Staying Warm!!!
Staying Warm!!!
I have a question! I'm a new diver! I just finished dive #15 and I'm just using my whites undergarment but I've been getting a bit chilly toward the end of my dives! I hear there are a few opinions! Which is better the Wheezle Extreme Plus or a personal diving heater? Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Happy Diving Everyone!!!
Happy Diving Everyone!!!
Live Long And Prosper!!!
Stay Warm underwater with the Weezle Extreme Plus undergarment! Please let me know if you would like to order one or have any questions.
Stay Warm underwater with the Weezle Extreme Plus undergarment! Please let me know if you would like to order one or have any questions.
- Penopolypants
- NWDC Moderator
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- Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:37 pm
Re: Staying Warm!!!
I adore my Weezle Extreme Plus. Are you wearing any layers under your current undergarment?
Come to the nerd side, we have pi!
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Just some workout pants and a tank top and long sleeve shirt on top.
Glad to hear you like the Weezle!
Glad to hear you like the Weezle!
Live Long And Prosper!!!
Stay Warm underwater with the Weezle Extreme Plus undergarment! Please let me know if you would like to order one or have any questions.
Stay Warm underwater with the Weezle Extreme Plus undergarment! Please let me know if you would like to order one or have any questions.
Re: Staying Warm!!!
In the summer time I wear Under Armour (medium weight) and in the winter I wear the Thermal Fusion with a t-shirt and shorts. If I am getting cold in the winter I out on my Under Armour then my Fusion. I stay pretty toasty but then again I have a lot of natural padding....
- Penopolypants
- NWDC Moderator
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- Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:37 pm
Re: Staying Warm!!!
You might want to try some base layers before new undergarment. I wear either REI's expedition weight thermals or a fleece layer similar to this http://www.diverightinscuba.com/catalog ... -3187.html under my weezle. A workout/sports bra and booty shorts under that, no cotton to trap moisture. Definitely something that is moisture wicking - in the summer I sweat so much gearing up that the sweat turns to ice water if it stays near my skin, making me super cold. :(
A lot of people swear by polypro, capilene, silk, or smartwool base layers too. There are lots of options.
A lot of people swear by polypro, capilene, silk, or smartwool base layers too. There are lots of options.
Come to the nerd side, we have pi!
Re: Staying Warm!!!
My Weezle Extreme is great for most of the year. I have an Extreme+ but I've only used it a couple times because it was too thick under my drysuit. Maybe I'll give it a go again since they do pack in over time.
- deep diver
- Pelagic
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Re: Staying Warm!!!
throw the sweats away, get good wool, I wear a set called minus 33 under my weasel extreme. Usually stay warm unless I'm too much longer than an hour then I start getting cool.
Check with John Rawlings on this board for a good price
Check with John Rawlings on this board for a good price
It's a good day.... nobody died!
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Which Whites undergarment are you using? The MK2 is completely inadequate for Puget Sound diving, in my personal opinion. The MK3 and Thermal Fusion are reasonable options. I use nylon-bonded fleece from KamGear as a base layer, and it works very well.
The suit heaters work, but the investment, by the time you have the bulkhead, the canister, the battery, and the vest, is in the neighborhood of $1000 to $1200. Better undergarments are a cheaper place to start.
The suit heaters work, but the investment, by the time you have the bulkhead, the canister, the battery, and the vest, is in the neighborhood of $1000 to $1200. Better undergarments are a cheaper place to start.
"Sometimes, when your world is going sideways, the second best thing to everything working out right, is knowing you are loved..." ljjames
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Suit heaters are finicky. I have one and avoid using it unless its a really long dive in really cold (<46F) water.
I am quite pleased with the weezle extreme plus. Works great, warm as I can imagine, and lasts a lot longer than competing products which seem to lose loft rapidly after a year or 2.
I am quite pleased with the weezle extreme plus. Works great, warm as I can imagine, and lasts a lot longer than competing products which seem to lose loft rapidly after a year or 2.
Sounder wrote:Under normal circumstances, I would never tell another man how to shave his balls... but this device should not be kept secret.
- seattlepaul1975
- Compulsive Diver
- Posts: 361
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012 3:51 pm
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Which whites undergarment? I had the mk2 and was ok not great. I upgraded to he thermal fusion and it's nice and cozy.
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Order of things to add or upgrade by cost and convenience, IMHO All of which make a noticeable difference:
- Thick, warm socks or thinsulate type booties
- Technical base layer
I enjoy medium and extra warm REI and Patagonia poly type stuff
- Thicker, better fitting hood, newer, with smallest sensible face hole
- Dry gloves (my favorite!)
Warning: you can't really go back to wet hands unless you are in 67º+ water
- Superduper undergarment
I have more than one (old one, less effective) Santi BZ400, hear good things about weezle and 4th element too
- Dry hood (?)
- Argon
- Electric Heat
. vest
. undergarment
. all the above plus gloves
Like rjack said Re: electric heat: expensive, finicky wet connections, putting an additional hole in your drysuit, keeping inside wiring in good shape, dry, connector incompatibilities, flooded wires, soldering, etc.
- CCR
Obvious cost and complexity drawbacks but works very well!!
I typically do 60-120 minute dives avg: 70-80 minutes. With all the above except electric heat, I get a little chilly starting at 50-70 minutes especially on tri-mix decompression dives.
- Thick, warm socks or thinsulate type booties
- Technical base layer
I enjoy medium and extra warm REI and Patagonia poly type stuff
- Thicker, better fitting hood, newer, with smallest sensible face hole
- Dry gloves (my favorite!)
Warning: you can't really go back to wet hands unless you are in 67º+ water
- Superduper undergarment
I have more than one (old one, less effective) Santi BZ400, hear good things about weezle and 4th element too
- Dry hood (?)
- Argon
- Electric Heat
. vest
. undergarment
. all the above plus gloves
Like rjack said Re: electric heat: expensive, finicky wet connections, putting an additional hole in your drysuit, keeping inside wiring in good shape, dry, connector incompatibilities, flooded wires, soldering, etc.
- CCR
Obvious cost and complexity drawbacks but works very well!!
I typically do 60-120 minute dives avg: 70-80 minutes. With all the above except electric heat, I get a little chilly starting at 50-70 minutes especially on tri-mix decompression dives.
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Great advice above.
A baselayer (REI medium or heavyweight underwear) coupled with whatever drysuit undergarment should get you from cold to spicy if not downright hot. Alone, they might even work better than the undergarment itself.
What neckseal do you use? A neoprene neckseal will also give you a nice boost in toastiness.
A baselayer (REI medium or heavyweight underwear) coupled with whatever drysuit undergarment should get you from cold to spicy if not downright hot. Alone, they might even work better than the undergarment itself.
What neckseal do you use? A neoprene neckseal will also give you a nice boost in toastiness.
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Before you go to the complications and expense of a dry hood, the 12mm Otter Bay hoods are great. Many of us use one. They are strictly custom and Cricket will keep your measurements on file so you can reorder when it wears out (~250 dives or so and the thinner face seal parts get kinda worn out). When you get measured by a friend, try to have your reg in your mouth, it helps with the chin/jaw comfort later.
http://www.otterbaysuits.com/wetsuits.cfm
Like being wrapped in a mummy...
http://www.otterbaysuits.com/wetsuits.cfm
Like being wrapped in a mummy...
Sounder wrote:Under normal circumstances, I would never tell another man how to shave his balls... but this device should not be kept secret.
Re: Staying Warm!!!
if the waterproof hood (the brand waterproof) 5/10 fits your noggin it is amazing. Middle of winter my head comes out steaming and it has a nice neck flap for tucking in that stays in as opposed to popping up into 'cone of shame' mode. I buy the in bulk (well, at least I always have a spare on the shelf I love them so much)
----
"I survived the Brittandrea Dorikulla, where's my T-shirt!"
"I survived the Brittandrea Dorikulla, where's my T-shirt!"
Re: Staying Warm!!!
+1 on the Waterproof Laura mentions. Its the warmest and most comfortable hood i've ever worn. (combined with my Weezle Extreme Plus and Argon, I rarely use the heated vest anymore)
SilentWorld in Bellevue sells them.
http://www.waterproof.eu/en/products/ac ... /h1-5-10mm
The ARGON suggestion also makes a big difference.
Plus some decent dry gloves and thick socks and you'll be super toasty.
.
SilentWorld in Bellevue sells them.
http://www.waterproof.eu/en/products/ac ... /h1-5-10mm
The ARGON suggestion also makes a big difference.
Plus some decent dry gloves and thick socks and you'll be super toasty.
.
"I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade... And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party" - Ron White
-
- Aquaphile
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Re: Staying Warm!!!
I've learned over the last two years of experimentation that thickness matters more than insulation (especially in my feet). It also helps keep the suit tight without leeway.
So if I change out my thermally-awesome-but-thin socks for thermally-mediocre-but-thick socks, the argon being held by thicker socks works wonders. The thickness also means that I can put more gas in my suit without it getting wobbly.
Also, +1 on all those underarmor recommendations. I use two very thin layers of high-performance thermals meant for himalayan climbing that don't retain moisture. Even in winter I'm freakin toasty for hours.
So if I change out my thermally-awesome-but-thin socks for thermally-mediocre-but-thick socks, the argon being held by thicker socks works wonders. The thickness also means that I can put more gas in my suit without it getting wobbly.
Also, +1 on all those underarmor recommendations. I use two very thin layers of high-performance thermals meant for himalayan climbing that don't retain moisture. Even in winter I'm freakin toasty for hours.
Re: Staying Warm!!!
I must be lucky. Everyone keeps bringing up dry gloves but to be honest I have often wondered why I bought mine. I never use them and my hands are always warm in my 5mm neoprene gloves. Maybe I am just plain weird or something.
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Me too, though noticed my hands feel colder in wet gloves ever since I started filling my suit with Argon.
Not sure if that's a placebo effect or real.
Not sure if that's a placebo effect or real.
Re: Staying Warm!!!
with my heated vest, my hands are usually freezing too.
its probably because you trick your body to not go into vasoconstriction and therefore your hands feel colder because it has more blood flow? not sure. but ive had that exact same experience, especially with a super warm core using heated vest.
its probably because you trick your body to not go into vasoconstriction and therefore your hands feel colder because it has more blood flow? not sure. but ive had that exact same experience, especially with a super warm core using heated vest.
"I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade... And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party" - Ron White
-
- Avid Diver
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- Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:34 am
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Must two available at all times great product. Good design and very nicely made as well.ljjames wrote:if the waterproof hood (the brand waterproof) 5/10 fits your noggin it is amazing. Middle of winter my head comes out steaming and it has a nice neck flap for tucking in that stays in as opposed to popping up into 'cone of shame' mode. I buy the in bulk (well, at least I always have a spare on the shelf I love them so much)
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Two things... and i know folks have mentioned the first here but so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle.
1) the first thing before fancy gloves and hoods and suit heaters and argon - get warmer undergarments. you didn't mention how many minutes it is before you get chilled...
2) tight wrist seals can make hands cold just as fast as vasoconstriction.
Also, of note, where you place your equalization tube for dry gloves when worn with internal seals, can impact blood flow (look at anatomy of wrist, don't bring it out over an artery, the extra lump can in fact impede flow, same with being careful of the median nerve/aka carpal tunnel - a lump under the seal pressing right on that area can make hand numb and tingly very rapidly, especially if you are already pre-dispositioned.
I first noticed the tight wrist seal thing accidentally. a long time ago I'd generally use inner seals with my dry gloves only on 'bigger' dives and it always seemed like my hands would get much colder than with exact same inner liner/glove combo when worn without wrist seals, even with good equalization tube. YMMV.
1) the first thing before fancy gloves and hoods and suit heaters and argon - get warmer undergarments. you didn't mention how many minutes it is before you get chilled...
2) tight wrist seals can make hands cold just as fast as vasoconstriction.
Also, of note, where you place your equalization tube for dry gloves when worn with internal seals, can impact blood flow (look at anatomy of wrist, don't bring it out over an artery, the extra lump can in fact impede flow, same with being careful of the median nerve/aka carpal tunnel - a lump under the seal pressing right on that area can make hand numb and tingly very rapidly, especially if you are already pre-dispositioned.
I first noticed the tight wrist seal thing accidentally. a long time ago I'd generally use inner seals with my dry gloves only on 'bigger' dives and it always seemed like my hands would get much colder than with exact same inner liner/glove combo when worn without wrist seals, even with good equalization tube. YMMV.
----
"I survived the Brittandrea Dorikulla, where's my T-shirt!"
"I survived the Brittandrea Dorikulla, where's my T-shirt!"
- thechadmiller
- Frequent Bubbler
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 2:49 pm
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Thinking of getting that Waterproof 10mm hood, but does the long bib just sit on the outside of your suit? I just have a bag suit with nowhere to tuck it? Dumb rookie question? Thanks.
Re: Staying Warm!!!
The bib on mine kept folding up and annoying me. I trimmed an inch or so and it's been great.thechadmiller wrote:Thinking of getting that Waterproof 10mm hood, but does the long bib just sit on the outside of your suit? I just have a bag suit with nowhere to tuck it? Dumb rookie question? Thanks.
- SeahorseDeb
- Avid Diver
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 7:36 pm
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Does the "Waterproof" brand hood keep the hair dry or somewhat dry......I have long hair and get cold more from sopping wet hair. I've a hair dryer I plug into my car and that helps a little but it can't dry out the hair entirely...
Why is the water so green......
Re: Staying Warm!!!
Not really... I mean the top of my noggin sometimes has a dry patch but for sure its still a 'wet hood'. The difference between it and pretty much every other hood i've worn though is that if its a cool enough evening you can actually see the steam coming off my head when i pull off my hood, and both inside of hood and head are warm to the touch.
I have a couple really good hats that i wear for the problem you are describing. Well, and I cut off pretty much all my hair so a quick towel dry and pop on the hat and ...good to go
I have a couple really good hats that i wear for the problem you are describing. Well, and I cut off pretty much all my hair so a quick towel dry and pop on the hat and ...good to go
----
"I survived the Brittandrea Dorikulla, where's my T-shirt!"
"I survived the Brittandrea Dorikulla, where's my T-shirt!"