Undersuit advice needed!

[Phil Ennis]

<font color='#810541'>My Otter Brittanic suit has arrived and is absolutely superb!

However, I can't say the same for the undersuit (arctic 200) which is very thick and far too buoyant. I am having to put an extra 2kg on to compensate and this just isn't acceptable to me.

So the search is on for a warm undersuit that doesn't affect my buoyancy. So far the Weezle seems favourite but any advice gratefully received.

What do you use?

[Medusa]

<font color='#0000FF'>I'd go for the weezle, not bulky at all imho. I feel the cold big time and have dived 0 degrees in the Falklands with mine. Kept me toasty. The come up well after washing, dry quickly and pack into a stuff sack. I have nothing but praise for mine! if you've want any more answers mail me!

[String]

Ive got a weezle extreme and the boots to go with it. &nbsp;What i do like about it is the wicking feature meaning that even though my dry suit has more holes than a tea bag, my body itself is fairly dry.

The boots arent that warm though - i have to wear snowboard socks underneath.

In water &lt;10c i was a little cold and wore a thin wollen top and occasionally track suit bottoms under the weezle though.

[Garf]

I just use a fourth element exotherm under my neoprene suit. Hss kept me toasty so far...

For the membrane suits, the choice seems to be the weezle extreme, Stoney cove looked like a weezle convention the other week.

Gareth

[ian.smyth]

Hi Phil,

I have both an arctic 200 and a weezle extreme plus and to be honest they're both as bulky as each other.  I've heard a few folk talking about the DUI type B thinsulate (I think they're called) which apparently doesn't require as much air to function but they're more expensive

[John Gulliver]

You might consider several layers instead of one thick (expensive) undersuit. I dive in colder water than most people on these boards (at least in the winter) and only wear a 100 g Thinuslate undersuit (about £70 from Kent Diving) under my membrane drysuit. However, I wear light-weight thermal underwear under it (similar to Xerotherm but much cheaper, bought from a shop that sells protective clothing for outdoor workers. Why pay more for brand names?). In the winter I just double up on the thermal underwear. Our dives are admittedly shorter (30-35 minutes) in January-March (surface water temp about zero) but I am never cold.

[Mark Chase]

You will find that the Weezal also adds weight. I went from a 200g thinsulate to a Weezel and had to add 2kg.

I dived the weezel in my close fitting membrane suit with minimal air in the suit and it didnt work well at all. I did 5 or six dives in 7 -9 centigrade and I sold it and went back to my 200g thinsulate and baught a forth element base layour to go with it. It was OK bearing in mind I was doing 60 -80min run times in 7 -9 centigrade. My advice is go for the 400g Thinsulate and fourth element base layour for cold winter diving. I ended up getting rid of my Otter Membrain suit and getting an 03 5mm Neopreen suit. I use the Fourth element base layout down to about 12 c and below that I go back to the 200g Thinsulate. &nbsp;

ATB

Mark Chase

[DIVE BUDDHA]

i dive in a 100gram thinsulate and it does ok for me not been cold up to press we will see in a few months in stoney lol