Heat Loss through Wetsuits

   Goose fat?      Has worked well for cross-Channel swimmers..!
Seriously though, why bother with the 3mm wetsuit when you have a nice new warm 5mm wetsuit?
I tend to wear a 5mm wetsuit right up until it gets too hot in Summer (I can't remember when that last happened!). Sailing on the sea with occasional/frequent "swims" and I've found that my 3mm wetsuit is usually too cold unless it really is baking hot, at which point I wouldn't want it to be overly waterproof/warm.

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Captain Morgan Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 03 Sep 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 211	Post Options Post Reply Quote Captain Morgan Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Heat Loss through Wetsuits Posted: 29 Apr 09 at 3:40pm
	Goose fat? Has worked well for cross-Channel swimmers..! Seriously though, why bother with the 3mm wetsuit when you have a nice new warm 5mm wetsuit? I tend to wear a 5mm wetsuit right up until it gets too hot in Summer (I can't remember when that last happened!). Sailing on the sea with occasional/frequent "swims" and I've found that my 3mm wetsuit is usually too cold unless it really is baking hot, at which point I wouldn't want it to be overly waterproof/warm.

winging it Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 22 Mar 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3958	Post Options Post Reply Quote winging it Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 29 Apr 09 at 3:37pm
	I've taken to wearing chicken power poly pro stuff under my summer wetsuit (3mm) if it's sort of in between cold/warm weather. This works really well for me. My new winter wetsuit (gill Hurakan) is very much warmer, but has variable thickness panels (5mm - 2mm) and some water repellent panels which annoy me because if they snag they rip really easily, but I do think they keep me warmer. I can still wear the poly pro stuff under if it's really cold, which is especially good for the legs. (I bought the poly pro kit from their ebay shop - much cheeper )
	the same, but different...

Medway Maniac Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 13 May 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 2788	Post Options Post Reply Quote Medway Maniac Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 29 Apr 09 at 2:47pm
	My new 5mm, double-lined wetsuit helpfully states that its thickness comprises 4.5mm of neoprene and 0.5mm of nylon lining. Presuming that my "3mm wetsuit" also includes 0.5mm of lining, that leaves only 2.5mm of neoprene. No wonder the new one is so much warmer. I sit there at lunchtimes between races shivering in the wet 3mm plus spray top while dry people are completely comfortable in just T-shirts, as I'm sure I would be myself if I took the trouble to dry off and change. Upon analysis, my top half actually feels OK under the spray top, while my bottom half is cold. My explanation for this is that the heat lost by evaporation from the wet outer nylon lining is greater than or at least equal to the insulation of the 2.5mm of neoprene. No surprise, then, that winter wetsuits have single-lined panels. So much for the problem. Has anyone tried solving this by making the outer lining water-repellent so that there's no water soaked into the nylon to evaporate? I'll confess, I did try Nikwax for Goretex clothing, but while this had no beneficial influence on water uptake or heat transfer, it did send me sliding all over the side-deck! Latest thought is waxing with a thick wax (ski-wax, Simoniz?!) the areas I don't sit on. Comments? Ridicule?
	Wilsonian SC 3000 Class