While I don't know any of the details about this incident, I can comment that the usual "survival suit" found up here is typically of the "marine work suit" variety - not a dry suit, but rather a foam insulated exposure coverall - designed to be worn while working onboard. They have wrist and ankle closures to limit the flow of water in and out of the suit, along with a hood and enough flotation (with the built-in inflatable bladder) to qualify as a CG (US)approved PFD while onboard _as long as it is being worn_. Mustang and Stearns are the two most common brands for these suits up in this area. Some commercial fishing boats carry full "immersion suits" onboard - basically neoprene drysuits with FULL coverage, hands, feet, etc and a "dry" seal around the face. Pretty similar to being encased in your own private little insulated life raft. The problem with these things are that you CANNOT wear them and perform any functions (other than bodily) while on board ship - they are a true "survival suit". In any event, fall and winter shipwrecks and deaths are far too common in our Alaskan waters and I'm glad to hear that these folks survived! Dave Seng Juneau, Alaska -----Original Message----- From: Mel Grindol [mailto:grindol_at_my-deja.com] Sent: Monday, November 15, 1999 9:54 AM To: Paddlewise Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Wetsuit for cool water 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. Mel --- There are three types of people, those who can count and those who can't. --== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==-- Share what you know. Learn what you don't. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I certainly wouldn't want to have to paddle in my Mustang suit! For the land locked Northerners in the group, it's a lot like a foam insulated snowmobile suit - and about as warm! They're nowhere near as efficient as a full wetsuit or drysuit with proper insulation, but do offer a significant level of thermal protection in the water - the first thing that I did after buying mine on a brisk day in May was head for the water and take a swim to test it. They work best if you can stay huddled in a "survival floatation" position and limit your activity to reduce the amount of water moving in and out. IMO - not a practical addition to your paddling wardrobe. (But I wear mine all the time when travelling in my skiff). Dave Seng Juneau, Alaska -----Original Message----- From: Jerry Hawkins [mailto:jhawkins_at_cisco.com] Sent: Monday, November 15, 1999 12:18 PM To: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com; Mel Grindol Cc: Paddlewise Subject: 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. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave wrote: > I certainly wouldn't want to have to paddle in my Mustang suit! For the >land locked Northerners in the group, it's a lot like a foam insulated >snowmobile suit - and about as warm! They're nowhere near as efficient as a >full wetsuit or drysuit with proper insulation, but do offer a significant >level of thermal protection in the water - <snip> I'm in the middle of doing an accident report from Baffin Island where two kayakers died from hypothermia after a capsize, due to katabatic winds. They were wearing Mustang suites. The water was like "liquid ice", in terms of temperature. Their only hope after immersion was to get to dry land immediately, where they would have had a chance. The winds didn't allow that. The suits didn't allow swimming. The suites didn't allow them a chance. Doug L *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:05 PDT