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| E-mail: info@c-bear.co.uk |
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Follow the bear Diver's Magazine, April 2001. Modern membrane drysuits do not keep you warm. Their job is to keep your insulation dry. The insulation you choose makes the difference as to whether you get cold or not. Caroline Unpronounceablevic (a mid-European name, I believe) has run CBear since she broke away from the original Polar Bear company. I prefer to call her Caroline Bear. It's been a long time, but some divers still tend to refer to their diving undergarments as woolly bears and Caroline has wisely been reluctant to let the 'bear" connection go. |
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| C Bear is certainly a
necessity when using a membrane-style drysuit, and the Bicore undersuit is one of her latest offerings. It is less bulky than some other
undersuits because Caroline had the British neoprene drysuit diver in mind when she designed it and, unlike membrane drysuits, neoprene has its own insulating properties. Therefore the
Bicore provides a lesser degree of insulation than some other undersuits. However, always with an eye for the main chance, I saw the possibilities of using it with a traditional membrane suit in the less-than-warm embrace of the northern Red Sea this winter. More fitted than many alternative undergarments, the Bicore has an elasticated back and leaves you looking less like LaLa between dives than some other more voluptuous duvet-style suits. You get fewer comments from non-divers or requests for autographs from mothers of pre-school children when wearing it. The sleeves also have a lycra gusset feature at the wrists. I wore it and did not get cold, but then again, would I have been warmer in another suit? We'll never know! I do know that this suit is very stylish as undersuits go and, to be so, its quilted material is cut and stitched. I believe that at any point where there is stitching the thermal barrier may be bridged and heat lost. That's why duvets are made the way they are. It is a sacrifice made at the altar of style. You might have to be a little bit cooler if you want to look good! Always believing in using minimum weight, I felt it was important for me to avoid suffering the trials and tribulations of air caught in the undersuit when the time came for me to dump the last of the air in the drysuit, in the shallows. The mesh vent at the shoulder obviously helped with that. I also found that the pockets were padded enough that I could carry my safely with me without it being permanently embossed on my groin by suit-squeeze. So whether you need a thinner undersuit for use with a neoprene drysuit or one for use with a membrane suit in water that is not quite so chilling, the Bicore undersuit might prove ideal. It is available in a range of stock sizes for around £94. |
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