Sausagebun
New member
I see Inglesport are selling a PVC suit from Lyon, anyone know anything about them? anyone tried one out? Its about time there was a decent pvc suit to use 
New PVC suit
- Thread starter Sausagebun
- Start date
Pete Brookdale
New member
Dave Ramsay was testing them so ask him.
Jon
Member
Just got one yesterday, first test in a cave will be Saturday. Very nice material, slightly stretchy, actually feels soft and Dave says it stays supple. It fact it feels so nice that just stroking it is very therapeutic! It has a velcro front closure & hood, but no pocket (good) and no cuff adjusters (maybe not so good). Off course only time will tell as to how robust it is but Dave says good things about it and he mostly lives in a cave.
It's very important that you try one on first as the sizings are a little odd. Currently available in size 0 to 4. I'm 172cm tall but a stocky build, years of cycling have given me larger than normal thighs and I needed a size 4 to comfortably squat down in. Dave's a size 2 or 3 and he's taller than me although he has also fitted in a 0, I think. If you're slim then you'll be fine, otherwise hassle Lyon to make some different sizes.
It's very important that you try one on first as the sizings are a little odd. Currently available in size 0 to 4. I'm 172cm tall but a stocky build, years of cycling have given me larger than normal thighs and I needed a size 4 to comfortably squat down in. Dave's a size 2 or 3 and he's taller than me although he has also fitted in a 0, I think. If you're slim then you'll be fine, otherwise hassle Lyon to make some different sizes.
Warmbac also have a new PVC suit offering which is in the trial stage at the moment - 2 being abused in Yorkshire plus I have one to abuse. So far I'm finding it easily comparable to the (sadly no longer available) Meander Criou on comfort and flexibility so far for both digging and caving - too early to tell how it will compare on wear as I've only had mine for a couple of months.
Sausagebun
New member
Thanks for the info, I've rung up inglesport ond spoken to Dave, he sings its praises and has had one since July says its still in good nick and still as flexible as new unlike Meanders or any other suit and he does a lot of caving On that basis i'm getting one
cap n chris
Well-known member
??
pwhole
Well-known member
A few of us at the TSG have been testing these suits over the last few months:
http://www.corstonsinclair.com/prodView.asp?idproduct=951
We all ended up with the hi-vis Saturn Yellow versions, which caused some hilarity initially, but in retrospect, it's hard to lose someone in a glowing suit! They're incredibly soft and supple, and very warm too - I've waded up the Speedwell streamway many times in one now and it's held up well. Not really intended as an 'immersion' suit, but nevertheless they keep most of the water out due to the large 'flap' seals on the zips. A velcroed hip pocket slot is the only other potential ingress point, but it's not too bad really.
The weak spot from a caving perspective is the zip, as it's a normal 'clothing' zip, and not chunky enough to deal with mud and grit, so they need to be kept clean, otherwise it would get wrecked. The strong point from a caving perspective is that the elasticated fabric backing to the plastic prevents a tear 'running'. They will tear on rough stuff, but it self-seals to a certain degree, and can then easily be repaired with AquaSure or similar at home.
One other point (which I'm guessing applies to most suits to some degree) is the fit - they only do small, medium, large and x-large. A large fits me well, albeit with slightly too-short sleeves. However, others struggle to lift their arms up fully as the torso isn't long enough. Aunty Ann's fits so perfectly she wears it all the time. Richard T has used one exclusively for over two years, and it's still going strong. So I guess it's the usual compromise in that respect, but overall I'm quite happy with mine, and it was a lot cheaper than a Meander.
One other unexpected bonus was that being hi-vis, it was legally OK to wear onsite for rope-access work, and being on a roof in Manchester for most of last summer meant it got some usage! Very toasty in wind and rain. Got more damage there than underground though, as there was so much sharp metal everywhere.
http://www.corstonsinclair.com/prodView.asp?idproduct=951
We all ended up with the hi-vis Saturn Yellow versions, which caused some hilarity initially, but in retrospect, it's hard to lose someone in a glowing suit! They're incredibly soft and supple, and very warm too - I've waded up the Speedwell streamway many times in one now and it's held up well. Not really intended as an 'immersion' suit, but nevertheless they keep most of the water out due to the large 'flap' seals on the zips. A velcroed hip pocket slot is the only other potential ingress point, but it's not too bad really.
The weak spot from a caving perspective is the zip, as it's a normal 'clothing' zip, and not chunky enough to deal with mud and grit, so they need to be kept clean, otherwise it would get wrecked. The strong point from a caving perspective is that the elasticated fabric backing to the plastic prevents a tear 'running'. They will tear on rough stuff, but it self-seals to a certain degree, and can then easily be repaired with AquaSure or similar at home.
One other point (which I'm guessing applies to most suits to some degree) is the fit - they only do small, medium, large and x-large. A large fits me well, albeit with slightly too-short sleeves. However, others struggle to lift their arms up fully as the torso isn't long enough. Aunty Ann's fits so perfectly she wears it all the time. Richard T has used one exclusively for over two years, and it's still going strong. So I guess it's the usual compromise in that respect, but overall I'm quite happy with mine, and it was a lot cheaper than a Meander.
One other unexpected bonus was that being hi-vis, it was legally OK to wear onsite for rope-access work, and being on a roof in Manchester for most of last summer meant it got some usage! Very toasty in wind and rain. Got more damage there than underground though, as there was so much sharp metal everywhere.
jarvist
New member
Does anyone know what it's actually made from? I don't think actual PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) is at all stretchable. I think it more likely that this is a Polyurethane laminate fabric.
I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all - PVC is nasty nasty stuff, both to the environment in every step of its production & use, and in the plasticisers used to make it into a flexible fabric (that lovely smell of a new Meander...) which are being phased out across the EU as harmful to health. I'm just genuinely interested in what the material is...
I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all - PVC is nasty nasty stuff, both to the environment in every step of its production & use, and in the plasticisers used to make it into a flexible fabric (that lovely smell of a new Meander...) which are being phased out across the EU as harmful to health. I'm just genuinely interested in what the material is...
cap n chris
Well-known member
What are the differences between the ?74 suit in the link and the ?130 caving shop version other than some velcro?
Sausagebun
New member
I've tried these industrial suits in the past, the fit is usually loose and baggy and not good for caving and they do not seem to last as well. Buy cheapbuy twice springs to mind.
Andy Sparrow
Active member
The new Lyon oversuit will be available in caveclimb.com, Cheddar, this Saturday. Come down and see what you think!
cap n chris
Well-known member
Yes.
But if you're partial to vetin'ry stuff and enjoy having your arm up a cow you can opt for a pucey-green alternative, if you like.
But if you're partial to vetin'ry stuff and enjoy having your arm up a cow you can opt for a pucey-green alternative, if you like.
