Drysuit underwear

[Huib]

I have a OR Soul drysuit and a Billabong hooded 7/6mm wetsuit.
Both are warm but the drysuit is much more comfortable with clothing and against windchill.
The danger with a dry suit is that it can leak and that you will sooner suffer from hypothermia.
The undergarments that I now wear absorb water.
Divers have a lot of experience with dry suits and safety is an important thing there.
That is why I wondered if their undergarments are not suitable for kiters. The undergarments of Fourth Element seem pretty suitable to me not to get cold when your drysuit is filled with very cold water.
Does anybody have experience with diving underwear?

https://fourthelement.com/arctic-2/#150 ... e8dd7-ada6

[dragnfly]

I always used to wear a 4th element thermocline long sleeve top under my wetsuit. It was excellent, and I'm sure would make a fabulous layer under a drysuit.

[matth]

All drysuits will get a little water in them, but with 100% fleece and sports fabric underwear you will never feel a thing... I wear one or two layers of fleece like Hot Chilies and then a pair of fleece sweat pants and fleece top pullover. I dress at home, drive to beach, and then put on drysuit, opposite on the way home....Never cold, love it..

If you are really concerned about water and hypothermia I would by a 2mm thin layer of neoprene as a base layer...

[Foil]

I am an X diver who used to wear exactly the same drysuit for both sports.and for using on my catamaran for club racing.
the only modification made to my drysuit was a pressure valve to slowly add air to my suit as the water pressure increased as I descended, just adding a little air to keep the suit from pressing hard against my thin fleece undersuit which would chill me down and feel uncomfortable.
the suit I used back then and now is the standard thin watersports drysuit with latex seals,
used the same style of suit since the early 80s, never once ripped one, and that's after many years racing catamarans, so if sliding around the deck of one of them doesn't snag and tear these suits then what will? I was lucky enough to sail in the race series when Typhoon sponsored all the crews with the typhoon racer drysuit, never ever did any crew member damage the suit.
the only time I have ever flooded with water was the odd few times I forgot to zip up, yes it was cold, but no big drama as the water pressure whilst splashing around the surface keeps the water from flushing through to badly and also stops the suit flooding, also my harness and crash jacket tends to keep cold water squeezed out, but yes, when you stand upright again it is ruddy cold as a few liters of brine trickles around your arm pits and down the small of your back.
as for choosing a undersuit I would only use this -https://www.wetsuitoutlet.co.uk/2019-ma ... 30001.html
one piece, thin, soft, very close fitting one piece suit is by far the best undersuit I have ever used, at around £70, not cheap but way better than the thicker baggy and uncomfortable undersuits

[Windigo1]

I have been wearing drysuits for kiting for more than 10 years. I don't have a fancy specially made fleece. I wear the same artic fleece pants and top that I use for skiing. I wear a second layer when it's really cold. A fleece is all you need a one piece is nice because it wont move but I haven had any issues. The one in the link you shared looks good.

I have had water coming in a few times when the zipper worked it's way open or on my old leaking suit from 2009. No big drama just a wet spot you can take your time going back to shore to change.

[oregonkiter]

Dress as if you were going alpine skiing: Polypro, or wool thermal wear. Do not wear cotton. I like the one piece "Union Suit" as a base layer. If you search for "Kayak Thermal Wear" a lot of options come up" Level6, Kokatat, Immersion Research, Stohlquist, Ocean Rodeo... Winter white water kayakers have been using drysuits for years, and kind of have it down. I always dress for the swim, meaning I am at times too warm while kiting. I have found that 33 deg F is very comfortable and warm in my drysuit and thermals. I could easily go out in colder, but start to worry about my kite lines icing up, so don't. I am in fresh water. I agree with the post above, that an ideal base layer is a quality one piece. As needed, I add a layer or two over that of polypro bottoms and tops

[deniska]

All drysuits will get a little water in them, but with 100% fleece and sports fabric underwear you will never feel a thing...

I don't agree with the first part..
I think if your suit does not leak then you will remain perfectly dry (maybe a bit sweaty of you over dress).
So you get some water, I would look for the causes.
Most suits start to slowly leak at the seams with time. (and some cheap ones right away )
you need to find and patch those leaks (dry it up completely, turn inside out, seal the leg/arm gaskets with water bottles, fill it with water and see where it becomes moist)
Other thing is to cover all your gaskets, while riding: gloves, booties, hood. If everything is tight and covered, you will come out dry even after scary wipeouts..

[Foil]

All drysuits will get a little water in them, but with 100% fleece and sports fabric underwear you will never feel a thing...

I don't agree with the first part..
I think if your suit does not leak then you will remain perfectly dry (maybe a bit sweaty of you over dress).
So you get some water, I would look for the causes.
Most suits start to slowly leak at the seams with time. (and some cheap ones right away )
you need to find and patch those leaks (dry it up completely, turn inside out, seal the leg/arm gaskets with water bottles, fill it with water and see where it becomes moist)
Other thing is to cover all your gaskets, while riding: gloves, booties, hood. If everything is tight and covered, you will come out dry even after scary wipeouts..

Many older suits from only 8 or 10 years back were slightly leaky, some more so as fabrics were not always watertight, as manufacturers were developing breathable drysuits some of these suits were not great for impact sports, fine for dinghy sailing, but for users who impacted hard with the water when crashing got a bit too damp with maybe a few cupfulls of water collecting around the ankles after a few hours use, and the fleece ended up wicking the wet stuff up the legs,
to find the leaky bits back then I found lying in a nice warm bath with normal T shirt and pants on underneath gave a clear picture of any weak points.
back then I did get a few free replacement suits that failed to keep me dry.
but todays suits all seem to work fine as long as you -----

avoid soft neoprene cuffs- ankle or neck seals, best to stick to latex only and avoid trimming if possible as they do feel more comfortable after a little use
never use any form of seal lubricant apart from maybe baby talc,
plastic zips are by far the best, apply the zip lube at least once each season, before and after the seasons use, (more so if the zip is outside a jacket top)
wash the suit in fresh warm water after each use (not the day after) and hang to dry in a warm dark place, (not in sunlight).traces of invisible marine oil and sunlight will destroy latex seals,
only buy the best suit you can afford that is breathable with cuffs that cover all the seals and shield from sunlight
if buying second hand, then check all seals for sticky latex seal areas, as these indicate that the seal is near the end of its life, just like when you find a old rubber band, and sticky point it were it will snap
lightweight suits are much better than the ones more suited to lifeboat crews that have loads of pockets, storm hoods and reinforcements. the ones with thin sewn in jacket style tops are great to wear, find a well fitting suit that's not too baggy but definitely not figure hugging as you do need complete flexibility.
get the right suit and it will feel so much less restrictive than any winter wetsuit and far more warmer and able to keep you from chilling down when wet and standing around in freezing winds.
a good suit well looked after will last 5-8 years,
consider getting 2 suits and you will have the best solution to suit rotation when sailing many days in a row like I do.

har! pauline has just reminded me I did damage my drysuit once, it was a brand new suit only worn a few times, brand name of the suit is irrelevant.
I was horrified when the suit tore open.
it revealed my broken tib and fib which had completely fractured and sliced through my tendons, skin, undersuit and drysuit, lying on the pre operation table at hospital i asked the surgeons if they could at least save my suit, somehow they managed to save the suit apart from the left leg which they had to cut off, the suit leg, not mine

[nothing2seehere]

Super pleased with the OR Drysuit fleece. It certainly breathes very well (I can see condensation on the outside of the fleece when I take the drysuit off) and its easy to add a second layer for when the temperature gets very cold.

The claim is that for the shell style drysuits you should avoid zips on any internal garments. It seems to make sense. Particularly for a sport that involves a lot of movement. Diving isn't quite such a dynamic set of movements.

I did read on another thread that the diving fleeces were a bit too thick as they were designed with sedentary sports in mind so you go too hot.

[Huib]

I am wearing a fleece.
But with a big coat or forgetting to close the zipper properly, the fleece sucks up water and that feels ice cold and heavy.
That is why I am looking for something that is warm, comfortable and that does not absorb water or at least isolate it.