What a Difference the right undergarment makes

[Peter Guy]

I bought a used dry suit (High Tide uncompressed neoprene) last summer and have been diving it since. When I bought the suit, I decided I would just use fleece undergarments that I already owned -- basically heavy fleece pants and a lighter weight fleece sweater along with poly-pro underwear. I have maybe 50 dives on it and while I have generally been warm, the dives have always been "interesting" on the ascent. I have continuously felt the suit wasn't venting well and it wasn't.

Finally I decided this was stupid and went looking for an undergarment that would work under this suit. I ended up with a Mobby's lightweight fleece from the LDS and got a very good price (it had been there for a while because, in the PNW, who wants a Lightweight undergarment).

MAN what a difference the right equipment makes!

Pretty clearly the valve wasn't the culprit on the venting issue -- my lightweight top was! (I think it was a combination of air trapping and getting sucked into the value.) But, all of a sudden I realized I could trust the suit -- that meant more air into it -- that meant more warmth and better bouyancy control -- not to mention less total weight!

Note to self -- DO NOT GET CHEAP on the basic tools of Scuba!

 

[Mo2vation]

Note to self -- DO NOT GET CHEAP on the basic tools of Scuba!

There are a lot of ways to cobble together an acceptable under garment without paying Dive manufacturer prices. That said, however - there are a lot of BAD ways to do it as well... and you find yourself shivering and having no fun.

As cheap as I am, this is one area where I have not cut corners. Diving with the 130, with HBSipperGurl on a 130 now - we're doing longer dives (90's, 80's, 70's) and I have never been more happy that I have UG's that work.

---
Ken

 

[Rick Inman]

On the money. eyebrow

I have the fleece undies that came with my Whites DS, and layer beneath that. I need to layer because the water temps where I dive very by FIFTY DEGREES from winter to summer. But I didn't go cheep on the layers. Two of the layers cost me 100.00 each, then a good ploypro, for a total of four layers. Plus I bought some Weezle socks (about $60, I think), which changed everything for me.

Finally, this year, I have been warm down to 34 degrees. Yes, it makes all the difference!