DUI 400g - Still King of the Hill?

[BarryNL]

Santi using things similar to DUI

A lot of the DIR divers over here seem to be picking up the Santi BZ400 undersuits for the winter. The opinions seem very positive - particularly in that the Santi's are cut with ease of movement in mind - supposedly valve drills are easier.

I'm picking mine up tomorrow so I'll let you know how it goes

 

[PerroneFord]

Excellent, thanks Barry. However, I worry about those "European cuts" which often tend to be more fitted than their US counterparts.

 

[Gene_Hobbs]

The same information used by the WKPP to decide what exposure protection should be used is still available today. It is just MUCH easier to get your hands on research than it was back in the day.

Thermal Protection Suggested Reading List

The Xerotherm Artic is interesting but it is quite likely that it will never be tested to the extent that the DUI M-400 has been. This is based on the VERY promising work that is being done with Aerogel technology. These suits are showing that they really are the next best thing however the production will be delayed for a while due to how complicated it is to work with (I keep begging for a prototype but the Navy will not let go of them). The Xerotherm Arctic does hold several advantages that will destroy any Thinsulate based garment and is worth consideration but again, this is based on many subjective reports and reviews and not any real science (washing and compressibility when packing, both VERY bad for M-400). NOTE: I don't talk about other M-400 based garments because they are not tested in their various respective configurations.

The Stinton article listed in the reading is a nice review:
Stinton RT. Survey of Thermal Protection Strategies. In: Lang, MA and Smith, NE (eds.). Proceedings of Advanced Scientific Diving Workshop: February 23-24, 2006, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. RRR ID: 4658

 

[JeffG]

The Xerotherm Artic is interesting but it is quite likely that it will never be tested to the extent that the DUI M-400 has been.

I have a buddy that dove that underwear on the Jodrey (215ft @ 53 deg F) and he was shivering on his deco stop. That tells me all I need to know about the "Arctic"

 

[PerroneFord]

I have a buddy that dove that underwear on the Jodrey (215ft @ 53 deg F) and he was shivering on his deco stop. That tells me all I need to know about the "Arctic"

I've spoken to some people locally using the Arctics for Florida caving who've replaced their thinsulate with that, but I don't think I'd be trying them in the Great Lakes.

 

[nadwidny]

I have a buddy that dove that underwear on the Jodrey (215ft @ 53 deg F) and he was shivering on his deco stop. That tells me all I need to know about the "Arctic"

I liked his statement, "I think they call it "Arctic" underwear cause it makes relatively warm water feel like the friggin' Arctic. ".

 

[PerroneFord]

I wonder if we can get a group leader or a mod to remove the off-topic posts. Things were going so well...

 

[JeffG]

I wonder if we can get a group leader or a mod to remove the off-topic posts. Things were going so well...

Done.

 

[PerroneFord]

Thank you sir. I'm anxious to hear Barry's report on his new Santi now! Hopefully he posts some pictures.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Until recently I've used a Smartwool layer underneath a Bare CT200 thinsulate undergarment with a trilam suit in the Great Lakes. I've dove that combination to a depth of 120 feet or so and temps around 40 F. My comfort level was OK, but I knew I wanted something better. I've recently picked up a Weezle Extreme+ and I'm looking forward to putting it through its paces. One of my main beefs with Thinsulate is its lack of launderability. I absolutely want an undergarment I can wash. That was one of the main reasons I went with the Weezle.