Getting changed

[Swimmer]

What strategies do people use to avoid getting absolutely frozen while getting changed/getting their equipment on in 0C or similar air temperatures before getting in?

Also what adverse effects is it likely to have on a wetsuit if I cycle about a ten mile round trip while wearing it?

[IainC]

:D Most winter divers have drysuits - you get into a nice warm fluffy undersuit in your B&B in the morning, having left it above the radiator overnight, then at the dive site you put your drysuit on over the top before getting in the water. Only your hands and head get wet.

Not much good for swimming though I expect.

Sorry..

[Swimmer]

Thanks Iain. The main problem was my hands and feet, which got frozen. I spent some time jogging on the grass with full gear on before getting in. My fingers were going numb before I got the gloves on. Same for my feet. I was concerned that if they got worse before I covered them again, I wouldn't be able to kit up.

Perhaps I could take a hot water bottle wrapped in a blanket along with me, and use it for the crucial bare hands and feet phases.

[David Walker]

If you really must wear a wetsuit, keep as many warm (and particularly wind-proof) layers over the top of it as you need. Include gloves, hat, big warm boots and socks, etc. Ideally inside a heated building / car! At the very least, have a big warm coat that you take off just before you put your kit on, and put straight back on as soon as you're out of the water. Basically a wetsuit will not keep you warm in that environment, and so think of it as a base layer and put as much as possible over the top. If you've got the option, changing out of it into warm dry clothes afterwards will obviously help.

David

[IainC]

Hands and feet getting cold are a sign of your body withdrawing circulation to keep your core warm.

Assuming you ride a few mins to/from your swimming hole - I'm sure the suit will be OK with that.

Wear a waterproof & windproof jacket and leggings over the top (with a fleece etc. as well if possible) - it all keeps you warm right up 'till you get into the water. Then put them on over your suit ASAP when you get out again.

Wear a wool/fleece hat and gloves (like ski gloves) before and after swimming too, that makes a big difference.

Even drysuited divers will wear a coat and hat over their suit between dives.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15041639@N06/2047750896/in/set-72157603240304657/

Iain.

[IainC]

Those little chemical hand warmer things are good too, as an extra.

And a post-dive flask of hot soup

[Nigel Hewitt]

What strategies do people use to avoid getting absolutely frozen while getting changed/getting their equipment on in 0C or similar air temperatures before getting in?
We use proper changing rooms with a hot shower in each to defrost the wet suited ODs after a dive.

Conversely, as Ian said for dry suits, putting on the undersuit(s) before you leave home works in the UK and, happily, ice diving where after five hours on and under the ice my fingers were starting to get a bit chilly - but then I've been worse walking to work.
Also what adverse effects is it likely to have on a wetsuit if I cycle about a ten mile round trip while wearing it?I get the impression that neoprene work hardens as it always seems to go flaky where it gets flexed the most. However the big killer of neo is letting salt dry on it. Rinsing a neo suit, wet or dry, before you take it off puts years on its life.

[Swimmer]

Thanks.

I found that before I went in, I was getting colder standing around, but jogging on the grass was enough to warm me up again. There was a fair amount of wind - the video we took of our "last day" has an awful lot of wind noise on it. Once wet, I was fine out of the water. In fact I got out before the others I was swimming with, felt myself getting warmer, and got back in again. This has been typical. Even last week when I couldn't really swim, I was fine standing around out of the water in my wet gear.

The cycling is 40minutes each way at a sedate pace. My main concern with the wetsuit would be wearing a hole in the *rs*. I have once cycled in it, wet, all the way home. On a day when I considered it too cold to change. I seem to have toughened up during the year as I'm sure I'd consider that day comfortably warm now.

I've been taking a thermos of soup for a few weeks now. I seem to have settled on Heinz Lentil Soup as a good choice :D

[Chris aka divingchef]

Hi
All very good advice,,but
you could do what I did,,,,,
emigrate !!:D :D :D

[BIGLICKER]

:D Only your hands and head get wet.






I WISH!!:eek: :eek:

ROY.

[Steve in Sharm]

Hi
All very good advice,,but
you could do what I did,,,,,
emigrate !!:D :D :D

Me tooooo

Changed = trunks and sunblock :D

Regards

[Richard Whitcombe]

I try to avoid getting changed.

Firstly i should state i dont think the UK is suited to wetsuit diving any time of year :)

Tomorrow im driving to the site already wearing my undersuit, wicking layer, fleece top under it and a pair of thick socks.

When i arrive i only need to add 2 more pairs of socks and the weezle booties and im ready to go.

A lot of inland sites have awful facilities (no heating, showers etc) so getting changed isn't really an option. Otherwise all i can suggest is sit in the car with the heaters on after changing to thaw out or give up on the silly wetsuit idea :).

Dont forget the second you get out of the water to put on a beanie hat of sort, some nice skiing gloves and a wind cheater or thick coat to keep the wind off - this makes a difference.

[PeteM]

Thanks Iain. The main problem was my hands and feet, which got frozen. I spent some time jogging on the grass with full gear on before getting in. My fingers were going numb before I got the gloves on. Same for my feet. I was concerned that if they got worse before I covered them again, I wouldn't be able to kit up.

Perhaps I could take a hot water bottle wrapped in a blanket along with me, and use it for the crucial bare hands and feet phases.

Make sure you have something to stand on when you are getting changed. Ideal is a mat of some type, cheap old stock horrible pattern from discount carpet warehouse. If not a towel.

You can also try taking a flask of warm water to pore into your boots before putting them on. Can also work with the gloves and wetsuit (pore down front or back before doing zip up). By having prewarmed water in you avoid that initial cold flush that is so horrible

[bakerstreet]

:D Most winter divers have drysuits - you get into a nice warm fluffy undersuit in your B&B in the morning, having left it above the radiator overnight

You sounds like you have a dry suit like mine. IE. It aint actually dry!! :mad:

[IainC]

You sounds like you have a dry suit like mine. IE. It aint actually dry!!


Afraid to say (touches wood superstitiously), that my current drysuit is great - it has had its bad days (when the zip went I spent a very soggy week in scapa for instance), but presently - all is good :)

My ND drygloves seal the wrists so no amount torch waving, photo taking or dsmb reeling will get water up my arms.

Still put the undersuit up to warm overnight though - no leaving that in the damp car between diving days

Iain.

[bakerstreet]

Those little chemical hand warmer things are good too, as an extra.

And a post-dive flask of hot soup

Indeed. I like heinz tomato :). I have only recently discovered the thermos :o

[TerryH]

First off, always wear a thinsulate hat + gloves. You need to keep your
body core as warm as poss before you go in.

I bought 4x really cheap (but very warm) megacoats from Primark a few
years ago. They now live in the van with loads of thinsulate hats and
gloves. Soon as any of our lot come out and ditch BC etc. on goes coat,
hat and dry gloves. Windchill is what gets you.

Even with a drysuit on as soon as i'm out, on goes the coat, hat and gloves.

[Roz]

Hi Swimmer

I get the impression that you are a tri-athlete? There are a number of tri-athlete clubs around, http://www.britishtriathlon.org/clubs/index.php, so it might well be worth joining one. The reason that I say this is that answers we are giving you, whilst correct for diving, might not be the case with triathlon training and participation.

With diving we are lucky in that we have time to kit up and dekit. You don't during a triathlon. Like you, we choose kit for the job so there is no way in Gods earth you would find me donning a wetsuit and diving the UK in the winter. I'd rather do the housework or my tax return, given the choice. For the vast majority of us drysuit diving is the way to go, but as swimmer, the last thing you need is to have the drag of what is effectively a large bag.

By joining a club, you'd meet like minded people, be given useful tips on kit, have someone to go training with, others to mentor you, may be a social life....a bit like becoming a diver and joining BSAC.

So whilst our answers are right and helpful, they are specifically aimed at divers (because this is the subject we know), rather than tri-athletes.

HTH.

PS. My fav warming soup = Heinz Tomato.

[BIGLICKER]

You sounds like you have a dry suit like mine. IE. It aint actually dry!! :mad:


the inflator p*ss*s in and the dump valve leaks. There being changed now thou so hopefully when I get it back, IT wont leak. We'll see!!!!!!:confused:


RoY .

[Swimmer]

Hi Swimmer

I get the impression that you are a tri-athlete? There are a number of tri-athlete clubs around, http://www.britishtriathlon.org/clubs/index.php, so it might well be worth joining one. The reason that I say this is that answers we are giving you, whilst correct for diving, might not be the case with triathlon training and participation.

PS. My fav warming soup = Heinz Tomato.

Hi. I am a member of my local triathlon club, as well as my local masters swimming club. Triathletes, in my experience, don't swim in very cold water. I was OK down to about 10 degrees C in my standard swim gloves, wetsuit, and swim cap. The expert triathletes had stopped coming to the open water sessions before then. So they weren't dealing with the water temperatures us in the "hard core" of swimmers were. I did poke around the net a lot before asking here, and it seems that triathlon clubs and resources are not the place to find information about swimming in very cold water.

As for the relevance of answers I get here, I'm putting responses through a swimming plausibility filter. E.g. talk of drysuits, while interesting, is unlikely to be relevant.

Swimming has now stopped for the year, and unless we can get permission for our much talked about New Years Day swim, it'll be May (and much warmer) until I can get into the water.

In terms of equipment cost per swim the last few have been rather costly. But now I have the equipment I hope that it'll last for years as the extreme stuff won't get used more than a few times per year. Does neoprene rot with disuse even if kept indoors?

I've read the additional advice since I was last here. And the idea of a mat is a great one. I'll pick one up for next time.

[PeteM]

Does neoprene rot with disuse even if kept indoors?

No if kept properly. Dry, not in sun light, not creased, not subject to chemicals.