What do you wear to stay warm in drysuit/cold water? - two questions

[grf88]

These gloves, although not very thick, provide a lot of warmth. A lot of divers in Ontario use them.
Fox River Mid Weight Ragg Gloves (Unisex) - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available
I find them warm enough for water temperatures in the low 30's.
For underwear I have Fourth Element Arctics and use MEC Expedition weight underwear underneath. Together with a moderate amount of bioprene I find this enough for 40-50 mins in sub 40 degree water.

 

[j yaeger]

it's probably against the law,but i use toe warmers(99cents) inside my dry gloves...
ive been doing this for years with no prob.my glove system is restricted to how heavy a liner i can use
this is the best solution ive found,but they have to have air around them to work,can't be squeezed tight.
as was said also,key to warm hands is warm torso!
have fun
yaeg

 

[grf88]

it's probably against the law,but i use toe warmers(99cents) inside my dry gloves...
ive been doing this for years with no prob.my glove system is restricted to how heavy a liner i can use
this is the best solution ive found,but they have to have air around them to work,can't be squeezed tight.
as was said also,key to warm hands is warm torso!
have fun
yaeg

I would not recommend these if you are using Nitrox to inflate your suit.

 

[buddhasummer]

I had a heated vest, wanted to be warmer so bought a full heated suit. I haven't received it yet as it's a MTM so can't comment but given it's cost I'm hoping I'm going to be tropical toasty or I'll be wishing I'd spent the money actually going somewhere tropically toasty.

 

[sunnyboy]

I used the chemical hand warmers in my drygloves for one year. They did work, but you had to get them going ahead of time. Even with them I found I was cold.

Over a year ago I switched to a heated vest, plus added a long sleeve base layer. I found that cold arms was making my hands cold quicker, and the extra arm covering did make a difference. But the heated vest really made the big difference.

I've tried both the UTS vest with canister battery and now dive the Thermalution red. I prefer not having the wires pass through the suit.

 

[mathauck0814]

My $0.02: Go with a dense fleece like the 4th Element Arctic and an active heating solution like GG/UTD heated vests. Longest was 4h18m in 49'F water. Even sweat some toward the end when the water warmed up at the surface.

 

[jwalko]

Thanks everyone for the replies...good info. Regarding the heated vest/undersuits...I've looked at those. Not ready to make that kind of investment yet, before exploring other options. Just bought a 3-D vest and am going to try it with some better layering before buying a new undergarment. This is supposed to help keep air around your torso because it won't compress. Also, bought some wrist liners (4th Element Xerotherm) and will see. Talked to Mike at DRIS and he reminded me of my wrists being cold because of the "thin-ness" of the seals...so going to try the liners under the gloves. Also...installing a relief valve in my suit...will help me stay better hydrated...and maybe with a warm drink before a cold dive without having to worry about it. Going to purchase better thermals...didn't think my legs/arms were getting cold...but it all goes together. I'm thinking that better thermal protection on arms and legs will help (can't hurt, right).

A good friend has the 4th element Halo 3-D and he is going to let me try them out in a couple of weeks. We'll see how it goes. I may end up investing in the 4th element stuff...but I need to try it first to see if it lives up to the hype.

John

 

[buddhasummer]

Thanks everyone for the replies...good info. Regarding the heated vest/undersuits...I've looked at those. Not ready to make that kind of investment yet, before exploring other options. Just bought a 3-D vest and am going to try it with some better layering before buying a new undergarment. This is supposed to help keep air around your torso because it won't compress. Also, bought some wrist liners (4th Element Xerotherm) and will see. Talked to Mike at DRIS and he reminded me of my wrists being cold because of the "thin-ness" of the seals...so going to try the liners under the gloves. Also...installing a relief valve in my suit...will help me stay better hydrated...and maybe with a warm drink before a cold dive without having to worry about it. Going to purchase better thermals...didn't think my legs/arms were getting cold...but it all goes together. I'm thinking that better thermal protection on arms and legs will help (can't hurt, right).

A good friend has the 4th element Halo 3-D and he is going to let me try them out in a couple of weeks. We'll see how it goes. I may end up investing in the 4th element stuff...but I need to try it first to see if it lives up to the hype.

John

Have you had a chance to try out the Halo yet? Cheers