Re: [Paddlewise] Wet My Suit

>From: "Paul" <quale_at_ix.netcom.com>
>Anyway, I didn't like the idea of fiddling with those appliances or
>attempting unzip maneuvers on the high seas.  Still, I need the cold water
>protection which only a drysuit gives, or so the argument goes.  (I haven't
>tried one yet).
>Here's my theory how it will work while wearing a drysuit.  First, I'm not
>going to do anything different than what I do in the wetsuit--no bags, 
>adult
>diapers, or unzipping.  Just pee away into my polypro tights! I figure the
>goretex will help evaporate most moisture.  What moisture remains will,
>through capillary action, dissipate into the rest of the tights.  Zip out 
>of
>the suit at the end of the journey, say, 30 minutes from the last episode,
>and nothing embarrassingly detectable.
>
>Can anybody confirm my theories or am I in danger of freezing with this
>method?  Thanks,
>Name withheld for obvious reasons.

I can't tell you about the theory of the liquid from the urine breathing 
through the Gore-Tex (I never felt inclined to try it with my Gore-Tex suit, 
since it has a relief zip). I know that the salt in salt water can impair 
the breathability of Gore-Tex (it is restored once you wash it in fresh 
water) and I expect the salts in urine might have a similar effect. However, 
even if the liquid would evapourate, until it did, it would seriously 
compromise the insulation value of the suit if you swam.

A neoprene drysuit provides some insulation even when wet. A couple of 
summers ago I did a longer tour with a couple of friends. The male of this 
couple is propably one of the kayakers I respect most for his paddling and 
wilderness skills. He had equipped himself and his partner with neoprene 
drysuits they had picked up cheap at a windsurfing shop's rental sell-off. 
(Such an arrangement would have been far too warm for me, but I have a 
certain amount of built-in insulation (read "fat")). They paddled all day in 
these suits, widdling as they went and just rinsing out the suits in fresh 
or salt water at the end of the day. Note, however, that I always banished 
them to the far end of the beach until they had washed, and that they always 
unzipped one another -  I wanted no part of it!

Philip Torrens
N49°16' W123°06'


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