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Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 10, 2012 8:45 am
by Caver John
http://www.dragonflydry.com/drygear.php

Heres a goretex coverall for about $80! Anyone ever heard of these? I'm curious how it would hold up in cave.

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 10, 2012 10:29 am
by BrianFrank
The biggest issue I have with the overalls made for caving is they are too warm for the type of caving I do. My typical caving trip is a 4 to 7 hour excursion in an TAG cave. Once I get moving I'm warm and sometimes hot in TAG 58 degree caves without wearing made for caving overalls. I have yet to find a caving overall that is light enough to wear.

Maybe this Dragonfly is the way to go if it is thin enough to not create more insulation.

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 10, 2012 11:39 am
by Caver John
I also get hot very easy. It doesn't mention the weight of the fabric. Also I don't believe there is reinforcements at the seat, knees, elbows. Probly won't hold up as good as a caving suit, yet another product that maybe should be left to be used as it was intended.
But maybe it is just what your looking for.

I'm looking for a suit that's waterproof, but very light and breathable.
Any suggestions?

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 10, 2012 12:09 pm
by BrianFrank
I agree with you.\\
Caver John wrote:I'm looking for a suit that's waterproof, but very light and breathable. Any suggestions?

Waterproof and breathable? If you find that material you better pull a patent on it ASAP.

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 10, 2012 1:03 pm
by Caver John
Really I'm surprised I can't find a ballistic nylon/gortex suit. That would be as breathable as it gets. I've never tried a nylon suit, alot of peop say they get hot in them. But that's as light as it gets when it comes to durable fabric.

If this dragonflydry suit had reinforcements, it would be a go.

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 10, 2012 4:49 pm
by wyandottecaver
Many customized caving suits feature "pit vents" velcro openings under the arms. Amazing how much heat you can quickly shed when you open the flaps.

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 11, 2012 8:07 am
by Caver John
wyandottecaver wrote:Many customized caving suits feature "pit vents" velcro openings under the arms. Amazing how much heat you can quickly shed when you open the flaps.


That would be a great feature for a coverall.

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 11, 2012 9:35 am
by Caver John
I think I found what I was looking for. Just ordered.

http://landjoff.com/product/50/caving-c ... -plus.html

These are coated inside and out for waterproofing, and made from cordura nylon
I also like the inside suspenders so you can drop the top

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 11, 2012 10:41 am
by gindling
Brian, Goretex is already waterproof and breathable. And trust me they do have a patent on it.

From Wiki:
Gore-Tex is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates. It was co-invented by Wilbert L. Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Gore's son, Robert W. Gore. Robert Gore was granted U.S. Patent 3,953,566 on April 27, 1976, for a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene (the chemical constituent of Teflon) with a micro-structure characterized by nodes interconnected by fibrils. Robert Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Samuel Allen were granted U.S. Patent 4,194,041 on March 18, 1980 for a "waterproof laminate." For its invention, Robert W. Gore was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006.[1]

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 11, 2012 11:58 am
by jeffkruse
I would like to know what “breathable” means. IMO nothing is practically “breathable” for me. I don’t think I sweat more than the next guy but every time I use a “breathable” piece of clothing the minute I do a little work the inside of the clothing is already saturated.

Gortex may be technically “breathable” but how much moisture can it dump? Far less than I can sweat! Not a selling point to me anymore.

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 11, 2012 12:13 pm
by BrianFrank
gindling wrote:Brian, Goretex is already waterproof and breathable. And trust me they do have a patent on it.
From Wiki:
Gore-Tex is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates. It was co-invented by......

OK, you got me :doh:

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 11, 2012 12:29 pm
by gindling
I have no doubt that Gore-tex is breathable and waterproof, I own a good number of items made from it. On the nano scale there are pores in the material smaller than a water molecule from what I can gather but as to how that translates on a large scale like a rain jacket as to its breathability ive always heard debated. I mean I still sweat and get some condensation on the inside of my jackets but its A LOT more breathable than say a plastic sack poncho or a PVC cave suit. They always have those peeling sandwich layered schematics attached to the sleeves in the stores showing rain and evaporation and all the nano pores which look really cool, I wonder if there is a video on youtube with someone testing one by running in it in the yard and working up a sweat while someone else blasts you with a garden hose. All of mine are well used and in need of repair so I bet they are compromised somewhat, but if I get a new one sometime ill make that video. Anyone out there got a new Gore-tex item and a video camera and a garden hose?

Re: Dragonflydry survival suit

PostPosted: Jul 11, 2012 1:25 pm
by Caver John
Basically the way gortex is breathable is because the pores are many many times bigger than a molecule of water vapor, but many many times smaller than a droplet of water.