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Choosing an appropriate
undershirt is equally important as picking the right drysuit for your needs.
Here are some helpful hints and ideas on what to look for when selecting
suitable warmth.
Now, first we need to
talk about the
IF you haven't used a membrane
drysuit before what you wear under it is extremely important. We have noted a
few things to think about when choosing the right undergarments.
The biggest
thing to think about is keeping warm and dry! There are
DONT'S
- Basically you need the right gear for under drysuits to
maximise your diving experience
- Dont ever wear cotton under your drysuit as if you get
any water in your suit the cotton will soak up all the water and stay wet
against your skin. This will enhance getting chilled and hypothermic. SO NO
COTTON OK!!!!
- Try and avoid wearing track pants and a fleecy top to
save on money. Again what happens here is lots of air gets trapped in these
garments making life miserable for you - you counter this with taking more
lead with you on your weight belt and you end up with a ton of lead that you
don't need!
- NO Jeans!!! (Denim soaks up water and keeps wet against
your body same as cotton.)
- Avoid using ski suits. Again these garments trap a huge
amount of air and are sometimes extremely bulky
- You want to avoid being too bulky so if you simply pile
on the clothing in the hope to keep you warm you will become too constricted
in your movement and again trap too much air
DO's
- Wear the right undergarments
specifically made for drysuit diving.
- Some undersuits are "thinsulate"
layer covered with a waterproof outer cover. These are
good but a lot of them trap air and are bulky which
needs a lot of lead
- Also if you get a small amount of
water through your wrist seals it can migrate to other
parts of your body without knowing where the origin is
- Make sure that the garments are
against your body. If you want additional protection
then make sure that you wear a drybase or powerstretch
material (NOT a cotton T shirt!!) These days you can get
100% polyester shirts. These are the best.
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