. Any suggestions?

 

[doole]

About 1/3 of the heat you lose can be from your head, not including your neck. A good hood is very important.

You can also add thicker DS U/W, or add additional layers. Drygloves are also a huge help.

Terry

Excellent points. Hoods that have made a difference for me are DUI and Viking. (The DUI edges out slightly better because of the awesome venting.)

Not sure about drygloves, although never tried them myself. Knew too many people who told me their hands actually got colder in drygloves. Seen too many people have trouble with squeezes etc, as well. Personally, I feel life is too short to be *ing around with soda straws up my wrist seals and so forth.

Deep See makes GREAT wet gloves - never been cold in them. In fact, I've been known to undo the cinch for a moment because my hands were too HOT.

The point is very well taken however that it's particularly important to keep your extremities warm. To that end, don't forget to keep your feet toastie!

 

[matt_unique]

Water conducts heat away from your body faster than air. A drysuit will always keep you warmer than any wetsuit due to this fact BUT you need to have the correct thermals. A shell suit with no thermals will be much colder than a 7mm wetsuit for example. The shell suit will be warmer than the wetsuit once you get the correct thermals based on your temps and cold tolerance.

--Matt

 

[Web Monkey]

Deep See makes GREAT wet gloves - never been cold in them. In fact, I've been known to undo the cinch for a moment because my hands were too HOT.

The point is very well taken however that it's particularly important to keep your extremities warm. To that end, don't forget to keep your feet toastie!

That actually brings up another interesting point.

Your brain and core have priority for keeping warm, so when you body temp starts to drop, the first things to get cold will be fingers, toes, feet and hands. If you want warm hands and feet, keep a warm head and body!

Oddly enough I learned that in winter backpacking. Not sure if it was mentioned in OW.

Terry