P Valve in a wetsuit

[ash]

Hi

Has anyone successfully installed a P Valve in a freediving suit?

I have managed to lay my hands on a Halcyon unbalanced unit and was thinking of using it for freediving because I don’t like marinating.

It would be nice to get some feedback before I start cutting holes in my suit.

Thanks

Ash

 

[Jon]

I've put them in my drysuit before, but never a wetsuit.

Peeing in a wetsuit is half the fun of diving in one, plus the condom cathaters rip out any hair they come in contact with whne you take them off.:blackeye


Just peeing in a wetsuit is also much cheaper than buying new cathaters all of the time.

The best way to install one, that I have found, is to use an empty shell casing, a .45 seems to do the trick, and use it as the cutting blade.

Put a wooden board on the inside of the suit, the empty casing on the outside where you want the hole, and hit it with a hammer. It will cut a perfectly circular hole right where you want it. Now, you can just screw in the valve and be done.

I hope that helps.

Jon

 

[ash]

Thanks for the reply Jon

I should have been a bit clearer about what I was asking in my first post.

I use a P valve in my drysuit and consider it one of the best pieces of gear I own. I have a stockpile of catheters and I got used to the mission of using them, so that's not an issue.

With the undersuit, it's still quite comfortable but I am wondering if the hose and valve will be uncomfortable in a wetsuit.

Maybe I'll just give it a try anyway. The P Valve doesn’t need to be glued in so I could always pull it out if it doesn’t work.

Ash

 

[h2schmo]

Shudder....:yack

 

[h2schmo]

You might want to try a "duckbill", where you glue together a sheath using two, er, longish, pieces of neoprene (depending ), and then glue that to the inside of the wetsuit, make a hole, and off you go. I think it has probably been described better elsewhere on these forums, but I think it would beat using catheters?

 

[ash]

I've seen the duckbills.....talk about "shudder"

I think I would prefer the condom catheters and P Valve than one of those things, if only because the duckbill looks so odd.

I'll get the P Valve from the supplier this week and see how it compares size wise to the balanced unit in my drysuit, which is quite big and cumbersome. It would be no fun in a wetsuit.

Hopefully the unbalanced unit is a bit smaller.

Ash

 

[okiecaver]

I assume you are talking about the Halcyone one?

If so it is smaller with a lower profile. However, Ive had probs making the condom cath stick in standard wetsuit. Once everything gets wet it wants to roll off.

I dont have a true freediving suit yet, so if they are as watertight as is said, then a p-valve might work.

What kind of suit do you use? I'm looking at the Eliossub and Topsub

Dive safe
Brock

 

[ash]

Howdy Brock

Thanks for the information.

Strangely enough, I have occasionally gone freediving in my old leaky wetsuit for hours before a techdiving training session. I tend to put the catheter on at home before I leave and have had no issues with it coming off in the wetsuit.

I use Rochester brand catheters, which I find to be way stickier than the Mentors that Halcyon supply. This "stickiness" has both good and bad sides (ouch).

A local company in Auckland made my freediving suit for me. They took an off the rack size 6 bottom and size 7 top and made some adjustments. The suit cost me about 1/2 the price of a Picasso and IMHO is as good quality wise. I got them to leave off the loading pad and add a knife pouch.

The suit was pretty good as it was when I got it but I had them make a few extra adjustments and now it is as dry as I could hope for and about 500% dryer than any wetsuit I owned in the past.

The water temp drops to about 11 degrees C in the depths of winter and the 5mm suit should be fine. If I get cold, I’ll get them to make me a 7mm jacket.

Ash

 

[ramstam]

I have been freediving and surfing my whole life. I have never heard of anyone NOT peeing in their wetsuit. You just save it for when you are cold. Then open up the neck a few times to rinse it out before getting out of the water. Come on guys..good idea
using the .45 shell to cut the valve hole. I saw some booties with
a valve for $89 yesterday.

 

[Jon]

Ramstam,

You don't SHOOT the suit with a gun to make the hole!:duh

You use the EMPTY shell casing as you hole-punch to cut a perfect little circle in your suit without leaving any loose threads.

I don't want the rest of the world thinking that divers from Wisconsin have a bunch of wetsuits hanging in trees that we use for target practice after downing a six-pack.:head

Jon

 

[ash]

I got the P Valve last week and had a look at fitting it to my suit.

The bad news is that it's the same unit that's in my dry suit, albeit without the balance chamber. It’s still too big to be comfortable in a tight fitting wetsuit and a few hours in the water with it would be a misery.

So that plan is shelved and I'll have to look into alternatives. I still don’t like the idea of going in the suit. Call me squeamish if you like but I see it as just a way of introducing water into a fairly dry environment.

Ash

 

[ramstam]

I think we all knew that you meant to use the used .45 shell as a
round knife. After talking about it, last night i installed the valve from an old snorkel in my 3/2 surf/snorkel wetsuit. I didn't use it today, but it seems like it's going to work. looks really funny.
I proudly marched into the living room wearing it, and my wife
almost died of laughter!

 

[Yeti]

just a thought

Anyone thought about using one of them valves of those self-inflating 'thermarests'. They are about finger tip size, down to the first knuckle, unless you have hands like Nosferatu!

One of those tucked descretely around the groin area shouldn't cause any discomfort.

One twist for a P and flush, and another twist to close it.

It is the one problem I have with my suit Unless you get out and stand up, if you manage to get any water in it (leaks or taking a leak) it don't want to leave :waterwork which makes for a not too pleasant skin aroma when you get out, not to mention when it cools down, it seems to settle in the small of my back and back of my neck. It don't half cool the kidneys brrrrrrr.

I'm going to have a look at it in the next few weeks so will let you know how it works and where is best.

Cheerio