PBB eXtreme Base Layer System

Internal thermal insulation for dry suits, we feel, is one of the most misunderstood elements of dry suit diving. It is fundamental for divers to understand thermal layering and its buoyancy implications when deciding what to wear under a dry suit.

Materials that have been proven in more extreme environments than diving have been used by O’Three in the development and manufacture of a technical, functional, easy to wear set of garments specifically designed for our sport creating this PBB eXtreme base layer.

To stay warm it is imperative you stay dry, not just the job of your drysuit, but your base layer/undersuit as well.

Your first concern must be to move perspiration away from your skin. Polarpro technical thermal fleece wicks, breathes and is hydrophobic, which means the fibres do not absorb water.

Body moisture is transferred away from the skin and in its place a contour of warm dry air is created.

To maximise the characteristics of all dry suits, choose your base layers / under suit carefully, and you will maintain excellent flexibility whilst still being able to dive in some very cold conditions.

Over the years experience and feedback has proved that one set of PBB eXtreme is all that is needed under an Ri 2-100 dry suit and will be effective for most of the year, for most divers. If you wear a thicker dry suit, such as the MSF500 or similar, then the PBB+ is recommended.

This double layer will protect you from the very cold and if sized properly will not hinder your movement when fully kitted up.

It is accepted that insulation is directly proportional to the amount of trapped air in a material. Therefore, the thicker the fabric the warmer your will be.

This somewhat outdated view has created a generation of bulky, buoyant and restrictive under suits.

Today’s modern fabrics trap greater amounts of air than traditional fabrics of the same thickness, the end result, more insulation with less bulk, increased flexibility, reduced buoyancy issues and a lighter weight belt.

PLEASE NOTE: Ultimately, it is you the wearer of the dry suit that is generating the heat, the suit you choose to wear (as long as it is a neoprene suit) is simply the insulator. A membrane style of suit will offer virtually no thermal protection.

The thermal guidance information above is purely that, a guide.  If you are a petite lady and feels the cold when snuggled up in bed with a winter duvet on all year round, or you are a guy that wears a T-Shirt in the depths of winter your reliance on a neoprene dry suit from a thermal perspective is at either end of the scale.

Remember, if your base layer / under suit combination is coming up short at certain times of the year, just add flexible layers using the correct fabrics to improve your resistance to the cold. Think climbers and skiers. Get it wrong and you will increase bulk and buoyancy.

Please be sensible realistic and careful when choosing the appropriate thermal protection. We are all different.

Your life could depend on it.