Non-traditional drysuit undergarments

[HungoverDiver]

I'm in the market for a drysuit at a reasonable cost, and will obviously need to acquire undergarments to wear under said drysuit. In an attempt to be thrifty, I am curious what people wear instead of the branded undergarments. I'm looking for something that works for 50-65 water off of SoCal, which I believe is the 200g range (please correct me if I'm wrong here).

I appreciate that DUI, 4th element, BARE, Waterproof, etc. all have high quality products, but I'd rather not pay $200+ for some pajamas.


Thanks guys.

 

[spectrum]

What is the suit, laminate or neoprene? That's the first fork in the road.

Are you equipped for any coles weather topside sports that may already have some items in your closet?

Some do the layered approach with generic components. Two key components not found in most pajamas include:
1) The ability to wick moister away from you. Perspiration and condensation are inevitable, it want to be on the shell not you or you will be cold.
2) The ability to provide insulation when wet. Getting wet is a "when" not "if" proposition. Wools can be a generic solution to this.

Pete

 

[WarrenZ]

Same thing I wear under my kilt ........ Lipstick.




Actually I have a Tilos Jump Suit I usually wear and have added a fleece vest when I need to add more warmth.

One Tip Bring an extra pair of wool socks and keep them in a ziplock bag it never fails that in a week of diving I will end up stepping in a puddle with my sock while getting into my drysuit usually after I already have the other leg in. Only took once to decide to always carry a spare pair.

 

[tbone1004]

ski clothes are your friend here. Polartec is Polartec, wool is pretty much wool. Hit up your local REI, or shop on the LL Bean catalog for cold weather gear. You want compression type clothes underneath, it helps protect your skin, but also is a good sweat wicking layer. Next is a set of pants or a full suit, preferably polartec or smart wool type material, REI heavyweight works quite well, and depending on your cold tolerane, the surface temperatures, and the length/frequency of your dives you will want to add layers accordingly. My preference is something like the heavyweight REI top and bottom, then a fleece vest. It limits the amount of bulk on my arms which never have air in them anyway, limits the amount in the legs which promotes head down trim, and since neither of them add a tremendous amount of thermal insulation, I choose to be a bit chilly at my arms and legs to be a lot warmer at the core.

 

[Divedoggie]

The key is that the undergarment material wicks moisture away from your body, and also maintains insulationg qualities while wet. Your local army surplus store will have great stuff at cheap prices!

 

[HungoverDiver]

What is the suit, laminate or neoprene? That's the first fork in the road.

It will be a laminate suit

Are you equipped for any coles weather topside sports that may already have some items in your closet?

Some do the layered approach with generic components. Two key components not found in most pajamas include:
1) The ability to wick moister away from you. Perspiration and condensation are inevitable, it want to be on the shell not you or you will be cold.
2) The ability to provide insulation when wet. Getting wet is a "when" not "if" proposition. Wools can be a generic solution to this.

Pete

I do not have a cold sporting clothes yet, but it looks like I will be soon. Does under armour count a sufficient wicking material?

 

[undrwater]

I found a used 200g undergarment on eBay for $30. I purchased an under wicking layer at sport chalet for maybe $15. That seems to keep me warm enough here. If I were to do extended deco, probably not.

 

[jcaplins]

I bought my drysuit used with the DUI undergarments, but under that I use common synthetic base layer stuff from REI (Which I already owned), and wool socks.

My wife got a drysuit undergarment from ebay for ~$100. Search for user "rondel101bjrr". lots of good, inexpensive options. If I were to buy another undergarment, I would buy from him.

When shopping for stuff, consider the location of zippers and snaps and where they would be in relation to the drysuit valves. Even with actual "drysuit undergarments", I don't zip up the under garment all the way because the inflation valve will push the zipper into my chest, and it hurts.
Also consider long sleeves and or high collars that may interfere with the seals.

 

[WB2GLP]

Does under armour count a sufficient wicking material?

I use Under Armour Base 3.0 as a base layer and add Polartec fleece separates as needed based on water temp. If I'm planning on being below 50 for an extended time period, I'm wearing a thick DUI one piece undergarment.

 

[Rich Keller]

I have used thermals and sweat suits but this was with a neoprene dry suit. I was also working at the time so body heat was a help in addition to the clothing itself. I did not need that much insulation to stay warm as long as I kept moving.