Undergarment buoyancy

[Storker]

You have the floor.

I was considering writing yet another post about the merits of wool, but I figured I'd pontificated so much about it on several previous occasions, so you can start with How to keep warm in a drysuit in cold water, which I wrote some five years and a bunch of winter dives ago. Then you can check out Why you should use wool and avoid cotton like the plague

BTW, I haven't changed my opinion at all since I wrote those.

Keep in mind the question 'low buoyancy and warm undergarment combinations'?

I'm firmly in the "ain't no such thing" camp.

 

[Rechno]

I would also go for wool (Merino is great, does not scratch and does not smell fast).
I would personally look at some outdoor manufacturers and not only those for diving gear. (IMHO those are often overpriced due to the "diving" tag)

 

[Imla]

One more vote for Merino Wool. I am firmly in the same camp as Storker, and depending on temps, I manage with 1 or 2 layers of Merino undergarments and my BARE SB. During winter and long deco dives I add a heated vest.
My dives are usually in the 2-6c temp -ranges. And at those temps the SB, 2 layers Merino and the Vest will keep me warm for the dives I do. (I am toooooo old to be cold!)

 

[Skulmoski]

I have used Thermocline by Fourth Element for about 3 years (100 dives) and I REALLY like this product. They make a broad range of exposure products in the Thermocline lineup from hoods, to vests, to tops, bottoms etc. They are the equivalent of a 2 mm neoprene wetsuit. But here is one outstanding characteristic; Thermocline material is NEUTRALLY BUOYANT. Yes, you read correctly! I use a long sleeve, half-zip top with Apeks shorts and it is a great substitute for a shortie. Add a hooded vest and you extend its range. Another feature I like is that it is highly wind resistant so it greatly cuts the wind when you exit the water and are exposed to the wind. Thermocline is expensive stuff but it performs and it lasts.

Home Page - Fourth Element

GJS

 

[Mike1967]

Thermocline is expensive stuff

Holy crap! You're not kidding....

 

[JohnnyC]

I have used Thermocline by Fourth Element for about 3 years (100 dives) and I REALLY like this product. They make a broad range of exposure products in the Thermocline lineup from hoods, to vests, to tops, bottoms etc. They are the equivalent of a 2 mm neoprene wetsuit. But here is one outstanding characteristic; Thermocline material is NEUTRALLY BUOYANT. Yes, you read correctly! I use a long sleeve, half-zip top with Apeks shorts and it is a great substitute for a shortie. Add a hooded vest and you extend its range. Another feature I like is that it is highly wind resistant so it greatly cuts the wind when you exit the water and are exposed to the wind. Thermocline is expensive stuff but it performs and it lasts.

Home Page - Fourth Element

GJS

These are wetsuits. The OP is talking about drysuit undergarments.

 

[Skulmoski]

These are wetsuits. The OP is talking about drysuit undergarments.

Maybe, but I learned about this line from a drysuit diver; he uses these with and without a dry suit. Great flexibility. Have you used/seen this product line? Give it a try if you want to get a high quality product that lasts through the rigours of diving. Expensive? Yes. Long lasting? Yes. Performs as promised. Yes. Great value? For me, yes.

 

[BRT]

Maybe, but I learned about this line from a drysuit diver; he uses these with and without a dry suit. Great flexibility. Have you used/seen this product line? Give it a try if you want to get a high quality product that lasts through the rigours of diving. Expensive? Yes. Long lasting? Yes. Performs as promised. Yes. Great value? For me, yes.

They are not neutrally buoyant inside a drysuit.

 

[WantSomeScuba?]

Alrighty, honest question I've been scared to ask...

If you're 2 meters tall, and 100 KG, does the sheer loft of your undergarment alone play into weighting? Because (speaking from.personal experience), a 6'7", 235 lb guy in a BZ400 is kinda floaty.

 

[Storker]

If you're 2 meters tall, and 100 KG, does the sheer loft of your undergarment alone play into weighting?

Why should it be different for a 2m/100kg guy compared to a 1.7m/80kg guy?

Thicker undergarments = more air in the suit = more weight
Thinner undergarments = less air in the suit = less weight
More loft in the undersuit = more air in the suit = more weight
I can't see any way that the size of the diver can eliminate those simple physical facts.

When I went from a compressed neoprene suit with only a layer or two of wool underneath to a trilam with a thick, warm undersuit, I had to add quite a few kg to my belt