Question for those who use skins under wetsuits

[jonix]

i use lycra as well

 

[avpro4]

Yeah man! My Henderson Hotskin makes all the diff. in the world. Though I understand many get along fine by spraying themselves down with a solution of water and hair conditioner (50/50). The hair conditioner is real slippery stuff. I would worry about it affecting the suit though, or wearing off before I'm ready to doff.

Another option for those secure in their sexuality is nylon panty hose... does the same thing as lycra. Then there's the crowd who put their feet in recyclable plastic food bags to pull the legs up over their bulging calf muscles. It's all the same principle really...

 

[Charlie99]

I have a polyolefin skin I use under my wetsuits. It works just as well as a lycra skin, and is a little more durable.

Is that like the polyester and silk moisture-wicking underwear commonly sold at outdoor gear shops?

One time I saw a guy that wore some lightweight long johns to aid in slipping into wetsuits. He said it was something he had originally bought at REI as part of his camping and skiing clothing. It looked like it did the job.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I think it's similar, but it's made for diving. T'm not sure the moisture-wicking material is made to get wet and would stand up to the abuse. The problem with buying non-diving stuff to use for diving is you might run into some cotton products, which won't do anything for warmth when wet.

 

[Wayward Son]

I don't see where anyone gets that a neoprene skin will make putting on a wetsuit "extreemly difficult" unless they simply haven't tried it. I dive a Henderson Microprene in the summer & use it under a 5mm hyperstretch in the winter. It does NOT make it any more difficult to put the suit on. I dive with lots of people who wear these Microprene skins under a wide variety of suits, not just hyperstretch.

 

[r&wc]

i use an oneil thermoskin, not quite lycra (not sure what material it is) it works great as a rash guard in warm water but now that i think of it the built in tank pad in the back would probably make it very uncomfortable under a wetsuite

 

[CompuDude]

I don't see where anyone gets that a neoprene skin will make putting on a wetsuit "extreemly difficult" unless they simply haven't tried it. I dive a Henderson Microprene in the summer & use it under a 5mm hyperstretch in the winter. It does NOT make it any more difficult to put the suit on. I dive with lots of people who wear these Microprene skins under a wide variety of suits, not just hyperstretch.

I agree, to a point. Here in the cold waters of California (shut up, you Bostonians and Alaskans!), layering suits is fairly common, although not the norm.

That said, they are laying for warmth, not to make your wetsuit easier to get on. If you want your wetsuit to be easier to put on, layer neoprene with a lycra skin. If you need extra thermal protection, you can layer neoprene... but it's not going to be easy to get on.