Flexible but warm drysuit undergarment?

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Recommendations for undergarments that are warm enough for 40-50 degree water but still not so bulky/constraining to prevent reaching posts/manifold on doubles? Anyone every try woolx - 400g merino?

Thanks,

Hal

Hal...

I use T-Max Heat...two piece/black...low loft...with T-Max Heat socks...with a thermal knit cotton blend crew over-shirt...

Not officially a dry-suit under-garment...but keeps me nice and warm...without over-heating...in cold Great Lakes water right down to a couple of degrees above freezing...

My dry-suit is a custom sized DUI CF-200 Signature/DUI's proprietary crushed neoprene...

My under-garment combo may not work as effectively with a tri-lam shell suit...

My friend has a Weezle one piece under-garment and swears by it...he dives with a compressed neoprene BARE dry-suit...

Warren...
 
I use T-Max Heat...two piece/black...low loft...with T-Max Heat socks...with a thermal knit cotton blend crew over-shirt...
I'd use almost any other fiber before even considering cotton. Cotton is by far the worst fiber there is to be damp or wet in (cite: some 35 years of experience with hiking in wet North Atlantic coastal climate). Heck, I've even bought a couple of pairs of viscose boxer briefs to avoid wearing cotton down there.

I'd still prefer wool there as well, if it hadn't been for the fact that wool boxer briefs make my cojones itch like crazy. Yes, I've tested it.
 
In my (albeit limited) experience, there is no such thing as a drysuit. The best you can hope for is a reasonably-dry-most-of-the-time-suit. So you should plan on getting damp and possibly miserably wet. Which could suck pretty bad during the boat ride back to shore if you're unlucky or have chosen the wrong underwear.

Now, while cotton just plainly sucks if you're damp or wet, wool and certain synthetics don't suck that much. The decent synthetics (typically polypro, to a lesser extent some polyesters) depend on a certain level of physical exertion to force the moisture outwards from your skin, but wool is the only fiber which can provide some heat if you're not active enough to transport the moisture outwards. Wool is the only fiber which can absorb some 30% of its own weight in water and still feel dry, and it's the only fiber which retains any significant insulation properties when soaking wet.

Which is why I'm more or less OCD about wearing wool as my base/wicking layer if I'm engaging in a low-intensity activity like scuba diving. Except, as mentioned, around my cojones which, as mentioned, itch like crazy if surrounded by wool.
 
I'd use almost any other fiber before even considering cotton. Cotton is by far the worst fiber there is to be damp or wet in (cite: some 35 years of experience with hiking in wet North Atlantic coastal climate). Heck, I've even bought a couple of pairs of viscose boxer briefs to avoid wearing cotton down there.

I'd still prefer wool there as well, if it hadn't been for the fact that wool boxer briefs make my cojones itch like crazy. Yes, I've tested it.

Hi S...

I'm alergic to wool...and my skin reacts just as bad to ''some'' synthetics...my T-Max Heat set is 100% polyester...flocked on the inside...I have no adverse skin reaction with this combo...the thermal cotton over-shirt is more for ''filler'' than warmth...

With few exceptions...after a morning of Great lakes wreck charters in + 4/+6 degree C...I can unzip my DUI and I'm still dry as a bone underneath...while my buddy with the Weasle...along with his undergarment...is wet with perspiration...to a point where his suit has to be dried thoroughly before it can be used again...

I like my way better...like most things...maybe not for everyone...but works great for me...

Best...

Warren
 
after a morning of Great lakes wreck charters in + 4/+6 degree C...I can unzip my DUI and I'm still dry as a bone underneath...while my buddy with the Weasle...along with his undergarment...is wet with perspiration...to a point where his suit has to be dried thoroughly before it can be used again...
It's rather probable that this is due to personal differences. Some people sweat a lot, others... not so much. And if you have a minor - or major - leak, your personal experiences may be insignificant.

A data basis of two persons isn't very statistically significant. The inherent properties of cotton vs synthetics vs wool are. Because they've been proven over and over again.

Whether those differences are significant for you - or any other person - depends on the person.
 
No way would I wear wool unmentionables. Itch, itch! I find a pair of the Exofficio travel wicking unmentionables works well. On top, workout bra.
 
It's rather probable that this is due to personal differences. Some people sweat a lot, others... not so much. And if you have a minor - or major - leak, your personal experiences may be insignificant.

A data basis of two persons isn't very statistically significant. The inherent properties of cotton vs synthetics vs wool are. Because they've been proven over and over again.

Whether those differences are significant for you - or any other person - depends on the person.

S...

You are correct...and I think I said that...

Best...

Warren
 
You 'murricans...
North American or Canadian might be the more appropriate term here but I digress..
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In my (albeit limited) experience, there is no such thing as a drysuit. The best you can hope for is a reasonably-dry-most-of-the-time-suit. So you should plan on getting damp and possibly miserably wet. Which could suck pretty bad during the boat ride back to shore if you're unlucky or have chosen the wrong underwear.

I suppose I understand what you're getting at but while everyone sweats differently I would argue that one can be reasonably "dry" in a drysuit provided you have good wicking / base layer (as you already stated). Like you, I prefer wool or a synthetic polyester blend as a base layer. As you said there are many different variables such perspiration/sweat, water temperatures, surface air temperatures, drysuit materials, how hard you're working, how long you're on the surface sweating inside your drysuit.

I just hate the misconception that there is no such thing as a drysuit. I would argue that anyone coming out of the water soaked or uncomfortably and miserably damp in drysuit has other issues at hand. I know this is not what you're specifically saying but I've occasionally seen other divers argue that there is no such thing as a "dry" suit without clarifying what they mean. :)

Myself and dive buddies can dive in 2C-4C water temperatures and provided we have no drysuit malfunctions we all come out of the water reasonably dry beyond usual perspiration and very minor condensation inside drysuit.

To the OP (@Hal),
40-50 degrees (for me and I suspect others) is a huge temperature range. What I typically wear in 40f (4c) can be very different than what I wear in 50f (10c) water. With that being said, for 50f (10c) water I really like Fourth Element Arctics or DUI 300 gram Polartec undergarments. I wear a single midweight base layer with these and I can do valve drills reasonably well and have good flexibility.

In 40f (4c) or below water, I find these are not sufficient by themselves so I'd wear 450 gram undergarments, or add additional layering, active heated vests, etc. I have much less flexibility here and have to reasonably loft my drysuit in order to get some flexibility back but I can reach my valves.

Of course undergarments and base layers can also highly depend on your planned dive duration / runtimes. I actually wear an old ~8 year old set of Fourth Element Arctics in 72f (22c) water in Florida and some dives I come out of the water freezing.

If you're trying for maximum flexibility then try to limit having multiple layers + additional vest. It can really hinder your flexibility depending on how much room you have in your drysuit or how bulky your additional layers are. If your drysuit is not cut for bulky undergarments (cave cut or well fitting) then you may have issues when you start adding lots of layers.

Obviously everyone's thermal comfort is different but just giving you some perspective.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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