Just got my dry suit

[sylvester]

My dry suit just arrived, I plan to take my class after xmas with a nitrox class. So here is a new rookie question, since my comfort will be determined by what I wear under my dry suit, is it recommend to wear a Polypro type shirt and pant or just my normal street clothes? Jeans and shirt?

I know people wear both, I've seen it. But what works best for consistent buoyancy characteristics?

All opinions are welcome.

 

[WileEDiver]

Definitely not street clothes. You don't want a fabric like cotton to get wet (from perspiration or from the outside when doffing the suit between dives or in the event of a small leak) and be next to your body--you'll get very cold. Undergarments meant for dry suits are designed to wick moisture away from your body to help keep you warm.

Also since the undergarments you wear will affect your buoyancy, you want to get into the habit of wearing the same clothes (or known sets of layers) so you know how to properly weight yourself.

 

[Tractor Tom]

Unless you wear something between the jeans and your suit. In my experience, the weave in your jeans will kind of 'grab' the inside of the drysuit and give you a pinch or squeeze in a place you don't really want it. Makes for a miserable dive.

I usually wear heavy longjohns top and bottom and a 300 wt 'bunny suit' made of polar fleece that I got from Janice at Softwear, if the water is cold. Along with a couple pairs of socks, I stay nice in warm in the worst conditions and have no pinch.

I really recommend the Softwear undersuit, as it's less expensive than a lot of the suits, comes in various weights, depending on where you will be diving, and Janice is such a 'peach' to deal with.

By the way, I have worn jeans in my suit, under my softwear suit, and it tends to rub a raw spot on my ankle where the hem of the pants leg gets trapped in the boot and is squeezed by the water at depth.

Hope this is some help!

 

[Mo2vation]

what kind of suit did you get?

BTW - congrats...a new drysuit is always exciting.

K

 

[Paco]

I, too, just recieved my first drysuit (Bare Nex-Gen) and my underwear (CT200). What do you wear under the underwear? Your other underwear? Buff?

Mike

 

[sylvester]

Its a Bare Nex-gen but I dio not get the undies, since I have all the Army issued Polypropolene stuff filling up my closet.

 

[Genesis]

I wear my skivvies and thin polypro long-johns/shirt.

The latter is intended to keep the OILS from my skin off the divewear. The oils are what stinks and requires laundering, which is particularly hard on thinsulate.

 

[IzzyTahil]

congrats on your suit! I use a Bare CT 200 and under that a wicking top and bottom so you can stay dry even if you start sweating. I recommend against anyting cotton esp jeans, the pinches you get from them are really uncomfortable.

 

[mogwai]

Ok, don't know if you can get them there, but have just bought and dived with a Weezle Extreme + . Is absolutley roasting. 9 Degrees water and i am sweating. Lovely. Maximum comfort.

 

[mogwai]

Forgot to mention, Weezle wicks away all sweat and moisture from the skin to the outside of the undersuit so you remain compleletly dry, you wear nothing under this suit so as not to hinder this action. Great bit of kit.