Want to buy Dry Suit but...

[gcbryan]

The bottom line is there is no magic thin but warm undergarment. We've all looked!

If you go to a steel backplate and steel tanks you will have less on a weight belt regardless of how much that is.

I'm 6'1" 185 lb, dive in waters that get down to 46 F or so, use a SS (5lb) BP and a HP 119 steel tank and use 22 lbs on my weight belt.

If you want to make the "rig" heavier you can get a weighted STA or get a DSS BP and the optional 8lb bolt on plate.

Some people use a weight harness instead of a weight belt (not me).

It depends on your size regarding the weight but there is no magical undergarment unfortunately. Moving some weight to your back is generally a very good idea and is easier to carry.

 

[jagfish]

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...

Aside from your body size and makeup, weighting choices are also a function of configuration philosophy. Big guys will almost always need more weight to sink the exposure protection.

That said, I'm 174cm (5'9") and weigh in at 84 kg (185 pounds) these days, so I'm bigger than I want to be, but not a particularly large footprint. I dive BP/W, have never worn a weight belt and never plan to. I've owned three different shell suits and this has always been the case so far.

Our waters get down to 10C here (50 F). At the moment, I have a Whites fusion. I use a polypro base layer, and 300 wt stretch fleece over that. In the last year or so, I've been feeling colder, so I now have the Whites overjacket I wear sometimes as well (200 or 300 wt fleece).

My Rig: SS BP (3kg, 6.6 pounds), heavy STA (3KG, 6.6 pounds) and two side pockets that hold 2kg each (4.4 pounds each) have always been enough weight to compensate up to an empty AL 80. With steel tanks (10L, 12L, 14L) I am able to take weight out of the side pockets as needed.

So with an AL 80, I'm wearing up to 6.6 + 6.6 + 8.8 = 22 pounds...Yikes, never knew it was that much.

Anyway, I'm able to do that without a weight belt. If I needed more weight than that, I'd likley use steel more, and/or move to a heavy plate, which would add 2 or 3 pounds.

With BP/W, there are options...

 

[Jang]

I have yet to graduate to a backplate and steel tanks. Although, I've used steel 72's and 100's before and the resulting lower lead count was awesome.

I dive a Fusion and I am 200lb, 6ft and dive regularly with 200 weight fleece with light polypro to to a low of 37F for 30min with 28lb and an AL80.

I don't think your expectations to dump lots of weight will be fulfilled. But, you'll be way more comfortable though.

 

[vimaldude]

Aside from your body size and makeup, weighting choices are also a function of configuration philosophy. Big guys will almost always need more weight to sink the exposure protection.

That said, I'm 174cm (5'9") and weigh in at 84 kg (185 pounds) these days, so I'm bigger than I want to be, but not a particularly large footprint. I dive BP/W, have never worn a weight belt and never plan to. I've owned three different shell suits and this has always been the case so far.

Our waters get down to 10C here (50 F). At the moment, I have a Whites fusion. I use a polypro base layer, and 300 wt stretch fleece over that. In the last year or so, I've been feeling colder, so I now have the Whites overjacket I wear sometimes as well (200 or 300 wt fleece).

My Rig: SS BP (3kg, 6.6 pounds), heavy STA (3KG, 6.6 pounds) and two side pockets that hold 2kg each (4.4 pounds each) have always been enough weight to compensate up to an empty AL 80. With steel tanks (10L, 12L, 14L) I am able to take weight out of the side pockets as needed.

So with an AL 80, I'm wearing up to 6.6 + 6.6 + 8.8 = 22 pounds...Yikes, never knew it was that much.

Anyway, I'm able to do that without a weight belt. If I needed more weight than that, I'd likley use steel more, and/or move to a heavy plate, which would add 2 or 3 pounds.

With BP/W, there are options...

I have exactly the same 'dimensions' (5' 10" and 185 lb). Moving the weight to BP and STA sounds like a good idea. Generally speaking, our shoulders can carry more weight than our waists.

Thanks.

 

[Teamcasa]

I think you need to revisit your weighting! Rarely does a diver need anywhere near 25#,

Really? Maybe but most divers over 6'0" 220lbs+ will need that much or more. A divers physical size and body physiology determine the actual ballast needed first, exposure suit, gear configuration and skills will allow adjustments from that base number.

and you might find in a form fitting [-]wetsuit[/-] drysuit like the White's Fusion,

fixed it for you.

 

[Teamcasa]

BTW, I use the same weighting in either my wetsuit (7mm full, hood and gloves) as I do my Whites Catalyst 360 (plus hood and gloves).

If the water temp is expected to drop below 50, I'll add the jacket and add two lbs.

 

[TSandM]

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

This has got to be in MUCH warmer water than where I dive! I do not know ANYONE who dives in Puget Sound, even in a steel backplate with weight plates, and doesn't use additional weight. My husband dives a SS plate and 8 lb weight plates, and still uses 10 lbs on a belt. I dive a SS plate and six pounds of camband weights, and use 20 lbs on a belt (so 31 lbs of total ballast). This has been repeatedly weight-checked, since I periodically succumb to the people who insist I can't POSSIBLY need all that much weight, and every time it turns out right.

It's the undergarments. I get cold, so I wear heavy ones (Mk3) and layer them (200g Thinsulate vest).

To the OP -- you may not need more weight with a drysuit and undergarments. The people I've seen with the greatest need for weight have been people wearing 7 mm overlapping wetsuits (Farmer John type) so they have 14 mm on their core. But even if you do, you can move it around so it doesn't mess with your trim. I also use the principle of keeping the parts of the rig separated as long as I can, so I don't have to move the full weight until I'm actually going into the water, and don't have to bear it long.

It takes what it takes, and it's better to be warm.

 

[Teamcasa]

It takes what it takes, and it's better to be warm.

Perfect! Thanks Lynne.

 

[micklock]

This is the undergarment I use SCUBA Diving Equipment for Technical, Wreck and Cave Diving: Dive Rite, Inc - Product Catalog - Primaloft Jumpsuit

Weighing less than Thinsulate Insulation and other compressible garments, our Primaloft Jumpsuit has a lower loft, which means divers are not required to carry as much weight in order to achieve neutral buoyancy.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

Hey sorry I did not mean to start an argument with regards to weight needs. Perhaps it was the lead implants I had installed!!

The truth of the matter is, we dive NJ with great frequency, dive it dry, with single steel & pony, or double steel cylinders, backplates, and zero additional weight. True, you don't sink like a rock, however, you do sink, and unless there is a race to the bottom, I'll get there too, just like the overweighted diver. Of course, I'll have a lot less air in my BC to contend with throughout the dive, but hey, who's counting?