Undergarments

[bennenrkc]

So I am looking at buying drysuits for myself and my wife, as we dont seem to do the amount of local diving that I would like to do because of my wife (and I) not liking to be cold. Budgets are however somewhat tight.

I am trying to decide between the Fusion One and the Fusion Sport, but there is another thread regarding that topic.

The question here is do you buy all of the undergarments as a package or just buy the suit and dive with some basic winter clothing until cash flow loosens up a little so that I can afford undergarments? We have plenty of non cotton insulating layers that we used to use skiing prior to my wife's accident (the reason we took up scuba diving) that I would imagine would suffice for insulating layers underneath a drysuit.

Am I being to cheap? or cutting corners where I shouldn't?

Any thoughts and help would be appreciated.

 

[nimoh]

you are not being cheap, just being smart.

I can't really comment (much) on which dry suit to get out of the choices you listed, since I have never been in a Whites drysuit. However, it is important to get one that fits well, too tight and it will restrict your movement. Too loose and you will have to manage a large bubble during your dives and it will take a bit of moving around to dump it when ascending. I believe Whites suits are a little more forgiving that other suits in this respect as the outer layer will tighten up the suit around your body (not sure if all Whites suits have this outer layer though).

As for the undergarments, you should try what you have and see if you are warm enough and have full range of motion. If what you have doesn't work out for you, it can always be purchased later. If the undergarments work well for skiing where you are sweating in cold temperatures (i.e. the undergarments get damp but still keep you warm), my guess is they will work well for diving.

 

[Glenn08]

You need underwear that resists crushing. If the underwear flattens and loses insulation value it won't keep you warm. As far as the 'bubble'; if you are properly weighted you will only need to compensate for squeeze and there won't be a 'bubble'.

 

[fdog]

You said the important one:

<snip> non cotton insulating layers <snip>

Save some cash, repurpose the clothing you have, and go diving. As nimoh said, you're just being smart.


As you continue diving, try all the undergarments you can lay your hands on until you find something that makes you go WOW.

Undergarments are one of those moving targets for all of us...


All the best, James

 

[Bopper]

you are not being cheap, just being smart.

+1

Any thoughts and help would be appreciated.

You might want to go to eBay and type in "polartec" as a keyword and start shopping. Also, there's a seller on ebay w. a handle of rondel101bjrr who - based on previous posts in this forum - has a reputation for selling quality undergarments at discount prices. These are options if you decided to spend on undergarments but wanted to be budget conscious. But using any moisture-wicking clothing would work if you already have some.

 

[tracydr]

I have custom polartec undergarments by Softwear. They were less expensive than almost any othe undergarments that I found and very nice.
Scuba Toys, DRIS and a couple of the other scuba online stores also have some really good close out deals at times. I got a thinsulate undergarment for $149 this way from Scuba Toys but I don't like it as much as my polar tec.

 

[VicScubaVentures]

I've got the Whites fusion bullet drysuit, and the thermal fusion undergarment to match. Also have the Mk3 'jumpsuit' undergarment by Whites. I find the thermal fusion too warm on hot summer days, even in temperate Canadian water, and use the Mk3 (for which there are several alternatives - including what you've already got). The thermal fusion is the best (IMHO) undergarment for fall-to-spring diving seasons, nothing I've tried can beat it for warmth or mobility (although it is a little pricey) - it made me go "WOW".

C.

 

[TSandM]

You can certainly dive in non-dive-specific undergarments. The two downsides are that whatever you are using needs to be warm when wet (because dry suit divers are inevitably, eventually, wet divers) and you may have to use more weight than you would if you had a purpose-made undergarment.

Specifically designed undergarments deliver the maximum insulation with the minimum bulk. That's what you pay for.

 

[bennenrkc]

Thanks for the help. The above information allowed us to save some money and spring for the (what I hope is) the better suit. A certain forum sponsor from the midwest has been treating me really well and we actually are ending up with two Fusion Bullets. I dont know if I can put a shout out to the level of service we have recieved thus far but I guess I want to try as publicly as I can to thank them for the above and beyond service that I have recieved. I even received an update last night at midnight on the status of my inquiry from the operations manager himself. Thanks Mike.