Best Oversuit ??
- Thread starter Getwet
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SamT
Moderator
I use a the blue/red Warmbac heavy duty suits. Perfect for dry to medium-wet caves (i.e. peak caves) but especially cause they are bout the toughest suits out there and since we do a lot of digging in bagshawe - they need to be. I get through about 1 a year. If its going to be really wet - then I wear a neo/fleece undersuit
For very wet caves I reckon a meander pvc oversuit (or petzl/tsa if you can get hold of one - hitch and hike have a xtra small in stock). People who do a lot of sport caving in the dales seem to favour these 'boil in the bag suits'. Bought one for my recent french caving trip. Found that a lot of the time I was wet through with sweating alone. But recomended if you intend to do a lot of draughty wet caving.
Good luck
For very wet caves I reckon a meander pvc oversuit (or petzl/tsa if you can get hold of one - hitch and hike have a xtra small in stock). People who do a lot of sport caving in the dales seem to favour these 'boil in the bag suits'. Bought one for my recent french caving trip. Found that a lot of the time I was wet through with sweating alone. But recomended if you intend to do a lot of draughty wet caving.
Good luck
paul
Moderator
I agree exactly with SamT. Caving Supplies have the yellow PVC Meander suits at a good price.
The Warmbac nylon oversuits are excellent but pricey. I've also used Caving Supplies own "Mudlark" suit which is 20 quid cheaper but has a much smaller pocket and also no neoprene cuffs on the sleeves but seemed to last quite long. Also about the same price as the CS suit I can also recommend the Daleswear Kingsdale suit which is pretty tough and has neoprene cuffs, which I prefer.
I've had a brand new Beaver oversuit and the stitching in the crotch gave out on the frist trip - draw your own conclusions.
The Warmbac nylon oversuits are excellent but pricey. I've also used Caving Supplies own "Mudlark" suit which is 20 quid cheaper but has a much smaller pocket and also no neoprene cuffs on the sleeves but seemed to last quite long. Also about the same price as the CS suit I can also recommend the Daleswear Kingsdale suit which is pretty tough and has neoprene cuffs, which I prefer.
I've had a brand new Beaver oversuit and the stitching in the crotch gave out on the frist trip - draw your own conclusions.
Oh yes
That is a slight downside to them, they do get rather warm in the drier caves and in quite a few mines too. I'm quite happy with my petzl suit (getting a bit battered now though!), from what I've seen the meanders seem to do the job quite well and I'll quite possibly grab one next time.
I used to have a Kingsdale suit and whilst I never abused it properly it faired quite well. I just prefered the pvc suits to the nylon ones..
sittingnev
New member
I've used a Kingsdale from Daleswear for 2 years, I've had no problems with it, however caving as infrequently as I do it doesn't get much wear anyway.
My mate has gone through 2 beavers from Bernies in the last couple of years, the stitching around the crotch came apart, and the back ripped on both of them after a year, however he caves far more frequently than me.
My mate has gone through 2 beavers from Bernies in the last couple of years, the stitching around the crotch came apart, and the back ripped on both of them after a year, however he caves far more frequently than me.
I'm currently repairing my TSA - boil in the bag, but fantastic. I've also got a Warmbac cordura, but if you are tall and thin - like me - then to get the height you also have the width for another person.
Meander - one of my mates has one, and it hasn't lasted anywhere near as well as the TSA. Looking quite trashed alreay after only 1 yr.
Meander - one of my mates has one, and it hasn't lasted anywhere near as well as the TSA. Looking quite trashed alreay after only 1 yr.
T
tubby two
Guest
Yeah, TSA all the way, especially for wet/draughty caves. Only problem is theyre hard to get hold of now and meanders arent quite as strong, but still good.
Thats for caving mostly in the dales with brief derbyshire interludes, so it depends where youre caving most. Mining round alston can get quite warm, but not unbearably so.
Nothing wrong with boil in the bag- lying in the mendip sun last summer in a TSA seemed to be a pretty good way of sweating off all the excess tubbyness so you can fit down the tight stufff below....
:jedi: .
tt.
Thats for caving mostly in the dales with brief derbyshire interludes, so it depends where youre caving most. Mining round alston can get quite warm, but not unbearably so.
Nothing wrong with boil in the bag- lying in the mendip sun last summer in a TSA seemed to be a pretty good way of sweating off all the excess tubbyness so you can fit down the tight stufff below....
:jedi: .
tt.
G
George North
Guest
Hello,
The new Petzl oversuits (yellow PVC) are now on sale in France, they're supposed to be better than the Meanders, so it might be worth waiting for a bit till we get them too.
I've got a heavy duty Warmbac at the moment, it's probably about as strong as you could realistically build an oversuit. The fabric has now worn out, but the seams are still intact and the rips don't appear to have spread which is a definite sign of quality. The sizing is rubbish though! They seem to make them wider rather than longer, hence if you're tall you have to get a massive size, which is rediculously baggy. I'm 6'2" and have to wear a XXL, though it still only just reaches the top of my wellies :evil:
Like others have said the cordura ones are best for dry jagged caves, but the PVC ones are better in wet and windy conditions. Personally I'd go for a PVC job if you intend doing any of the latter.
The only ones I know of to definitely avoid are the red Beaver ones because the stitching comes apart very quickly.
The only other thing is to make sure you can move around in it when you buy it, i.e. you can crouch down, reach up, crawl etc. You will look quite stupid , but it's well worthwhile.
Cheers,
George.
The new Petzl oversuits (yellow PVC) are now on sale in France, they're supposed to be better than the Meanders, so it might be worth waiting for a bit till we get them too.
I've got a heavy duty Warmbac at the moment, it's probably about as strong as you could realistically build an oversuit. The fabric has now worn out, but the seams are still intact and the rips don't appear to have spread which is a definite sign of quality. The sizing is rubbish though! They seem to make them wider rather than longer, hence if you're tall you have to get a massive size, which is rediculously baggy. I'm 6'2" and have to wear a XXL, though it still only just reaches the top of my wellies :evil:
Like others have said the cordura ones are best for dry jagged caves, but the PVC ones are better in wet and windy conditions. Personally I'd go for a PVC job if you intend doing any of the latter.
The only ones I know of to definitely avoid are the red Beaver ones because the stitching comes apart very quickly.
The only other thing is to make sure you can move around in it when you buy it, i.e. you can crouch down, reach up, crawl etc. You will look quite stupid
, but it's well worthwhile.Cheers,
George.
ian mckenzie
New member
Best oversuit is one that's tailor-made for you. I once had an inch length at the waist and two inches length at the legs added to a standard size by one of the commercial suit manufacturers in Britain (can't remember which, it was in Ingleton but I think they're long gone now), just by asking them, and no extra cost. But really, the newest fabrics and the best designs are only available from individual cavers who make them to order. The suit I have now is of ultra thin but very strong nylon with glued seams and made 'pre-bent' at the knees, elbows and the back. This averages out the extreme positions of ramrod upright and crawling, so the suit does not bunch or stretch and can be made more form-fitting. The zipper is one of those rubber-backed ones and is sewn in backwards so the rubber side shows out, more waterproof and mud proof. The hood is lightweight and rolls into a pocket in the neck. Absolutely brilliant suit, but available only from my mate who works for an outdoor equipment/clothing firm here in Canada and makes them as one-offs on the side. I'll bet there's a few like him in Britain though.
I
ijg0
Guest
I got mine, nylon type, from Dragon (www.dragon-speleo.co.uk).
Give them a call and they will custom make you one for no extra charge
Give them a call and they will custom make you one for no extra charge
Rachel
Active member
ian mckenzie said:
That'll be Daleswear. They haven't closed, just moved from Main St to Laundry Lane due to expansion. I can definitely vouch for them. They made a custom suit for my daughter when she was 3 and couldn't find a small enough one anywhere - it seems to have lasted well enough up to now.
Rachel
underground
Active member
SamT said:
Samster, did it not come with a repair patch and some special PVC glue for just such a job? If not you can nick a square of mine
Sew up big rips (I use kite string a big needle and a pair of pliers), cut out the patch & round the corners off. Draw round the patch on the oversuit, so you can easily locate it on the suit when covered with glue.
Rough up the patch and oversuit with sand paper, and most importantly before glueing degrease all surfaces to be glued with Meths or something similar (I had to use schnapps once when nothing else was available-worked ok!).
Apply the glue to both surfaces (being careful to go slightly outside the line drawn on the suit) wait for it to go tacky & stick them together. Place a piece of paper inside the suit under the rip and one over the patch, then stick a heavy weight on top for a few hours.
I have used a few tins of Warmbac PVC adheasive (£5) on tackle sacks/oversuits with this method and none of the patches have ever come off. Last week I also had to repair a rip in my brand new meander :evil: using the tube of glue and patch that came with it (sold separately at £1.50) which seems pretty good.
Simon.
Rough up the patch and oversuit with sand paper, and most importantly before glueing degrease all surfaces to be glued with Meths or something similar (I had to use schnapps once when nothing else was available-worked ok!).
Apply the glue to both surfaces (being careful to go slightly outside the line drawn on the suit) wait for it to go tacky & stick them together. Place a piece of paper inside the suit under the rip and one over the patch, then stick a heavy weight on top for a few hours.
I have used a few tins of Warmbac PVC adheasive (£5) on tackle sacks/oversuits with this method and none of the patches have ever come off. Last week I also had to repair a rip in my brand new meander :evil: using the tube of glue and patch that came with it (sold separately at £1.50) which seems pretty good.
Simon.
