Want to buy Dry Suit but...

[vimaldude]

I am seriously considering going 'dry'. I dive in N. California in a 7mm right now and use about 25 lbs of weight. From what I read about Dry suits, I understand that it will need an additional 4-6 lbs. I *hate* carrying so much weight around. It messes up my trim, makes it difficult to dive from shore (walking over rocks etc) and hurts my back (I use a weight belt).

But I do want to go for a Dry suit. So what are my options?
Why do Dry suit need more weights? (I would have thought less weight since a dry suit is not as buoyant as a wet suit). Is it the under garment that makes it so buoyant?
Are there undergarments available that are thin and yet warm?

Inquiring mind wants to know...

 

[Gombessa]

I am seriously considering going 'dry'. I dive in N. California in a 7mm right now and use about 25 lbs of weight. From what I read about Dry suits, I understand that it will needs an additional 4-6 lbs.

Hey Vimal,

You'll be happy to hear that a drysuit DOESN'T inherently require more weight than a wetsuit. For a trilaminate/shell type suit, the weighting you need depends specifically on what kind of undergarments you use - if you've got really thick, lofty 400g-equivalent undies (what a lot of us use in Monterey waters), then you're typically going to be dealing with roughly 23-28lb of buoyancy to displace, right up there with what you need for a thick wetsuit. Here's the weighting I used on Saturday, diving dry:

Tank: 0lb
SSBP: -6lb
WSTA: -7lb
Light: -2lb
Weight belt: 8lb

Add in regs and miscellaneous ballast, and that's countering about 25lb of lift. Of course, with the steel tank and backplate setup, you can keep the weight belt relatively small, which helps a lot.

In general, warmth = weight. But when compared to the luxury of diving dry, warmth is really worth its weight in gold--even if you do find out you require more weight, you'll GLADLY take it once you experience diving dry

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

I think you need to revisit your weighting! Rarely does a diver need anywhere near 25#, and you might find in a form fitting drysuit like the White's Fusion, that you end up wearing no weight at all. Most of our divers, including myself, find that to be the case - with a steel tank and a backplate, zero weight and we are quite negative.

 

[vimaldude]

Hey Vimal,

You'll be happy to hear that a drysuit DOESN'T inherently require more weight than a wetsuit. For a trilaminate/shell type suit, the weighting you need depends specifically on what kind of undergarments you use - if you've got really thick, lofty 400g-equivalent undies (what a lot of us use in Monterey waters), then you're typically going to be dealing with roughly 23-28lb of buoyancy to displace, right up there with what you need for a thick wetsuit. Here's the weighting I used on Saturday, diving dry:

Do you really need 400g thinsulate undergarments? How about 200g? Does it make that much difference in providing warmth?

Having a steel tank and backplate would certainly help.

 

[theskull]

Weight is typically about the same when going from 7 mm full suit to dry suit. You can reduce this by wearing a thin lightweight undergarment such as polartec. And you can further reduce by using steel tanks rather than aluminum (less buoyant for similar amount of weight).

theskull

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

400g is a lot of undergarment, I dive Monterey on occasion and dive New Jersey with great frequency, both have water in the mid 50 degree range. Both should be fine with a polypro underlayer and a 200g max undergarment. Especially for recreational dives not expected to last more than an hour. Of course there are exceptions, but I would start there.

 

[Gombessa]

Do you really need 400g thinsulate undergarments? How about 200g? Does it make that much difference in providing warmth?

Having a steel tank and backplate would certainly help.

There are some guys around here who get away with 200g (perhaps with a vest) and feel fine. But I'm pretty sure they're well in the minority. There are also a lot of people who wear a vest or core warmer with 400g too. It kinda depends on your physiology.

I've never ended a dive here thinking "wow, I was way too warm for comfort." In general, with our waters getting down to 47-48F in the springtime, the usual recommendation is to get the absolute warmest undergarments you can get your hands on. If you happen to be one of the few polar bears who roast in a 400g, it's easy and cheap to move to something thinner.

 

[vimaldude]

I think you need to revisit your weighting! Rarely does a diver need anywhere near 25#, and you might find in a form fitting wetsuit like the White's Fusion, that you end up wearing no weight at all. Most of our divers, including myself, find that to be the case - with a steel tank and a backplate, zero weight and we are quite negative.

I do need 25# with my 7mm wetsuit. This is the minimum weight that would get me to submerge (with back inflate BC and AL80).

If I go with a SS backplate and use steel tanks, I can prolly knock off about 8-9 lbs. That still leaves about 16-17 lbs on the belt for a 7 mm wetsuit.

I was looking for some advice on lightweight (yet warm) undergarments that won't add too much buoyancy.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

IF that is what you truly need to begin to submerge, then who am I to argue. Of course, you only need to slip slowly beneath the surface; most folks tend to overweight so they descend rapidly - there's no prize for getting down there first, and in fact it only works against you during the rest of the dive.

 

[Gombessa]

I do need 25# with my 7mm wetsuit. This is the minimum weight that would get me to submerge (with back inflate BC and AL80).

If I go with a SS backplate and use steel tanks, I can prolly knock off about 8-9 lbs. That still leaves about 16-17 lbs on the belt for a 7 mm wetsuit.

I was looking for some advice on lightweight (yet warm) undergarments that won't add too much buoyancy.

Vimal, your numbers are pretty spot on in terms of averages. I don't know anyone who dives single tanks without some kind of weight belt here.

If you get a steel plate and steel tank, you can potentially take off 15 lbs, but assuming you're weighted correctly to begin with, you'd still need a belt.