jplacson once bubbled...
Yes, I know that skins don't have any insulating value.
This is not 100% accurate, you need to learn how wetsuits work. They work by trapping a layer of water undert hem. All wetsuits are alike in this matter. There are 2 variables between wetsuits for thermal protection:
1) How well does the water "move" through the wetsuit.
This is affected by things such as fit (you've always heard a wetsuit should be tight) and what kind of seals it has around the wrist, feet, neck and zippers.
2) How much the wetsuit insulates the trapped water from the water on the other side of the suit.
A perfect wetsuit would a) completly trap a layer of water inside and b) not let the water on the other side of the suit cool the water on the inside. The way wetsuits work is that the let a small layer of water in for your body heat to warm up.
If your suit allows that "interior" water to circulate well, it will not work well.
The other more obvious way it works is to "insulate" the interior water from the exterior water. All wetsuits provide some insulation, but some provide more than others.
Well... I'd like my suit to be as neutral as possible. I know it's impossible (as of today anyway) to have a neutral suit and have insulating properties.
The Henderson Black Maxx 'cheats' this... it's a fleece suit with a 1mm torso. So it's ALMOST a skin, and not quite a 1mm suit.
It's pretty neutral at surface. Without any gear, I sink when I exhale.
I hope the above explains the whole insulation factor. Now lets consider the "neutrality" factor. Anything that weighs the same as water is neutral. The question is how does the "denisty" of various products affect it's thermal protection. The fact is air is a great insulator.
Think about the fiberglass insulation in your house. X thickness is equal to Y R-Value. So if you stuff X*2 insulation into the same space, you should get Y*2 R-Value right? Nope, the R-Value will actually go down! The air in the insulation is important for the thermal protection. This is the same in your wetsuit.
If you take the air bubbles out of your suit, you are loosing protection. Trying to achieve a "neutral" suit is a wast of time.
To be extreme let say you find a material with the same density as water, i.e. neutral. If the thermal properties of this material means that you need 1" of material to equal the same protection as 3mm neoprene, which would be better: The neoprene, which allows you to move and needs say 10 lbs of weight, or the 0 weight alternative that doesn't allow you to move?
Scuba is a small market. Housing insulation is a big market. We've learned that trapped air provides great insulation. It's a fact that good insulation is going to be positively bouyant, you just can't get around it.
James
