The wetsuit is impregnated with a heavy inert gas. This allows survival in 50 degree water to go from one hour to multiple hours. A standard wet suit is put into a container like a beer keg and sits in there for several hours after the gas is put in. This process can be repeated with the same suit after the gas leaks out during use. Not sure how much use the would have for boaters as for divers, but thought I would give a heads up on it anyway.
Heck, I can sit in 50 degree water for hours with my winter 6/5/4 wetsuit now. Problem is that I overheat when I am actively sprinting to catch waves.
Similarly, you can underlayered a drysuit with enough to sit for hours in the water. However, if you paddle actively for more than 10 minutes, you will probably sweat, get drenched and overheat.
The trick with immersion gear is the “compromise” of taking into consideration water temp, and figuring out your skills and how long it might take on average for you (and your buddies) to get you back into your craft should you swim. No one paddling actively dresses for multiple hours of immersion in cool/cold water.
sing
No disagreement there. Just thought this was interesting. So does the Navy I would assume.
@sing said:
Similarly, you can underlayered a drysuit with enough to sit for hours in the water. However, if you paddle actively for more than 10 minutes, you will probably sweat, get drenched and overheat.
does that ever ring a bell
years ago, when I was learning the surf in Westport, Ocean Shores WA (winter surf), I would get to the site, don the drysuit (& pile underneath), then hit the waves.
Inevitably, after about 15 minutes ‘warming up’ in the soup, would be nearing the overheating stage, though, with the constant cold water, would never reach that stage. I seemed to ‘adjust’ after continued paddling.
(the hard part was getting out, putting away gear, ‘un-donning’ the drysuit, my hands and feet don’t retain heat very long)
I miss the surf these days (living in Jax, FL), but not the cold water.
Though, we may be getting a few waves in the upcoming month or so with the now active TSs coming across the big pond.
That new ‘wetsuit’ sounds interesting
@castoff said:
No disagreement there. Just thought this was interesting. So does the Navy I would assume.
Improvements will be driven as much by the “market” as by the Navy. In my relatively short time of surf paddling (15 plus years), I have seen and benefitted from drastic improvements in wetsuits and the neoprene being used. I love and prefer my wetsuits (of course, I have an array for different seasons). I still get a kick out reading here by “drysuit” users/proponents who often proclaimed how wetsuits are not suitable for paddling (am immersion contingencies). Really depends on the type of paddling and venues one does…
sing
who has two drysuits (which I still fit) sitting in the plastic box in the shed for the past decade or more.
BTW… I have noticed that in paddling stores, the “neoprene” wear put out by paddling oriented manufacturers tend to be stiffer and less pliable (in other words, I suspect they are using less advanced versions of neo than those in brand surfing wetsuits).
I can no longer wear a wetsuit. I have developed an allergy to the glue used on the seams and knee pads. I breakout everywhere the glue seams are like a case of poison ivy. It makes for an interesting pattern of rash and whelps. I even wear rashguard, polypro under it with no relief. However I can wear neoprene booties over the Goretex socks on my dry suit. Use to wear them years ago, but no more. Aging is an adventure!
I think I would do a little more investigation of the allergy to the glue. Was this with several different brands or with a single wetsuit? I do know that folks get fungus infections from wetsuits that are not cleaned and dried properly. The symptoms sound pretty similar to what you said, anywhere a seam rubs, even through a rash guard. Also it could be latex in the seams that gets exposed as they wear. Latex allergies are pretty common.
I have given up on replying to comments from Pnet experts who used a $69 farmer john and then declare wetsuits as not suitable for kayaking in cold water. In my case too drysuit is never used anymore.
I was wondering if the folks using higher tech wet suits would weigh in.
I think this is interesting, maybe not commercial yet but it could be. It also matters what kind of wet suit they are using.
The kind of wetsuits that Sing talks about are way better in layers than what most paddlers get. In fairness, the surfing suits also go for more complete cover than a lot of paddlers want. And cost more. The above experiment could greatly improve the
capacity for retaining warmth of the basic 2 or 3 mm wet suit that most paddlers know from places like NRS. It would have less dramatic effect on the suits like surfers use…
I am all drysuit for medical reasons. With an ostomy, even the effects of sweating inside a drysuit give me more time on the water without maintenance than a wetsuit ever could. But there are days where I wouldn’t mind being able to use the paddling thickness neo separates, which could likely also be treated, if I had a more normal system. So I can see this being useful.
I did some diving years ago without a problem, I don’t have a latex allergy. I do have an auto immune disease which may explain what is going on. I don’t know. I also react to uncured epoxy the same way, both MAS and West Systems epoxies. Contact cement does this to me too. I had two lines going up each side of my feet this spring where my NRS neoprene booties seams were located on bare feet. I thought I would get away with it for a couple of hours. Wrong, I knew better, but gave it another try. It goes away after 2 weeks. I doubt it is a fungal thing. if they didn’t glue the seams I would be fine as the neoprene areas I do not react to. Isn’t life strange!
@castoff said:
I did some diving years ago without a problem, I don’t have a latex allergy. I do have an auto immune disease which may explain what is going on. I don’t know. I also react to uncured epoxy the same way, both MAS and West Systems epoxies. Contact cement does this to me too. I had two lines going up each side of my feet this spring where my NRS neoprene booties seams were located on bare feet. I thought I would get away with it for a couple of hours. Wrong, I knew better, but gave it another try. It goes away after 2 weeks. I doubt it is a fungal thing. if they didn’t glue the seams I would be fine as the neoprene areas I do not react to. Isn’t life strange!
As are many of its’ inhabitants.
We resemble that remark!!