Making undergarments - nedd opinions on material

[dvleemin]

Hi,
I'm thinking of having undergarments made for my wife and I. Most of the cold water diving we'll be doing will be off of the coast of BC.

For the first layer, I was thinking of having it made out of Polartec Power Dry
https://www.maldenmillsstore.com/dept2.asp?dept=31&id=0313160814222913223578740

The next layer I can't decide what weight. Either the 200 series or the 300 series:
https://www.maldenmillsstore.com/dept2.asp?dept=13&id=0313160814222913223578740

What do you think? Does this sound good?

Thanks,

Darryl

 

[MechDiver]

To be truthfully honest, for what excellent and proven undies cost from Weezle or Software, I would not bother.

Some things are DIY, some are not worth the hassle. Just MO.

Either way, for BC diving, you're going to need something heavy.

MD

 

[Bob3]

Depending on your size, you can pick up some heavy Polartec military surplus undies (tops & bibb bottoms) for way under $50 for the smalls & mediums, closer to $50 for large.
They're like this: http://www.hqmc.usmc.mil/factfile.n...7dc31a7bb22666af8525627a00647730?OpenDocument

 

[dvleemin]

MechDiver once bubbled...
To be truthfully honest, for what excellent and proven undies cost from Weezle or Software, I would not bother.

Some things are DIY, some are not worth the hassle. Just MO.

Either way, for BC diving, you're going to need something heavy.

MD

You can get polartec for about $10/yard (5' wide). A weezle suit is going to cost you over $200. So you can get 20 yards for that price minimum. You can make a lot of clothes with 20 yard. IMO this is one of the things where DIY is more than worth the hasstle. You can make something easily that will work just as well, and save a LOT of money in the process. An a good seamstress will make the clothes look just as good as if there were a 'brand' name.

AS well, when I get them made, I'm going to get all the extra material made into socks

Darryl

 

[Shadow]

I made my undies out of Malden Mills Powerstretch fleece with a lining of wickaway fabric. It has four-way stretch, so it fits like spandex. I would guess their Powerstretch is about 100g weight. It's not warm enough for BC waters. So I wore other fleece over it, probably 150-200g weight. Still not happy. So I ordered 300g fleece from Malden Mills. Will wear it over my Powerstretch fleece. I'm going diving today - soon as I have some breakfast and get it together. I'll let you know if it's warm enough. My personal guarantee: If it's warm enough for me, it'll be warm enough for anyone!

As for DIY, I saved a ton of money. Ordering from Malden Mills is excellent. They are totally set up to ship to Canada. They did all the paperwork, and my parcel arrived at my doorstep without me having to pay a penny more. It's covered under NAFTA, so no duty. I wasn't charged GST or the customs fee for opening the parcel. It's tricky buying 300g from Malden Mills because it's only available as a special item when they have production overruns. So you have to watch their website until something you like comes up. I bought a grey velour finish with shearling on the inside and a "durable water repellant finish". It's really nice, but has virtually no stretch. You will need to buy enough to make a pattern designed for woven fabric. I am very small, and 2 yards was barely enough to make me a shirt and pants, and they're snugger than I would have liked. No fabric left over for a pair of socks. My 2 yards came to $56 Cdn. A 2 piece Weezle would set me back about $550 dollars by the time it arrives on my doorstep. I'd say that's worth it. I'll let you know if my setup is warm enough later!

 

[Shadow]

Just got back from my dive. It was awesome - had a seal with us the whole time - nipping our fins and playing - I patted his tummy. Anyhow, I was comfortable - finally! It's snowing right now, so it's about as cold as it gets around here, hovering around freezing. The water was 46 degrees, and I did only one dive for about 50 minutes to a depth of 80 feet. I was able to quickly and easily dump air, too, so I love this fleece!

Uncle Pug has many posts regarding 300g fleece, and also the website of a lady who makes undergarments. Do a search for fleece, and you should come across his info. Good luck, and enjoy your visits to BC!

 

[Shadow]

It just occurred to me that I do not know what kind of drysuit you use. Mine is trilaminate, which accounts for why I need so much fleece. If you have neoprene, you'd need less.

BTW, I've never seen fleece as thick as this 300g stuff - it's great.

 

[mddolson]

I agree with the 300 material .

As for the inner material I'd go for a wicking material like polypropylene to draw moisture away from you.
I'd use a similar materil on the outside, but less porous, rip-stop nylon or polyester wear well, they breath and are wind reisistant , consider some Cordura Nylon on shoulders elbows and knees. These are high abrasion areas. A good model to copy would be the bar polar extreme underwear.

Good luck!

Mike D

 

[dvleemin]

Thanks Guys,
They're both Trilaminate suits.

I still can't decide on 200 or 300 weight. There's only a difference of $1/yard, so thats not a big deal.

I ordered a swatch pack, so hopefully some 300 weight is included. I'm curious to see how thick it really is.

Darryl