by hunter » Jun 19, 2007 9:58 am
I wouldn't bail on the flight coveralls as a backup. I used two pairs I picked up at a surplus store for a year or two. They were made from nomex (a meta-aramid whatever that means) and despite some issues worked pretty well. These are the features I foudn of interest to caving:
-Tough zippers but they are zippers and can jam due to mud.
-Thin, light, and pack small (cool compared to normal coveralls)
-Not super tear resistant (might be better for the ones you listed)
-Many pockets
-Non-optimum cloth for use in a dirty enviornment. They tend to suck up way more mud/dirt/water than nylon coveralls.
-Super cheap (mine were like 10$)
Anyway, they aren't the best but I certainly found flightsuits to be functional as cave coveralls and they would work fine as a backup.
If you can find them I've had excellent luck with German tanker coveralls (more durable mostly) from surplus catalogs. The main issue is finding size small (fits my girlfriend at 5'5"). Medium are way easier to find but are comfy on me at 6'1"....
James