If wet suits keep people that warm, why aren't they worn in very cold non-aquatic weather too?

Question

If wet suits keep people that warm, why aren't they worn in very cold non-aquatic weather too?

Answer 1

because wet suits work by letting in a small amount of water and then heating up that water which keeps your body warm by keeping warm water near your body

Answer 2

I thought it was the water trapped in the suit warmed by your body heat that kept you warm?? If so, that wouldn't work on dry land.....which is why people wear long underwear - the dry equivalent! :)

Answer 3

When a person is warm they start to sweat.  Sweat is the body's way of cooling itself off.  Water conducts heat away from the body 20 times faster than air does which means that air is a better insulator than water.  Wetsuits are designed to slow down heat loss by trapping a thin layer of water between the suit and the wearer and using the body's available heat to keep warming that thin layer. I have been scuba diving under the ice before wearing a wetsuit but have always had warm water poured into the suit before entry into the water.  I last about 1/2 hour before my body starts sending signals that it is time to get out and dry off and warm up again.  People who regularly scuba dive in colder water wear what are called drysuits.  These suits use air from the scuba cylinder to provide a better insulation than the water in wetsuits does.  Those wearing drysuits also wear a type of long john underwear jumpsuit which absorbs any sweat and adds another layer of insulation.

The wetsuit thickness used for cold water diving is 7mm for the wetsuit which is equivalent to about 1/4 inch thick.  Moving around in a full 1/4 inch rubber suit can be very awkward on land. This in itself may prove more of a burden than a help.  There is also a chance of becoming overheated in a wetsuit.

Best bet is to stick with layered clothing with some sort of polypropeline or polyolefin material against the skin which wicks the sweat away from the skin.

Answer 4

A wetsuit does 2 things to keep you warm:

1. It keeps cold water out. The neoprene fabric is waterproof, most seams are waterproof, and the snug fit keeps water from flushing in through the hand, foot, and neck openings. The water that does come in suit warms up, but it doesn't actually warm you up since the heat originally came from your body to begin with.

2. The thickness of the wetsuit provides insulation from the environment. Of course, the thicker the suit, the more insulation it provides.

Because of the insulation it provides, a wetsuit will keep you warm on dry land. Just ask anyone who is getting ready to dive, surf, etc. on a warm day. However, since keeping water out in non-aquatic weather isn't an issue, there are more comfortable and lighter weight alternatives.