DIVING CONCEPTS

CUTTING EDGE SCUBA TECHNOLOGY^TM

The following are 3M Thermograms of the TPS^TM, TPS Thinsulate^TM and TPS Thinsulate Extreme^TM undersuits. These scans indicate where most of the heat transfer takes place on an undersuit. Water that is heated to 195ºF circulates through tubes that are located on a mannequin. The undersuit is then placed on the mannequin and allowed to stabilize for 20 minutes before a picture is taken. The temperature scale at the bottom of the picture indicates the temperature on the outside of the undersuit. White indicates the most heat loss through the undersuit, followed by red, yellow, blue, etc.

TPSTM This is the lightest of our undersuits and is excellent for moderate temperatures. The TPS contains a layer of double-sided polyester fleece and a nylon taffeta outer coating. The CLO rating of the TPS is 1.0.

TPS THINSULATETM The TPS Thinsulate combines the benefit of a lightweight, minimum bulk undergarment maximum thermal properties. It contains a 100g layer of Thinsulate insulation material which is sandwiched between a layer of double-sided polyester fleece and the nylon taffeta outer coating giving it a CLO rating of 1.7.

TPS THINSULATE EXTREMETM The TPS Thinsulate Extreme is available for the most demanding dive conditions. It contains a 200g layer of Thinsulate insulation material which is sandwiched between a layer of double-sided polyester fleece and the nylon taffeta outer coating giving it a CLO rating of 2.4. The TPS Thinsulate Extreme offers the ultimate in thermal protection in extremely cold water temperatures. This undersuit is recommended only for extreme environments, otherwise the TPS Thinsulate is sufficient

SUGGESTED TPS UNDERSUITS FOR DIVING CONCEPTS DRYSUITS

The degree of thermal insulation needed with any drysuit depends on the thermal retention properties of each drysuit, the needs of the individual, the dive site temperature, individual variations in cold tolerance, individual muscle mass or fat content, body surface area to volume ratio and the expected rate of exercise while diving^8,16,18.  The ability of an undersuit to keep you warm is expressed in units of CLO (thermal resistance).  In order to remain comfortable, the human body must maintain a skin temperature of 33°C (91°F) and be in thermal equilibrium with the environment.  For example, a skier at -25°F (burning 290 Kcal/hr) only needs a 2.0 CLO to be comfortable while a man standing relaxed at -4°F (burning 104 Kcal/hr) needs a CLO of 4.3. ¹⁹ Below are a range of undersuit recommendations with Diving Concepts drysuits:

What is CLO?  CLO is the measure of the ability of an insulation to keep you warm.  The CLO unit is defined as the amount of clothing required by a resting subject to be comfortable at a room temperature of 21°C (70°F), relative humidity <50% and air movement 20 ft/min¹⁹ If you are familiar with the tog rating system, 1.5 tog = CLO.^9,16