Re: [Paddlewise] Wetsuit for cool water

I just checked the Consumers Marine catalog and found several choices for survival suits.  They run $279 to 449.  I don't think I could paddle effectively in the heaviest ones.  The lightest is 8 pounds, the heaviest is 14 pounds.  Some offer neoprene closures but most rely on Velcro.  Mustang Anti-Exposure Coveralls ($318, 8 pounds) are somewhere between wetsuit and survival suit and might be paddleable.  They are a stylish safety orange with black trim, just right for Hallowe'en.  None of the suits offers information on the actual amount of insulation or flotation, or compares itself directly to a wetsuit or drysuit.  There are, no doubt, Coast Guard or Navy tests comparing these things.  

Well, it is sunny and 70 degrees here in San Jose.  Too much talk of cold things.

jerry.



At 02:54 PM 11/15/1999 -0800, rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com wrote:
>Mel Grindol wrote:
>> 
>> On Fri, 12 Nov 1999 21:50:27   Ralph Diaz wrote:
>> >
>> >And remember the bottom line...this is all in the non-dry suit realm.
>> >In a _dry_ suit with a decent amount of fleece underneath and hand,
>> >neck, foot and head protection, you could hang out for an incredibly
>> >long time in water in 40 degrees and lower.
>> 
>> Reading the paper on Sunday I read about a shipwreck in the gulf of Alaska.  A 52 foot boot sank in 20 foot seas.  From the time the boat sank till the rescue helicopter appeared to pluck three men from the water was 80 minutes.  All three were wearing "survival suits."  I'm assuming this is some form of dry suit?  They all had mild hypothermia and were released from the emergency room.
>> 
>> This is a long time to stay in the water that was undoubtedly below 40F, and probably closer to freezing than 40, and have only mild effects from the exposure.  Definitely a testament to the ability of a good dry suit.
>> 
>
>To my knowledge, those survival suits do not have latex gaskets at the
>neck, wrists and ankles and their zippers are not at all the waterproof
>kind.  So they will let water in.  They have lots of flotation built
>into them.  A true dry suit would do a lot better, albeit the stated
>survival times in the survival suits for that degree of water were
>impressive.
>
>ralph diaz
>-- 
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