Drysuit urine management survey - men

What is your usual strategy for managing urine while using a drysuit?

  • Condom catheter with P-valve

    Votes: 122 60.7%
  • Condom catheter with collection bag

    Votes: 2 1.0%
  • Adult diaper

    Votes: 11 5.5%
  • Medication to reduce urine produciton

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Uretheral catheter with either P-valve or collection bag

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Urinal-type products with either P-valve or collection bag

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Plan dives so that urination during the dive is not necessary

    Votes: 66 32.8%

  • Total voters
    201

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I didn't vote... I've used a condom catheter with P-valve a couple of times, but it wasn't pleasant. I'm thinking to try an adult diaper. For now I avoid being properly hydrated, which isn't a great solution as others have pointed out.
 
Drysuit diving poses some unique requirements:
  1. The diver is active and is moving his legs
  2. It is not possible to reach the genital area with the hands and reposition any tubing
  3. Any system must work in multiple orientations, at least while storing urine, including inverted.
This makes the problem more difficult to solve than it is for glider pilots or truckers, for example, or elderly men who are dealing with incontinence. I think this explains some of the lack of innovation in this area.

There are some latex sheaths used in sex play by the fetish community that may be an improvement over condom catheters, because they do not appear to require adhesive to stay in place. I haven't experimented with them, but they could be an alternative:

(Warning: link is to a page with explicit content including a photograph of a model wearing the product) w w w.extremerestraints.com/realistic-latex-penis-sheath-with-tube.html - covering the penis and scrotum

(Warning: link is to a page with explicit content including a photograph of a model wearing the product) w w w.twistmyrubberarm.com/index.php?info=prod&code=U237&k0=him#1 - worn like a speedo so that the sheath is held in place

I have deliberately formatted the links so that they have to be cut-and-pasted to avoid unintentional astonishment. You will have to take out the spaces in the "w w w" for the links to work.
 
I bought a P-valve a couple of years ago, but I have yet to install it. So far, 2 hours or so in the water seems manageable. If I start to do longer exposures (warmer water will be a requirement!) or something changes, I'll install and use it. Otherwise, not.
 
I use a cather/pvalve arrangement. It is some trial and error but not a very steep learning curve.
My best advice is to test it once you suit up, it is very easy to fix issues prior to gearing up/splashing, not so easy once submerged. Don't be worried about the catheter removal either, get in the shower and just pull on it! The catheter I mean.
 
I have a recurring thought that the guy who decided it was important to stay hydrated is just playing a practical joke on all drysuit divers. Seriously, let's guzzle 3 litres of water, then zip ourselves into a zip-loc baggy for a couple of hours. Hilarious.

When he dies, they're going to open his Will and all it's going to say is "Just kidding". :rofl3:
 
@2airishuman

I’ve never experienced those issues you list. A good external catheter like from Rochester Medical and I’m set. If I’m tec diving, a p-valve is a necessity. Same if I’m doing multiple rec dives.

I would not enjoy diving as much without one.

I do try to hold it as long as possible to not lose warm mass. As once I go, it doesn’t take long before I have to go again.
 
My biggest issue is on the first dive of a trip getting over my mental gap of "peeing my pants" in my drysuit with cath. Once, I get past that then I have a hard time on the way home after a long weekend of diving, retraining my brain to not start seeing my pants on the car ride home.
 
I'm a more casual diver than some here, and never stay down more than an hour. I can do several dives a day though, and the crotch zip on my drysuit really pays for itself. The back entry style is trim and comfie, but harder to get in and out of; with the extra zip I can just stay in it the whole time.
 
Sitting around the hotel room the night before a big dive with my buddies,
enjoying our pre-catheter shave together...
Ah, happy memories.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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