warm water drysuit

[tc_rain]

I hear a lot of people dive drysuits year around and was just wondering what kind of undergarments you wear in the summer months.

[mm_dm]

Some of the lightweight long underwear that wicks moisture works. Depends on the temps at depth. I have a friend who just wears a t-shirt and shorts, but he complains about the clammy trilam stocking up against him. If you're diving crushed neoprene you won't have that problem.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by tc_rain

I hear a lot of people dive drysuits year around and was just wondering what kind of undergarments you wear in the summer months.

Depends on the temps. If you're talking about genuine tropical warm water diving where the water temps are in the 80s, you'll want to wear some thin wicking undergarments, like silk-weight Patagonia Capilene, just to keep it from getting clammy on you.

In cooler climes, such as SoCal where winter means low 50s-high 40s and summer means high 60s to low 70s, we just wear thinner undergarments or perhaps just some good wicking thermal underwear, again, like mid-weight Patagonia Capilene.

I wear my DUI PowerStretch 300 pretty much year-round, though, although I'll sometimes add a thicker under-layer in the coldest months. (Carol Davis)

[CrzyJay456]

why would you wear a dry suit in 80* water? even in the 70's?

[thesmoothdome]

Originally Posted by CrzyJay456

why would you wear a dry suit in 80* water? even in the 70's?

In the 70s because I don't own a 7mil wet suit. In the 80's I'm in a 3 mil. That said, DUI and a few other companies are now producing tropical dry suits. They have wrist, neck, and ankle seals and are worn with very lightweight undies. I guess if you get cold easily it wouldn't be a bad thing for multi-day repetative diving, but to me it's not worth the effort.

To answer the original poster, in the summer months, I'll just wear a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt or a tee shirt if it's warm. I'm too cheap and lazy to buy decent wicking underwear.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by thesmoothdome

In the 70s because I don't own a 7mil wet suit. In the 80's I'm in a 3 mil. That said, DUI and a few other companies are now producing tropical dry suits. They have wrist, neck, and ankle seals and are worn with very lightweight undies. I guess if you get cold easily it wouldn't be a bad thing for multi-day repetative diving, but to me it's not worth the effort.

To answer the original poster, in the summer months, I'll just wear a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt or a tee shirt if it's warm. I'm too cheap and lazy to buy decent wicking underwear.

There's a guy on ScubaBoard who bought that DUI 30-30 suit meant for tropical diving, and told a story of the first time he used it on a liveaboard. He said (I'm going off memory here) was constantly teased about it for the first couple of days, but by the end of the week, shivering divers were asking him all kinds of questions about it and writing down model numbers and web addresses.

I doubt I would want one outside of that situation, but in extreme situations like that where you are doing 5+ dives per day for 7+ days in a row, it makes a lot of sense to stop that constant heat drain. Also, as noted, good for the people who get cold easily.

Personally, as used to cold water as I am, I would just tough my way through it.

Meanwhile, in water temps above 65-70 degrees, I'm 100% happy diving wet.

[thesmoothdome]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

[
Meanwhile, in water temps above 65-70 degrees, I'm 100% happy diving wet.

BRRRRRRRR That's dry suit temps .

[paintsnow]

ill probably end up diving dry all year around including tropical because im saving up for 1 drysuit instead of at least 4 wetsuits.

besides, being dry is just more comfortable and its a lot easier to don then a proper sized wetsuit

[thesmoothdome]

Originally Posted by paintsnow

ill probably end up diving dry all year around including tropical because im saving up for 1 drysuit instead of at least 4 wetsuits.

besides, being dry is just more comfortable and its a lot easier to don then a proper sized wetsuit

I love being wet in the tropics. It's such a feeling of freedom that you can't get in a drysuit . Of course, that temp drops under 78 and I'm wishing for a dry suit...I'm such a www.

[Black-Gorrilla]

Originally Posted by paintsnow

ill probably end up diving dry all year around including tropical because im saving up for 1 drysuit instead of at least 4 wetsuits.

besides, being dry is just more comfortable and its a lot easier to don then a proper sized wetsuit

but i mean... diving in water and staying DRY... it's just not natural!!
thats like dehidraded water powder... just cant see it making me happy!

maybe im just spoiled.