Clothing for under a dry suit

[two stroke mick]

Can anyone advise the best closting to wear under a boating dry suit not a diveing dry suit. What works for you>
TSM

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by two stroke mick

Can anyone advise the best closting to wear under a boating dry suit not a diveing dry suit. What works for you>
TSM

Depends on how cold/wet it is & how long you're going to be out for. If it's a quick jolly in decent weather I just wear my drysuit over whatever I'm wearing on the day. At the other end of the spectrum, some good wicking thermal underwear (Merino or polypropylene) thick socks, trousers & a fleece. My Missus wears just about everything she can even on a warm day, she feels the cold We usually have a dry bag with extra clothing. You want to be aiming for multiple thin layers rather than thick bulky stuff. If you're going to be landing & visiting places on your trip, you want to be able to strip off the suit & be respectable. If we are going anywhere near the Solent, I would obviously wear my tuxedo, dress shirt & trousers & have my patent pumps to hand.

[jeffstevens763@g]

mick

a good diving under-suit will be OK talk to [northern divers] they have some good stuff failing that as Dave says multi layers trapping air, i use stuff from [go out doors] cheap and when you take your suit off it looks OK to walk around in

[JamesF]

I normally just wear whatever I turned up in. The drysuit fleece stays in the kit bag, so it's always ready.

If I'm feeling organised enough to pack separate clothes, I have some warm (but paint-spattered) trousers with a lining to trap a layer of air. A shirt of some description and as many jumpers as conditions dictate. And one of those all-in-one fleeces (unless it's January, in which case, two all-in-one-fleeces).

I find if it feels like 40°C in the changing room, that's usually about right. I find that even in the height of summer, a wet drysuit with only t-shirt and shorts underneath can feel a bit chilly.

Spare socks seem to be useful, especially as my efforts at replacing my own rubber socks always seem adequate, but not perfect!

[ian parr]

Weazel all in one undersuit. Had mine for years diving. Defo the best brand ive had. And they roll up tiny. Taking up no room

[John Kennett]

I normally wear jeans, t-shirt, and a fleece. I wear warmer stuff if I expect to be in the water, but I don't generally dress for the swim if I'm in a RIB. On the other hand I f you're doing something silly in a small boat, or venturing off shore solo then you'll need to give it a bit more thought and dress accordingly.

Generally if you're a bit too hot when you set off you should be OK when you're under way. A big waterproof jacket is handy to wear over a drysuit if it turns out to be cooler than you expected, and much easier than trying to add a layer under your drysuit.

[GordyP]

Should be something that will wick moisture away from the skin, merino wool thermals are fine especially if worn under fleece. I wear fourth element stuff under mine for diving, they do a vast range of stuff, basically fleece based. I personally wouldn't be wearing jeans, I don't even wear them under waterproofs, they're cold and uncomfortable.

[markmullen]

I wear a base layer set, followed by either a fleece undersuit, or an Oceanic Uggi undersuit if it's particularly cold.

I was out last night till nearly midnight, air temperature was down to 3 degrees and the base layer / fleece undersuit combination was working well.

[Trevor G]

Originally Posted by two stroke mick

Can anyone advise the best closting to wear under a boating dry suit not a diveing dry suit. What works for you>
TSM

I've found the cheap Decathlon running and walking gear (nylon T shirts and fleece tops) work well - they wick away moisture at non-boating prices!
Same for trousers - basically anything designed to wick away moisture whilst keeping a layer of air around you to keep you warm.

Trev

[kerny]

Originally Posted by Trevor G

I've found the cheap Decathlon running and walking gear (nylon T shirts and fleece tops) work well - they wick away moisture at non-boating prices!
Same for trousers - basically anything designed to wick away moisture whilst keeping a layer of air around you to keep you warm.

Trev

I'll second all that, not forgetting tracky bottoms.

Basically it's a dry suit so as long as it's breathable and you have got the room you can more or less wear what you want under it.

Our Scottish friends probably wear their kilts under theirs

[A1an]

Originally Posted by kerny

Our Scottish friends probably wear their kilts under theirs

And commando!

[kerny]

Originally Posted by A1an

And a commando!

That's worrying

[jambo]

Originally Posted by kerny

That's worrying

Who for ....now that's the question!!


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[kerny]

Originally Posted by jambo

Who for ....now that's the question!!


Sent from my iPhone using RIB Net

Whoever has got a commando under their kilt I should imagine.......

[Bucksribster]

At the risk changing the subject a bit, I don't possess a drysuit. I just wear normal clothes, then a sailing jacket + LJ on top, and if it is wet, waterproof trousers as well.

So my question is do people wear drysuits for comfort, warmth or safety? This is for leisure use, and I understand those that go to sea for a living have different requirements.

[mick]

Originally Posted by Bucksribster

At the risk changing the subject a bit, I don't possess a drysuit. I just wear normal clothes, then a sailing jacket + LJ on top, and if it is wet, waterproof trousers as well.

So my question is do people wear drysuits for comfort, warmth or safety? This is for leisure use, and I understand those that go to sea for a living have different requirements.

Drysuit is very handy bit of kit either for launching . Mooring up and getting back ashore or just keeping dry

[Simon B]

Base layer - tool station builders thermals
Mid layer - cheap micro fleece probably builders again
Top layer - fishing all in one

This is a very cheap way of doing it. Please add on a scaling factor for; "technical diving", "marine grade", "ballistic nylon", "professional" I don't do bosthandling every day so don't need all that wallet emptying stuff.


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[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Bucksribster

At the risk changing the subject a bit, I don't possess a drysuit. I just wear normal clothes, then a sailing jacket + LJ on top, and if it is wet, waterproof trousers as well.

So my question is do people wear drysuits for comfort, warmth or safety? This is for leisure use, and I understand those that go to sea for a living have different requirements.

It's horses for courses. If it's a nice sunny day & we're going out macky bashing for a couple of hours, then it's t shirt, shorts, flip flops, old windproof jacket that doesn't matter if it gets covered in fish blood & guts & a fleece in a dry bag in case it turns chilly. If we are crossing the Irish Sea for a weekend in Dublin, or setting off around Mull, then it's Full Metal Jacket. A dry suit is warm, dry & as Mick says, makes launching, recovery, wading ashore much more comfortable & if it gets really snotty makes getting wet one less thing to worry about. Even the best sailing gear will let water in eventually.

[RIB-Teccie]

If it's a warm sunny day, would the water not be reasonably calm and therefore no need for a drysuit unless your racing a zapcat? A waterproof boat suit is usually summer fare. I only say this because I made the mistake of using my normal clothes under a drysuit. It was a hot day and eventually I took off my sweat top underneath and was left in a t shirt and jeans underneath. Trouble is I ended up in the water as part of an exercise and it was absolutely freezing. Best thing is a thin summer under suit and a thick winter one. If your not going diving or sinking it will make you sweat like a pig. Not always straightforward when the to comes to dressing for the conditions in summer. The KNRM in Curaçao used to wear shorts and tee shirts!

[markmullen]

Originally Posted by Bucksribster

So my question is do people wear drysuits for comfort, warmth or safety? This is for leisure use, and I understand those that go to sea for a living have different requirements.

I wear a drysuit when going out to sea, it makes getting waves over you as pleasant as can possibly be, no cold water running down your neck or sleeves. When I did my Advanced test we were taking waves right over the boat and the two guys in oilies got a soaking, the two of us in drysuits were fine.

I've got the Musto HPX and it has a really high collar which initially looks silly until you pull it up in bad weather, it comes right up to underneath your nose, with the hood cinched down, and a pair of goggles and gloves on there is next to no skin visible to get cold and wet.

I also wear a heavy duty drysuit for my work as crew on a new rescue boat, Sunday night we came across a growing bankside fire in the undergrowth, with a drysuit on I was able to go ashore, get buckets filled and put the fire out, without worrying that the water was above where a set of sailing boots would normally end and then have to spend the rest of the night in cold wet boots and legs.