What to wear under my Bare Velocity 8/7mm hooded one-piece?

[Papasmurf89]

Hey guys,

I've got the Bare Velocity 8/7mm hooded one-piece seen here:

Dive - Products - Wetsuits - Velocity - 8/7MM VELOCITY HOODED SEMI-DRY - Men's

I love it so far but I get a little bit chilly in it, especially since the water temps have cooled down (53-55F). I mostly get cold in my chest and upper arms. I've got a little bit of room in my chest area (it could fit slightly better/tighter but I'm super tall and lanky so finding a good fitting wetsuit off the rack is very hard; this is one of the best fits I've had to be honest) and was thinking about getting something to wear underneath.

So far the two options I've been thinking about are a Lavacore long-sleeve top or a 3-5mm neoprene vest to wear underneath. I was curious on what you guys thought. Which do you think would keep me warmer? For those that own a Lavacore top, how much warmer does it keep you than without? I can get it for approximately half price...do you think it'd be worth it? Just a sidenote, I would not be able to get a longsleeve neoprene vest to wear underneath. The arms on my Bare Velocity fit me well and I think the Lavacore or a rash guard is all I'd be able to fit underneat. Like I mentioned, I do have room in the chest/torso though.

Thanks.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Here's an option similar to Lavacore that quite a few divers like. Mens Thermocline Top

 

[Papasmurf89]

I'll check it out. I'm a grad student and one of the reasons I was checking out the Lavacore was because I get a significant discount on it. I won't with the one you linked so I'll probably be looking for something else but thanks for the input!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

If you have excess room in your chest area, that is NOT good. I have never used a lava core, but I am quite skeptical of some of their claims with respect to warmth. If you are anywhere near as poor as I was in school, you might consider the following:

A rashguard nylon long sleeve shirt. Then over that, a somewhat tight wool sweater. If you are thin you can probably squeeze your arms in the suit with the sweater. Wool works incredibly well underwater- an old sweater from the thrift store is a lot cheaper than anything else. Wool socks work super well for inexpensive insulation under neoprene dive boots if you have room in the fin pockets.

even a cotton sweatshirt is better than nothing to reduce the velocity of the water moving around in the torso of the suit.

 

[Papasmurf89]

Interesting. I hadn't thought about using a wool sweater. I'll definitely check it out. I wouldn't say I have a lot of room in the chest area, but I do have a little. I do have some money to spend. I'd say my budget is around $100.

 

[divin'dog]

You probably have too much water circulating through the suit. I wear a 3mm core warmer under a 7mm and it does wonders to keep me warmer. Consider something that will be skintight and comfortable for you to wear underneath your suit. Once the water fills your suit and your body heats it up, you don't want it going anywhere. You could also try pouring warm water into your suit just before getting in. Makes a big difference when you're getting in the water.

 

[Lorenzoid]

From what I've experienced, Lavacore doesn't add a whole lot of insulation. It's equivalent in insulation to maybe 1.5 mm of neoprene. If you're already diving an 8/7 semi-dry and still feel cold, maybe you should consider a drysuit. If the 8/7 doesn't fit well, maybe try a custom wetsuit first. Yes, neither is an inexpensive solution.

 

[Papasmurf89]

You probably have too much water circulating through the suit. I wear a 3mm core warmer under a 7mm and it does wonders to keep me warmer. Consider something that will be skintight and comfortable for you to wear underneath your suit. Once the water fills your suit and your body heats it up, you don't want it going anywhere. You could also try pouring warm water into your suit just before getting in. Makes a big difference when you're getting in the water.

Would you mind linking the core warmer that you use?

 

[divin'dog]

I wear this 3mm under a 7mm for NE diving. Helps to keep the water from moving around too much without feeling stuffed like the Michelin Man.