What to wear under rental wetsuit for more warmth?

[ravisurdhar]

1. Fourth Element thermocline tops and shorts.
2. Lavacore tops and short
3. Hyperflex by Henderson 13 Oz Polyolefin 50/50 Long Sleeve Rash Guard and Hyperflex by Henderson 13 Oz Polyolefin Shorts

Personally I choose option 3

This seems like what I'm looking for! How do all those compare? They all seem pretty similar? I take it they're all basically some sort of neoprene alternative on the outside and lined with fleece on the inside?

 

[SangP]

The material appears to be mostly polyolefin however, the construction of all the different brands appear to be different.

Lavacore calls their's Trilaminate Polytherm while Hyperflex calls it polyolefin. Regardless of what it's called it appears to be a form of synthetic fleece that reduces heat lost by reducing water flow through the suit. Only the hyperflex 50/50 have a neoprene outer layer but I'm not sure about lavacore or fourth elements suits.

In terms of performance, it would appear that the fourth element comes first, lavacore 2nd and the hyperflex the third however, the differences appear to be minimal.

Personally I would choose the Hyperflex 50/50 cus of the 1.5mm neoprene outer layer, you could wear the top under the wetsuit and leave it on like a tee after the dive or use it for snorkeling or light water sports. You could add either a pair of polyolefin shorts or pants depending on how much warmth you need.

I'm only aware of lavacore producing full length pants.

Another thing, stay away from velcro unless you want to look like a fuzzy ball lol.

Cheers

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

The lavacore has something similar to soft shell material.


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[victorzamora]

Everyone I dive with with Lavacore says they refuse to dive without it. Warmer underwater, not constrictive at all, and it's WAY warmer at the surface. I'm pretty good at dealing with cold, but Lavacore is the best thing I've touched for fighting off the wind of the boat ride back from the dive. Lavacore has one layer specifically for eliminating wind's ability to cut through it. It almost wears like UnderArmour Cold Gear, but comfier and good both wet and dry.

I'm not saying Lavacore is better than similar materials, but I know it works wonderfully. Other brand names for the same stuff may work as well or better.

 

[ravisurdhar]

I ended up getting a Lavacore long sleeve top and a Lavacore hood. I'm really glad I did! I don't think I've ever been warmer on a dive! The top fit perfectly under the 3mm long sleeve Bare wetsuits that the shop rented. The cut is definitely a bit weird in the shoulders, but it feels fine underwater. The material also dries really fast; it was only a bit damp for the second and third dives each day. My only complaint is that it's really hard to take off! Seems like it's almost stuck to your skin once you get out of the water! I had to get my girlfriend to pull it up over my shoulder blades every time, then I could pop my head out and yank my arms out of the sleeves. The fleece material comes off a bit when wet too; I ended up with tufts of black fur on my face and hands after taking it off. Hopefully that's not an issue over the long term. Overall I'm really happy! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

Roll that sucker off you. Sliding is for the birds. Turns it inside out for drying.


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[juicyblue]

Get a thermos of warm water to pour down the inside of the wetsuit before and after

I do this! And, fill my gloves and boots aswell Makes a huge difference. I learnt to dive in 16 degree water in a 5mm... Changed my life when on of the DM's told me to do this!

I also bought a 1mm fullbody thermaskin. Wasn't very expensive and I can dive in 20 degree water in a 3/2 mm with that underneath.