Thermal protection for hands/feet

[redseal]

Right up front, I prefer to dive wet (why be in the water and be dry...I could stay on land or a boat?)

But in the last several dives, with water temps in the 36-40F range, my hands and my toes get cold and numb after about 20 minutes exposure, to the point that I have to get into warmer water and/or terminate the dive.

Any suggestions on how to keep them warm? I'm comfy with my 7mm Farmer Johns; the gloves are 7/5 Akona, and the boots are Henderson 5's. Are there liners or insulators or something... I'd like to be able to spend a bit more time in the water.

Thanks!

 

[Dryglove]

redseal once bubbled...

But in the last several dives, with water temps in the 36-40F range, my hands and my toes get cold and numb after about 20 minutes exposure, to the point that I have to get into warmer water and/or terminate the dive.

Contact bob3 from the board here and ask him about his endurotech 5mm gloves with wrist seals. The seals keep the water from flushing or you can pour warm water in the glove before the dive and the seal helps to keep the warm water in the glove. They are great gloves and last forever

 

[Soggy]

Get a set of fleece or smartwool gloves and cut the fingers off. It may help provide some extra insulation.

Wear wool socks underneath the boots....and buy some 7mm boots.

You can also duct-tape your gloves and boots to your suit. This will minimize flushing, but you'll need some help getting out of them.

Putting on another layer underneath the 7mm might help, since cold extremites generally means your core temperature has dropped.

They also make small heating packs that you could use as a handwarmer inside the glove.

redseal once bubbled...
Right up front, I prefer to dive wet (why be in the water and be dry...I could stay on land or a boat?)

Have you ever been diving dry? It's not like you feel less a part of the environment. The answer to "why dive dry" is the reason you gave....to stay in the water longer and be warmer. Drysuits also do not lose insulation with depth, so when your 7mm wetsuit is 2mm thick at 90 feet, I'm still nice and warm.

Diving wet in < 40 degree water is not safe. If your hands are so cold you have to abort after 20 minutes, you are clearly not comfortable, your chance of DCS is much higher, and your are much more likely to be narced.

I don't dive wet unless the temperature is in the mid-40s at least...and only shallow with a 7mm + 5mm core warmer.

 

[darkmoon3d]

I've had the same problem with cold hands and feet. Fixed problem by getting thicker gloves which stretch further down arm. If they end at wrist water will get in easier and won't work. For feet I got 7mm booties along with neoprene socks to go inside them. Worked really well diving in Indiana. Unfortunately I havn't had to use these since moving to Florida. =)

 

[JimC]

Get a set of fleece or smartwool gloves and cut the fingers off. It may help provide some extra insulation.

Woll and fleece have no insulation value when completely submerged, theres no air traped in the fibers any more. They might restrict water flow and reduce some of the convection heat loss.

But most of your heatloss under water is via conduction and radiation. Conduction is lessend by the air bubbles in your suit (thicker is better). Radiation loss is basicaly a constant you can't change.

I would just get a good, 7mm gloves, booties and hood, and make sure they fit well.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/heatra.html#c1

Is a good read for anyone interested in how heat transfer works.

 

[Soggy]

JimC once bubbled...
Woll and fleece have no insulation value when completely submerged, theres no air traped in the fibers any more. They might restrict water flow and reduce some of the convection heat loss.

As I understood it, wool was one of the few fibers that retains its insulating qualities when completely soaked...that's why hikers use it. I can tell you from experience, that a set of wool socks in the boots makes a huge difference.

 

[JimC]

As I understood it, wool was one of the few fibers that retains its insulating qualities when completely soaked...that's why hikers use it. I can tell you from experience, that a set of wool socks in the boots makes a huge difference.

Woll and fleece do retain most of there insulation properties when wet. Damp socks, covered in sweat and sploshied in the odd puddle do not equate to submerged in water.

Submerged in water, they are no better than cotton. There is no air traped in the material.


I mean, if fleece worked when it was completely submerged, I'd sell my wetsuit and buy a bunch of nice thick, warm and cozy fleece with good zipers and seals... wouldn't you?

 

[Soggy]

JimC once bubbled...
I mean, if fleece worked when it was completely submerged, I'd sell my wetsuit and buy a bunch of nice thick, warm and cozy fleece with good zipers and seals... wouldn't you?

They do sell fleece lined wetsuits.

Clearly since it is a porous material, wool or fleece alone wouldn't provide much added insulation underwater since there would be a ton of water transfer, but as a layer under a wetsuit it certainly does help....clearly not as well as on land, but the bottom line is that it helps in some way. Whether that is because of the inherent properties of wool or simply because it is limiting convection, I don't know, but the point is, it helps.

A wetsuit works in two ways...1) by having air bubbles in the neoprene itself which acts as an insulator and 2) by limiting the flow of water over your skin. Adding a layer of wool underwater serves purpose 2...it may not trap air, but it does trap water. It can also help a not-so-great fitting wetsuit work better.

 

[JimC]

Fleece lined wetuits may feel nice, may go on well but only feel warmer from the good old placebo effect. IMHO an overpriced gimick, much like the "reflective" suits.

Practical application is spend the cash on a good hood-vest, a .5 or 1mm under suit, a beany, good boots and gloves. You will get a lot more warmth for your buck than spending $300 on a fleece lined skin.

If your suit has rivers flowing in it and you can't aford one that fits, buy some duct tape. Sure there might be a tinny amount of benifit to the fleece, but its just about the least cost effective solution.

 

[Soggy]

I'm not arguing that more neoprene isn't a BETTER solution, but if you happen to have a pair of old wool socks laying around, toss them on....it definately isn't a placebo affect...it does help. Besides, you can't get much thicker than 7mm wetsuit booties, so if you can layer something underneath, you'll be better off. My buddy wears a smart-wool fleece from REI and he says it helps keep him warmer.

Have you ever tried it? I have. I get cold really easy (6' 150 lbs)

Not everything has to be the best solution. If something helps, great. Plus, not everyone has the luxury of owning their own wetsuit...so a layer that they already have under a poor fitting rental wetsuit could help someone.