Wrist and ankle seal enhancement with silicone

[Thalassamania]

Easy, zippers are not needed, as I pointed out about three years ago. Flexible material is needed: GN-231 Skin two side or Lycra one side. Though not required, a little baby shampoo cut with water can go into the suit as a lubricant or you can use powder. Farmer Johns pull on, fold the Jacket body up half way, pull on the sleeves and hood, pull the body down ... not much to it.

 

[gert7to3]

Wow, this thread started getting weird fast, but it's entertaining.

Yes my post was in reference to the possibility of making a semi-dry suit more semi dry or a wetsuit kind of semi dry. The main areas I was thinking about were wrists and ankles. I am getting a new 7 mil (AquaLung Aqua Flex), but it doesn't have skin liners around these areas like my old suit has (Camaro). However, it does have a zipper with seals which should really limit water circulation. The limbs feel snug and they should be pretty water resistant. I will still have my hooded vest for colder water.

I thought the premise of a semi-dry suit was to limit water entry as much as possible. Air would squeeze out, but the suit mostly excludes water. Hence, I thought about creating a silicone "skin" layer.

As I ponder this subject further, it seems that the skirt of a hood might seal better if it had sort of a "skin" type surface. I just may try this on a hood to see if it helps. I'll post some pictures and give it a spin in Lake Michigan.

I own several semi-dry wetsuits (all Camaros, 3,5 and 7mm) where some areas will stay dry throughout a dive.

 

[mts0628]

Sorry. Try again.


That water is stealing heat from the body. That water is why wetsuits are inefficient in keeping a diver warm. A semi-dry wetsuit tries to fix that problem, but still isn't very good.

Its the gas trapped in the neoprene that is insulating you from the water.

I agree that water is stealing heat from the body; heat flows from hot to cold, in the simplest terms. But depending on the thickness of the suit and thus its ability to warm the water in between the skin and the wetsuit, the diver can experience a longer dive than with a thinner or even no wet exposure suit. They are not the best solution, but for certain divers or for those who can't afford a dry suit yet, then they are an option.

I also agree that is the nitrogen blown bubbles in the neoprene that accounts for it's insulative properties but in order to warm the water against the body. But then we get back to the inefficiency of the task at hand.

And finally, the OP started the thread with wetsuits but as the thread progressed, then semi-dry was specified. Now the request makes sense but then comes the question of the efficiency of the semi-dry wetsuit.

 

[Thalassamania]

I agree that water is stealing heat from the body; heat flows from hot to cold, in the simplest terms. But depending on the thickness of the suit and thus its ability to warm the water in between the skin and the wetsuit, the diver can experience a longer dive than with a thinner or even no wet exposure suit. They are not the best solution, but for certain divers or for those who can't afford a dry suit yet, then they are an option.

I also agree that is the nitrogen blown bubbles in the neoprene that accounts for it's insulative properties but in order to warm the water against the body. But then we get back to the inefficiency of the task at hand.

And finally, the OP started the thread with wetsuits but as the thread progressed, then semi-dry was specified. Now the request makes sense but then comes the question of the efficiency of the semi-dry wetsuit.

Jeff is right in that the insulation is provided by as trapped in the neoprene. But more heat is lost (in current conventional designs) as a result of the exchange of warmed water with cold water as is lost by radiation through that insulation.

Most "semi dry" suits are quite uncomfortable due to squeeze if you do not flood them. Their advantage is that once the water in the suit is warm (either warmed by your body or poured in warm) it does not exchange (much) with the colder water outside. Zippers are the biggest culprit when it comes to such exchange, and if by "zipper with seals" you mean zippers with gussets behind the zipper, forget it. They are better than nothing ... but not much. A smooth neoprene surface always seals better than a nylon one.