What Wet Suit Will Keep Me Warm Out of the Water?

[rmaly76]

So the story goes like this...

An avid NFL fan, season ticket holder, and occasional diver has gone through extensive work and expense to create a super hero suit to wear to his local pro-football team's games. The suit is modeled after superman complete with cape and tights. The knock-off superman logo is professionally printed in team colors on three different weights of Under Amour to maintain the tight fitting clothing requirements of any super hero. The problem was with last year's winter weather games ranging from 45 degrees and rainy to 16 degrees and snowy (Under Amour is a wonderful thing but even the winter weather stuff can not stand by itself in these conditions). So far, no good base layer has been found to keep the fan warm in these conditions (he only plays a super hero, but is actually quite a wimp). Most of the winter weather products out there add just enough bulk to eliminate the slim svelt physique of a superhero. The search continues, but the cheap ******* doesn't want to shell out $400 for a snow ski racing suit and is hoping to find a good alternative in the $100-$200 range that he can at least get more use than just the 2-4 winter home games a year, possibly when he dives in the carribean and/or caves in the mid-west.

I invite your stories about using diving exposure suits for activities other than diving and more specifically whether I am barking up the right tree in thinking that a wet suit is what I or rather the rabid super hero fan needs to stay warm while making sure his figure is well represented.

Thanks

 

[spectrum]

A wetsuit will provide considerable warmth and if you layer under or over it even more. Unfortunately it does not breathe so it will get very sticky inside. If it gets wet on the outside the evaporative cooling can be severe.

I am not nor have I every played a superhero on TV, but I have stayed at Holiday Inns.

 

[tedwhiteva]

A wetsuit will provide considerable warmth .

Only if the wind isn't blowing

I am not nor have I every played a superhero on TV, but I have stayed at Holiday Inns

.

That's Holiday Inn EXPRESS, dontchaknow:no

 

[spectrum]

Only if the wind isn't blowing

If the outside is dry it should deteriorate no more than any other garment in the wind and being impervious it should do better than many. I know my dry wetsuit impresses me pre-dive in borderline drysuit months. Once it's wet you're better off in the water.

That's Holiday Inn EXPRESS, dontchaknow:no

Been there too!

 

[scuba70]

There is a company out of FL that makes custom wetsuits. I saw them at an expo and they had a superman wetsuit on display. They said that if you can design it, they can create it. The only drawback is the price. The superman suit came in around $1100. Probably a bit out of range for your friend. I wish I could remember the name of the company.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

To be honest, I would think they would all react about the same on land....Its just going to be tough to pick how thick you need it....

 

[Thalassamania]

A wetsuit will provide considerable warmth and if you layer under or over it even more. Unfortunately it does not breathe so it will get very sticky inside. If it gets wet on the outside the evaporative cooling can be severe. ...

Unless you get skin out, or lycra out. Skin dries instantly and lycra is pretty damn fast.

 

[spectrum]

Unless you get skin out, or lycra out. Skin dries instantly and lycra is pretty damn fast.

True, but most common suits are nylon faced on the outside and they'll chill you for a good while before they even think about drying.

 

[Thalassamania]

True, but most common suits are nylon faced on the outside and they'll chill you for a good while before they even think about drying.

You bet. I've owned exactly one nylon out wet suit (a USD "Taskmaster" back in the early 1970s) and I'll never, ever, make that mistake again.

 

[dannobee]

I've been cold on the surface with a 7mm wetsuit and a hooded vest. Very cold. But it was on a boat and the air temp was 50 degrees.

I'm going to disagree with some of the others here and say it won't keep you warm. Once you start to sweat with the thing on, you'll lose body heat. That's been my experience.

If wetsuits worked so well as undergarments, you'd see them on Mt. Everest, and that isn't happening.

I'd stick with something like this:

https://www.cdsportswear.com/wf_style2.htm