Under the Undergarment?

[jtbjr]

Hey guys! Quick Question, I'm thinking of getting some moisture wicking athletic wear to go under my drysuit undergarment and was wondering if there was anything out there that stood out from the rest for diving purposes. Just curious what your thoughts are or what you use. thx!

[GearHead]

Depends on how much extra warmth you need from the base layer. I usually go with Nike Dri-Fit Hyperwarm or Under Armour Coldgear. Lightweight merino wool also makes a great base layer.

[CaptnJack]

medium weight patagonia capilene
I have the merino wool stuff which is the same fabric weight and I don't think its as warm

[kdupreez]

+1 on the Under Armour Coldgear.

Just make sure its NOT cotton.

[Nwcid]

I use the same stuff I use for Skiing, Polar Fleece. Keeps you warm and wicks very well.

[Alaska-Herb]

another one for Under Armor cold gear

[Jeff Pack]

another UA user. I wear Compression Baselayer 1, over top of that Baselayer 5.0.

Since I lost alot of weight, I get super cold easily, so with my longer CCR dives, I also wear a heated vest. Then my undergarment over top[ of all that.

[coulterboy]

I use my running tights and body glove long sleeve shirt under my undergarment. Works superbly.

[kdupreez]

I use my running tights and body glove long sleeve shirt...

I'd like to see that!

[coulterboy]

I use my running tights and body glove long sleeve shirt...

I'd like to see that!

Actually, this specific running tights is what I used looooooong time ago when I ran the Seattle Marathon.

Oooh! I'm getting horny.

[LCF]

I use a light fleece garment with a nylon outer layer, made by KamGear in Ballard. Not priced like dive stuff, but excellent quality and very warm.

[jtbjr]

Thanks for the input guys. Seems like a lot of votes for under armour, I think I'll give that a try.

[H20doctor]

Fleece.. Ive tried under armour, and I was still cold..

[RVbldr]

Normally a Nike short sleeve wicking tee-shirt, then long sleeve UA coldgear under a Whites Thermal Fusion. Forgot the UA last week and was plenty warm, but in the winter, that all seems to work well although I've been tempted to try one of the 4th Element base layers.

[ljjames]

100g (thinnish) fleecy stuff such as Xerotherm from 4th Element or Body Zor from Waterproof are worth additional 30-45 min of no shiver-factor when layered under my thicker undergarment compared to "standard weight" long-johns (by standard weight i mean the regular ones that Seattleites layer under Khaki shorts and wear with socks and tevas)

In warm weather i wear either the DUI eco-wear or 4th Element dry-base layer. Both of these are slightly thicker and have a different texture than regular long johns and do a great job at wicking so i don't get that sweaty-chill at start of dive.

[sarinae]

Kind of along this line, I have an added question:

I am diving a Bare Nex Gen with a thick undergarment like a Polar Tec with loft, fleece inside, and a water resistant shell (400g). I was diving a similar undergarment but it was only 200g and I was getting cold. Now I am having trouble with getting the air out of the drysuit on ascents.

I tried stitching some flat stitches back and forth to sort of smash down the undergarment around the area of the valve thinking that maybe the loft was obstructing the valve exhaust but it didn't seem to help. I tried adding more weight too, without much success in this area.

I'd sure appreciate the expertise of you folks to know what else I could do. Granted, there is a significant level of inexperience here too that factors into the problem, but maybe you all have some ideas or have experienced similar problems? Last time out I tried minimally adding air to the suit and using the BC as much as possible for buoyancy. I had the added challenge of being unable to get the air out of the stinking BC bladder too, but I have a solution to that---you'll see it for sale in the gear for sale section.

The SI valve seems to operate as designed at surface. Occasionally a leak after a dive, but minor as far as dampness, completely forgivable. I opened it to verify that there was no sand or debris in there interfering with the proper function.

Do you experts have any suggestions for me to try?

[Nwcid]

Now I am having trouble with getting the air out of the drysuit on ascents.

I tried stitching some flat stitches back and forth to sort of smash down the undergarment around the area of the valve thinking that maybe the loft was obstructing the valve exhaust but it didn't seem to help. I tried adding more weight too, without much success in this area.

Do you experts have any suggestions for me to try?

Oh I know the joys of which you speak. My original undergarment was a Bare T-100 and though the summer was warm enough. This fall I got a great deal on a Weezle which is thick and fluffy but VERY warm. First dive I did with it I added 4lb of weight IIRC and started the dive just fine. After dropping about 1000psi suddenly I was light and started up. I could not get the suit to dump so I ended up pulling my neck seal and still managed to do a minor cork from about 35'.

On the surface checked all the valves and things seemed just fine there. I put some duct tape on the arm of the Weezle right where the vent is. Nothing seemed to help much for a couple of dives so I was real carful about putting air in my suit. Then I figured out the problem.

With my T-100 to vent all I had to do was roll a little and air came out. With the Weezle what I have to do is lift my left arm so there is air in it. Then while keeping that arm in an up position bring my hand down to my shoulder FORCING the air out.

[sarinae]

NWCID, You just described exactly what I ended up doing the last dive to try to get air out of the doggone thing and still no luck. I was diving with my instructor for my AOW when this happened, he saw the issue was air in the suit and BC wing. He helped me force the feet down and try to gather the air into that left shoulder area, squeezing along the way. We weren't able to get much more out of it. We even tried doing a full spin and get the air out of the BC wing, but that was a separate issue. Finally, we gave up and just ascended and cursed the entire contraption. This undergarment is a lot like a Weezle, but I couldn't think of the name earlier when I posted. Thanks!

Glad to know I was on the right track to try to squeeze it out by pumping the arm. Maybe more practice will help and a little bit *more* weight to help with controlling ascent too. Sigh.

[jeffgerritsen]

From my experience on "fluffy" undergarments such as weezels, purchasing the correct size makes a BIG difference. If your fluffy undergarment is too loose fitting on you, the extra batting material can bunch up and create "air dams" making venting very slow. This is why I exchanged my XL weezel for a Large, which vented much easier.

Regarding a base layer, I use military surplus polypro thermals as a base layer. Works great, and cheap. Top and bottom sells for about $30. The only downside with polypro is it tends to hold body odor and you'll need to launder more often.

[Granite]

They're pricey but wool base layers from icebreaker are amazing. Warmer than polypropylene and they don't stink.