Both wetsuits and drysuits are important gears for water sports lovers or those who work in or near cold waters.

Wetsuits are made of Neoprene that maintains body heat of the wearer when submerged or near cold waters. This piece of garment works letting a small amount of water into the suit from the openings on the neck, arms and legs. This layer of water is responsible then in preserving body heat.

Like wetsuits, drysuits also protect the wearer from suffering hypothermia, but unlike wetsuits, drysuits keep you dry. These are also worn in some water sports and in working in cold or icy waters. Because drysuits intend to keep you dry, no openings are allowed in the suit.

Material

Wetsuits are made of Neoprene, a flexible rubber that allows movement of the wearer even if the suit is snugly fit. Drysuits are not flexible and stretchy but are more durable compared to wetsuit materials. Drysuits are usually made of thin but durable fabric, usually nylon or a mixture of nylon and butyl rubber or a vulcanized rubber or foam neoprene.

How these garments work

Wetsuits are designed to let a small amount of water into the suit that will be heated by the body and thus preserving the warmth and heat of the wearer’s body.

Drysuits are sealed and water is not allowed to enter the suit, thus they make you dry. This will preserve your body heat. Because drysuits are baggy, you can also wear warm clothing inside to put more warmth. Aside from the head, the rest of the body is kept dry.

When to use these suits

Temperature is a factor when to use drysuits and wetsuits. Drysuits are worn when water temperature reaches 60F or 15C and below. It can also be worn even if water temperature is above 60F if the wearer intends to stay in the water for a longer duration and if wetsuits are not comfortable enough.

Wetsuits on the other hand is worn at temperatures above 60 degrees. Both garments come in different forms like jacket, vest, shorty or long john, so you can choose to wear both, one for the upper body and the other for the bottoms or any combination you need.

Cost

Drysuits cost generally higher than wetsuits because they are more durable. They also provide more warmth for prolonged stay in the water than wetsuits.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 13th, 2009 at 5:32 am and is filed under scuba diving. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.