-----Original Message----- From: James David Harvey [mailto:ve3xqt_at_sympatico.ca] Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 1998 9:59 AM To: paddlewise Subject: [Paddlewise] Dry suits. >> I thought I would pose this question to the field of experts or at the very least, those with considerable more experience than me. Does anyone use a SCUBA dry suit when cold water Kayaking and if so, how do you add air to it prior to departure? Do you take a tank with you and top it up or just suit up and go? I am not as fortunate as I see some are to live/paddle in warm waters at this time of year here in Ontario Canada. Any help would be appreciated. James. >> ************************************************************************** * In cold water, I wear a Kokatat Goretex dry suit designed for kayaking. Far from adding air to it, I always try to remove as much air as possible by squatting on land or in the water and pulling away the neck seal to "burp" the suit. If you have too much air in the suit, it tends to balloon uncomfortably when you sit, and if you should have to make a wet exit, excess air makes you float prone on the surface like a beach toy, making it harder to do a self-rescue. There is also the risk that if too much air is trapped in the legs, you will float upside down, especially if you are not wearing a PFD -- what the Gemini astronauts called the "Stable Two" position. I don't understand why a SCUBA diver would want to add air to a dry suit, since I would think it would make the diver dangerously buoyant. Perhaps you you think the air provides insulation. But if you think about it, any air inside the suit will migrate to the topmost part, leaving your nether regions to be squeezed -- and chilled -- by the pressure of the cold water. Instead, insulation in dry suits is provided by various combinations of polypro and pile undergarments, depending on air and water temperatures. A wet suit without insulation has about as much thermal protection as a shower curtain. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>I don't understand why a SCUBA diver would want to add air to a dry suit, >since I would think it would make the diver dangerously buoyant. Hey Gang (yes, I'm back and with a *new* address!). I'd agree with Chuck that the main problem with using a scuba drysuit is buoyancy. You simply don't want this in a kayaking drysuit. But, I do believe that you want some air in your drysuit as this will keep you warmer. I am just speaking from personal experience here, but it seems that whenever I really burp my drysuit (ie walking in the water up to my neck), that I chill faster. One thing that may work is keeping some air in your suit (a squatting burp leaves some air in the suit), and if you are having problems during a re-entry, just burp while in the water -- it only takes a second and won't interfere with your rescue. -Patrick -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patrick Maun pmaun_at_bitstream.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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