Tried a new way to pre-heat my drysuit on a cold Lake Superior job

Used to just run hot water in the shower, but this time I filled a cooler with warm water and submerged the suit for 20 minutes. The core stayed warm for the entire first dive, no initial chill at all. Anyone have a better method for those really cold surface intervals?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie_adams15d ago

Honestly, the cooler method sounds like a lot of extra work to me. Tbh, I've always just put on my base layers and let my body heat warm them up for a few minutes before getting in the suit. That initial chill is bad, but it goes away fast once you're in the water. I feel like submerging the whole suit could mess with the seals or glue over time. Just my take from doing this a while.

gavin22815d ago

Yeah, the whole warming debate is funny! It reminds me of the time my buddy tried to use a hairdryer on his wetsuit in the parking lot before a dawn patrol. He had it plugged into his car inverter, blasting hot air into the legs. Worked great until he blew a fuse and killed his headlights! We had to jump start his car in the dark with our phone flashlights. Sometimes the simple way is just less trouble.

the_terry15d ago

Lol that hairdryer story is gold. I've totally used a space heater in the van on low, works a charm until you trip the campsite breaker.