Drysuit weight vs. undergarments?

[Uraluni]

In summer I wear 20 year old wool/lycra cycling tights (the crotch is showing its age)

Ya know...I never thought to wear cycling tights as an undergarment. I like this idea. Thanks! :kiss2:

 

[elan]

So what I'm wondering is how much effect my undergarments will have on my weighting and am I having to add an abnormally large amount of weight compared to what I wear wet? I'm thinking that I could probably lose 2 lbs from that last dive, but still means I'm wearing 11 pounds more than when I dive a wetsuit. I was wearing a lot of fleece during those two dives and I'm thinking that if I stripped half of it off I might be able to reduce my weighting a few more pounds. I definitely was using a lot more air on those two dives than I usually do.

Why do you adjust your weighting with undergarments. Wear the undergarments that is required for your temperatures and the type of diving and adjust teh weighting accordingly. not vise versa. Put whatever is required.

 

[elmer fudd]

I'm still working it out. I did two more dives on Tuesday. The first one with a polypro underlayer and one layer of fleece on over that. I started with 30 lbs, but at the end of the dive I pulled out 5 lbs., did a buoyancy check at 10' and was still able to go slightly negative, so I was somewhat overweighted with those undergarments on. Unfortunately, I was also cold. For the next dive I added a heavy button down shirt and the pair of jeans I had been wearing earlier that day. I know that's exactly the kind of stuff you're not supposed to wear for a dive, but I hadn't planned on wearing more and it was what I had with me.

Anyway, since I was adding additional clothing I kept the original 30 lbs of weight. The second time I stayed warm, so I'm thinking that in the future I'll go to a second layer of fleece and probably add a thin layer of cotton thermals too. Regardless of cotton's insulating properties when wet, the suit was much more comfortable with a layer of it present. On the first dive I had been sweating a little in the suit while gearing up and making my way to the shore and it felt muggy, damp and kind of itchy inside. On the second dive I didn't experience any of that and the suit seemed dryer inside after surfacing.

 

[dave4868]

I'm still working it out. I did two more dives on Tuesday. The first one with a polypro underlayer and one layer of fleece on over that. I started with 30 lbs, but at the end of the dive I pulled out 5 lbs., did a buoyancy check at 10' and was still able to go slightly negative, so I was somewhat overweighted with those undergarments on. Unfortunately, I was also cold. For the next dive I added a heavy button down shirt and the pair of jeans I had been wearing earlier that day. I know that's exactly the kind of stuff you're not supposed to wear for a dive, but I hadn't planned on wearing more and it was what I had with me.

Anyway, since I was adding additional clothing I kept the original 30 lbs of weight. The second time I stayed warm, so I'm thinking that in the future I'll go to a second layer of fleece and probably add a thin layer of cotton thermals too. Regardless of cotton's insulating properties when wet, the suit was much more comfortable with a layer of it present. On the first dive I had been sweating a little in the suit while gearing up and making my way to the shore and it felt muggy, damp and kind of itchy inside. On the second dive I didn't experience any of that and the suit seemed dryer inside after surfacing.

Nice job of experimenting! That's a good way to figure out what works.

The results of your experiment confirm some things I've also experienced: moist undergarments are colder, dry undergarments are warmer.

The other thing that may soon become apparent to you is that fine-tuning your weighting down to the minimum needed will mean less air in the suit and less warmth near the end of the dive..... :depressed:

My solutions have been to:

• keep nice and warm while gearing up to reduce core heat loss, but put on my undergarments and suit LAST, thereby keeping them dry (in the winter, I'll wear a snowmobile suit and balaclava while setting up, so any sweating is done in those)
• try to avoid generating sweat prior to getting into the water (slow and efficient works for me)
• wear a little more weight than the minimum (about 10% more)

Dave C

 

[SubMariner]

I think there have been a number of excellent options discussed here. Well done, all!

Main points to consider:

1) Tailor the undergarments to the temp of the water you'll be diving at depth. However, the layer at skin level needs to be moisture wicking. You can mix & match layers to your taste after that. However, I must also put in my vote for cycling tights. They come in a variety of thicknesses & materials and don't get all bunched up like sweats.

2) Consider steel tank(s). They take weight off your belt (or wherever else you are going to put it).

3) Consider Rock Boots or similar. They act like gaitors, keeping air from moving down to your feet, negating the need for ankle weights. PLEASE DO NOT START A CROSS THREAD ON THE TOPIC OF ANKLE WEIGHTS. I INTRODUCE THIS AS A OPTION, ONLY!

Bonne chance,

 

[elmer fudd]

My suit's got built in boots, so the rock boots are out for the foreseeable future. I am considering gaiters though. Generally I'm pretty happy with my trim, but it's a little too easy to get somewhat upended when the air flows to my legs. It's not a real safety concern as I have an easy enough time righting myself, but it is annoying. I don't think I want to go the ankle weight route.

 

[Saudi-Diver]

I use Marino wool tights and long sleeved Marino wool tee shirt followed by a one piece fleece suit under a Scubapro Ever-dry 4 dry suit, its a nice warm set up for UK temperatures and seems to wick away sweat lovely. I need 28lb of lead to remain neutral at my safety stop at the end of the dive. Dress for the water temps then weight accordingly, use wicking materials next to your skin. I was also shocked how much extra weight I needed to dive my dry suit when I first got it.

 

[SharkWhisperer]

I've got the O'Neill Goretex one piece body suit, a light flannel shirt, and a big pair of wool socks.
I've got 30 lbs on my BC, and a steel 100.
I was just about perfect, no trouble dropping, and no trouble at the end of the dive with 500 left over.
As stated before, wear what you need to keep warm, and adjust the weight to that. Obviously, the thinner and more comfortable your "Underwear" is, the better, so spend a little extra on the first layer, could turn out to be all you need depending on water temp.
Zeagle's remake of the old rocket fin are heavy, and also might help do away with the need for ankle weights. I've never needed them.