Hi! For Christmas I received an Aventure Verticale British Arphidia undersuit. I tried it on and I realised I was quite aware of the back of the zip on my skin, and I'm worried it'll chafe whilst caving.

Will the undersuit be fine directly against skin? If not, what do you wear under them?  (i thought they were a base layer)

Many people wear a very thin base layer beneath their undersuit; this should solve things for you.

Sometimes use a base layer, me, but most of the time do not. I wear Warmbac undersuits because I don't have amazing friends who buy me marvellous gifts like the AV you have been given! Nice present

PS Welcome to the Forum!

Cap'n Chris said:

Many people wear a very thin base layer beneath their undersuit; this should solve things for you.

PS Welcome to the Forum!

Click to expand...

I've previously worn a set of thin skin tight thermals under multiple layers, would the thermals do the trick?

And thanks!

Prolly; try, and find out (*]

Craynon said:

Cap'n Chris said:

Many people wear a very thin base layer beneath their undersuit; this should solve things for you.

PS Welcome to the Forum!

Click to expand...

I've previously worn a set of thin skin tight thermals under multiple layers, would the thermals do the trick?

And thanks!

Click to expand...

I'd be wary of wearing thermals below an undersuit as you may run the risk of overheating which is quite as unpleasant as getting cold.  If you going to wear anything under the undersuit I'd go for a pair of shreddies and an old t shirt.

as cap'n chris says most will wear a baselayer undernearth their undersuit.

i've used skintight thermals before, now I use merino wool longjohns and top from mountain warehouse. and they do the trick fairly well.

you can always shed layers, but never put extra on.

very much depends on what types of caves you'll be in and what kinds speed you'll be moving at. of course if you feel the cold, it's nothing a few starjumps/jogging on the spot can't solve..

Posted by: tamarmole
? on: Today at 01:44:49 pm ? Insert Quote
I'd be wary of wearing thermals below an undersuit as you may run the risk of overheating which is quite as unpleasant as getting cold.  If you going to wear anything under the undersuit I'd go for a pair of shreddies and an old t shirt.

Click to expand...

Cotton for caving is a bad idea, under or over anything. Holds the wet, makes you cold quicker, especially if you have to stop for any reason. Negates the lovely AV undersuit.

In the UK overheating is not normally a problem. Suggest a short sleeved, thin, synthetic, vest

http://shop.hellyhansen.com/gb/item/hh-dry-stripe-t-48816/?t_type=src&t_type=cat

Thanks for the advice people! I'm actually leaving for a trip tonight, so won't have time to purchase any of the suggested items, so I'll make do and see what happens!

Sent from my LG-H955 using Tapatalk

^in wet caves overheating is not normally a problem. Yorkshire is a prime example, where most things have some water in them.

Whereas if you're doing dry caves then it's a totally different kettle of fish. I've been very warm in the dry parts of OFD, especially sweaty in Ogof Draenen and the entrance series to Aggy. and you might find that you get quite warm in the high and dry passages of Easegill.

I wear a thinning undersuit from Dennis Jump, just the standard one, but it was a hell of a lot warmer when I first got it 6 years ago. I remember having to unzip it on most trips cos I was just too warm. but now its settled down and so long as I keep moving then I'm fine, but when you look at the fabric I know I'm on borrowed time...

If you don't wear anything under your undersuit then getting changed by the side of the road can be a little more thoughtful.

If it is that cold it won't matter 

Judi Durber said:

In the UK overheating is not normally a problem. Suggest a short sleeved, thin, synthetic, vest

Click to expand...

Second that! 

I suffer badly from cold generally, brought more into focus recently when a midnight shaft exit in a sleety gale almost finished me off physically, so I've recently invested in a pretty chunky MTDE undersuit which is very warm indeed. Sadly as a result it's added about an inch to my overall measurements, and my usual oversuit is now rather tight and restrictive! Ah well. But I found my lightweight hi-tec AV undersuit was nice and warm until wet, and then I'd start to lose heat rapidly if I wasn't very active, even in plastic.

I found a skintight merino wool top underneath the best bet (black, obviously), as they can soak up sweat without smelling, and also give off heat as they dry, so even if it's damp when I get out, and I'm not filthy, I just put a jumper over the top and it's toasty in minutes. It's antibacterial properties mean you can wear them for ages if you don't sweat a lot! I also gave up wearing underwear caving as I just couldn't see the point, given the state it often ended up in. I don't mind getting changed by the road - the drivers are invariably more shocked than I am, and as long as they don't hit me I couldn't give two hoots what they see. We've all got them, whichever style...

Anyone tried Lycra??

Only tried Lycra once and the sound of my club mates laughter still haunts me...

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Laughter don't matter as long as you're comfy, I recall the derision when I first started wearing ladies tights under my wetsuit --, thinking about that, how about one of those 'body suits' they used to wear?  :-\ ---







Or, if you only want insulation from the zip---

"My girdle's killing me..."

Shit, that's an age giveaway... :ang:

And jeez - don't edit your posts like that again! Nearly had a bloody heart attack.

tamarmole said:

I'd be wary of wearing thermals below an undersuit as you may run the risk of overheating which is quite as unpleasant as getting cold.  If you going to wear anything under the undersuit I'd go for a pair of shreddies and an old t shirt.

Click to expand...

I have a Neofleece and it is great for wet stuff (Swildon's was much more fun in it than the first time I did it in a load of thermals and fleeces) but it does get sweaty...
I also have a very nice Montane thick powerstretch top and leggings. Occasionally I make the mistake of deciding I might get cold in the Neofleece (which is probably just about possible) and wearing the thick powerstretch layer underneath it. This is always a mistake and results in even a dry cave becoming a very wet one (at least inside the Neofleece). Very thin wicking technical tops (synthetic, or lightweight merino) can have surprisingly warming/comfort-inducing effects - it isn't about the insulation but the moisture management.

I got a Merino long-sleeve top and leggings for about ?42 at Decathlon.

I currently use a zipped neck synthetic base layer under my fleece onesie.

Aldi do merino base layers occasionally.