So you’re thinking about getting a dry suit? Excellent idea! A canyoning dry suit is a great way to extend your canyoning season, allowing you to go canyoning when it’s late/early in the season and the temperature starts dropping/are still low.
How does a dry suit keep you warm?
A wet suit keeps you warm because neoprene protects you against wind chill, and traps a thin layer of water between your body and the neoprene suit. This water heats up and -as long as the layer of water stays in place- keeps you warm. Unfortunately, the thin layer of water often disperses and often gets refreshed with new cold water, because you move around, jump, slide, swim, etc. In summer this is not a problem, but in winter…. brrr…
A canyoning dry suit keeps you warm because it protects you against wind chill, and traps a layer of air between your body and the dry suit. This air stays trapped inside the dry suit and doesn’t get refreshed with new cold air. A dry suit is completely air- and watertight, and is sealed with rubber seals at the neck and wrists. So except for your head and hands your whole body is encapsulated in the dry suit.
So do I need to wear anything underneath a dry suit?
YES! Absolutely. A dry suit on its own only provides protection against wind chill. It does not have much insulating properties (unlike a neoprene suit), so you should wear warm clothes underneath, like for example the Seland polar fleece undersuit, or other warm clothes. In fact, when you stand waist deep in cold water you will notice that the water pressure pushes the air in your dry suit to your upper body and as a result your legs will cool down after a while.
Can I still stay afloat with a dry suit?
Sure. The trapped air inside the suit keeps you afloat without any problem. In fact, trying to dive with a dry suit is pretty problematic. Swimming with a dry suit will actually make you feel/look like Bidendum 😉
Do I still need to wear neoprene socks?
Probably yes, because you probably tried on your shoes with neoprene socks. So if you leave your neoprene socks at home, then there is a chance that your shoes will become too large.
Great! Are there any other things I need to take into account?
You don’t want to do a approach walk (“marche d’approche”) in your dry suit, since it will get too warm. But often your backpack is still wet from the day before so you don’t want to wear your dry clothes either (or actually, you want to keep you dry clothes dry since you’ll wear them inside your canyoning dry suit). So we recommend putting your dry clothes in a dry bag or waterproof barrel, and wearing a short/t-shirt for your approach.
OK, so I ordered a Seland canyoning dry suit and it fits great except around my neck. In fact, I feel like I’m getting choked…
If you examine the neck seal of the Seland Canyoning Dry Suit you will notice that there are lines on the neck seal, about 3 mm apart. If the neck seal is too tight, cut off the first line of the seal. If the neck seal is still too tight, cut off the second line of the seal. Repeat this until the neck seal is comfortable. Make sure to cut the lines one per one, and try the suit on every time!
