Undergarments for sweaty tri-lam suit diver

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R4cOOn

Registered
Messages
9
Reaction score
7
Location
Germany
# of dives
200 - 499
I'm diving with a trilaminate Seaskin with their 250 undergarment (Seaskin Undersuit High Wick Thinsulate 250 - Seaskin Custom Diving Suits).
I'm all nice and warm by 6C.

My issue is that I get very sweaty (especially when it's warm like now).
When I've finished donning the suit, getting my harness on and walked to the water I'm very literally dripping with sweat.
As I get into the water I can feel all the wetness as the suit gets tighter to my skin due to water pressure (so I know it's not a leak as water wouldn't get that fast into the suit).
At the end of the dive when I get towards the surface and have less air in the suit I also feel the claminess of the suit on the back and lower back.
Getting out of the suit the undergarments' outside is wet.

Any idea how I could mitigate this?
Having thinner undergarments isn't really a solution as 6C is cold and I need a lot of protection.
Maybe there are some undergarments that can soak up the sweat and still keep me warm?

Cheers.
 
You need a good wicking base layer as used by winter athletes and outdoorsy types. I use a high quality merino wool blend set of long underwear that wicks the sweat away from my skin. On warmer days and shallower dives this is all I wear under my drysuit. Colder water/days I add the thicker dive specific one piece but I keep the merino against my skin. While the thicker suit may be damp from sweat after the dive my skin stays dry.

Here's a primer by Canada's MEC.

How to choose base layers | MEC
 
As stated above it’s all about the base layer. I love the 4th element base layer. It’s more expensive than buying a base layer used for snow skiing but well worth it in my opinion.
 
Wool base layer will do wonders.
Wool is great.
Synthetics are all over the place, from half-decent (polypropylene or good polyesters) to crappy.
Cotton isn't even crappy, it sucks donkey cojones.
 
I'm diving with a trilaminate Seaskin with their 250 undergarment (Seaskin Undersuit High Wick Thinsulate 250 - Seaskin Custom Diving Suits).
I'm all nice and warm by 6C.

My issue is that I get very sweaty (especially when it's warm like now).
When I've finished donning the suit, getting my harness on and walked to the water I'm very literally dripping with sweat.
As I get into the water I can feel all the wetness as the suit gets tighter to my skin due to water pressure (so I know it's not a leak as water wouldn't get that fast into the suit).
At the end of the dive when I get towards the surface and have less air in the suit I also feel the claminess of the suit on the back and lower back.
Getting out of the suit the undergarments' outside is wet.

Any idea how I could mitigate this?
Having thinner undergarments isn't really a solution as 6C is cold and I need a lot of protection.
Maybe there are some undergarments that can soak up the sweat and still keep me warm?

Cheers.
Hello. Some gear I'll spend money on......Some gear I won't. I found that Drysuit undergarments can be very expensive, and I wasn't willing to pay. I have been diving Drysuits for 20 years.
When diving Drysuits "Insulation Strategies" are very important. Also, what is cold to one person...may not be cold to another. This is what, I found that worked good for me.
First layer, I wore polypropylene (Top, and bottom.) Second layer,Thermal Underwear.(Top, and bottom.) Third layer, regular sweat pants, and shirt. It cost about $60.00 U.S. back then.
The polypropylene helps "Wick" moisture away from your body. I'm originally from Boston, Massachusetts and dove for Sea Urchins commercially for (4) years. The season starts in November, and I've done numerous dives in 28 degree (-2.2 Celsius) water for 96 minutes. Just a thought.
Cheers.
 
Hello. Some gear I'll spend money on......Some gear I won't. I found that Drysuit undergarments can be very expensive, and I wasn't willing to pay.

Thanks for confirming what I thought intuitively. I hunt a bit and have layering strategies and clothing for staying warm and dry in the woods. My gut told me diving couldn't be that different or complicated to justify spending another $700 on new thermal underwear.
 
Thanks for confirming what I thought intuitively. I hunt a bit and have layering strategies and clothing for staying warm and dry in the woods. My gut told me diving couldn't be that different or complicated to justify spending another $700 on new thermal underwear.
Until you get it wet and have an overhead or decompression obligation. Wicking later and merino layer, sure. The next part is worth spending money on, whether new, lightly used, or custom fit from a company like Seaskin.
 
I found that Drysuit undergarments can be very expensive, and I wasn't willing to pay. I have been diving Drysuits for 20 years.
What kind of water temps?

Me, I've retired one undersuit and now have two other. One for warm-ish summer water (>10-12 degrees water) and one for the winter (down to 3-4 degrees water, haven't dived colder water than that yet). There's some items in my diving wardrobe I guess I could do well without. A good undersuit is something I won't do without.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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