Re: [Paddlewise] Wet suits/dry suits

JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com wrote:
> 
> David Martin --- probably some distant relation --- makes an important point
> that "... dry suits are subject to total failure from even a small puncture 
> or tear. If they leak at all, they will provide very little protection from 
> cold water immersion."  And, in fact, a compromised drysuit was shown in a 
> Coast Guard and Navy test to provide essentially no thermal protection to its 
> user.  At that point, it's about as good as a "huddle" technique in open water 
> survival.
> 
In order to burp my dry suit*, I sometimes walk into the water up to my shoulders.
This also does a quick check for any leaks and insulation adequacy before paddling.
Not perfect, but a start.


> My personal response to this unlikely but definitely potential "worst case" 
> scenario --- and you have to think of what could happen to separate you from 
> your kayak for an extended time --- is to wear a full Thermal Stretch material 
> jumpsuit as part or all of my insulation layer.  When dry, it's warm fleece 
> lining provides most of my needed insulation, assuming the drysuit (a GoreTex 
> suit by Kokatat) remains intact, but, should the suit be compromised, it gives 
> me the survivability of the equivalent of a two mil neoprene suit.  

What advantage does the Thermal Stretch have over regular fleece inside a 
leaky dry suit?  It would seem to me that the only advantage of thermal
in the open would be that the nylon/lycra layer reduces the flow of cold 
water through the fleece.  If regular fleece is inside a leaky dry suit,
water flow would also be minimized.  Or am I missing something?

Mike

*Burping a dry suit, for those that don't know, is the process of removing
excess air from inside the suit.  If too much air is inside the suit, it
could flow into your legs and force you into an inverted position in the
water, since your legs would be more buoyant than your upper body.  This 
could kill you in white water, though I'm not sure you couldn't resolve it
in calm water with a tuck-and-roll.  I may try it some time... not alone.
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