Re: [Paddlewise] Cold Water Clothing

jim holman  wrote:
<SNIP>>>>>>So it appears that there is no one who actually has any *data* on
how much
longer a drysuit would let you tolerate cold water vs. a wetsuit.  I was
very
surprised by this.<<<<<<<

I recall some studies that the U. S. Air Force and/or Navy did in trying to
find a flight suit that would be both relatively comfortable for pilots to
wear and that would significantly aid survivability in cold water bail out
situations. I think the results were republished in an issue of Sea Kayaker
along with a safety article I wrote. This would have been in the mid-1980's
and didn't directly compare wet-suits and dry suits (as we know them today)
but at least they did consider the pilot's comfort to be an important issue
too. I could only find a mention of it on page 112 of Deep Trouble but I
think it was part of the same study that included the major benefits of
getting out of the water (such as on a life raft) even if still exposed to
the wet and wind.

The University of Victoria on Vancouver Island studied hypothermia back then
too. I imagine they may have tested different clothing and survival suits
for heat loss as well. As I recall they would time how much time it took
various people to lower their core temperature to 95 degrees. They never
intentionally went any lower as 95 degrees was considered to still be a safe
temperature from a physiological point of view.

Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com


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