5 ms·

It's one of the best stories I've read on HN in a wild. My question is - why did not he take off his life suite as soon as he get out of the water? Since t was

by usaphp 11y ago

It's one of the best stories I've read on HN in a wild. My question is - why did not he take off his life suite as soon as he get out of the water? Since t was filled with water, having it on your body will only increase effect of freezing, no?

spuz 11y ago
He did: > Then I took off my survival suit. Wearing nothing but my underwear, and shaking violently in the wind, I tipped as much water as I could out of the suit. Then I put it back on, squelchy wet and freezing cold. I did it up, lifting the ridiculous built-in hat over my head.
- usaphp 11y ago
  > Then I put it back on, squelchy wet and freezing cold He put it back, wet and cold...
  - indenturedsmile 11y ago
    Which would have immediately warmed back up with his body heat and acted as an insulator.
  - ColinWright 11y ago
    >> Then I put it back on, >> squelchy wet and freezing >> cold > He put it back, wet and cold... I'm trying to work out why you're quoting this. It was wet and cold. Are you suggesting he should not have put it back on? In those conditions, not wearing a survival suit is tantamount to suicide. Are you suggesting he dry it out first? Well (a) it would take too long, and (b), how? So what are you saying? Have I missed something?
    - kajecounterhack 11y ago
      My question is - why did not he take off his life suite as soon as he get out of the water? Since t was filled with water, having it on your body will only increase effect of freezing, no? ^ he posted this, he is wondering why he didn't keep it off. And yeah, he was suggesting that he should not have put it back on.
xamolxix 11y ago
He did say that he took it off to get the water out of it, although I guess it will still be wet. My guess would be he kept it on to protect himself from the wind.
ColinWright 11y ago
I've worn a survival suit. They are reasonably well insulated, and proof against wind and water. Having got the excess water out of it, the remaining water will warm up and act as further insulation against losing heat through conduction. The clothing under the suit holds the water, so you don't lose heat by convection, and the suit is a rubberized fabric, so it doesn't lose heat by radiation. Wearing it gives him a chance. Without it he would lose heat by all three methods, and probably die in a few hours.
- gnufrra 11y ago
  I have never seen a survival suit. But you mention convection. I wear a wetsuit while surfing in Western Canada (Tofino, BC). So if the suit traps water than it probably start acting like a wetsuit[1] . [1] http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/212_spring2011.web.dir/nicole_wade/thermodynamics.html http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/212_spring2011.web.dir/nicole_wa...
  - ColinWright 11y ago
    Exactly so, but a survival suit is intended to be a dry suit (when used properly) so the mechanism is not identical. However, when water does get inside, it heats up, gets held in place by your regular clothing underneath, and then the suit acts like a hybrid.

by usaphp 11y ago

spuz 11y ago

He did: > Then I took off my survival suit. Wearing nothing but my underwear, and shaking violently in the wind, I tipped as much water as I could out of the suit. Then I put it back on, squelchy wet and freezing cold. I did it up, lifting the ridiculous built-in hat over my head.

usaphp 11y ago
> Then I put it back on, squelchy wet and freezing cold He put it back, wet and cold...
- indenturedsmile 11y ago
  Which would have immediately warmed back up with his body heat and acted as an insulator.
- ColinWright 11y ago
  >> Then I put it back on, >> squelchy wet and freezing >> cold > He put it back, wet and cold... I'm trying to work out why you're quoting this. It was wet and cold. Are you suggesting he should not have put it back on? In those conditions, not wearing a survival suit is tantamount to suicide. Are you suggesting he dry it out first? Well (a) it would take too long, and (b), how? So what are you saying? Have I missed something?
  - kajecounterhack 11y ago
    My question is - why did not he take off his life suite as soon as he get out of the water? Since t was filled with water, having it on your body will only increase effect of freezing, no? ^ he posted this, he is wondering why he didn't keep it off. And yeah, he was suggesting that he should not have put it back on.

xamolxix 11y ago

He did say that he took it off to get the water out of it, although I guess it will still be wet. My guess would be he kept it on to protect himself from the wind.

ColinWright 11y ago

I've worn a survival suit. They are reasonably well insulated, and proof against wind and water. Having got the excess water out of it, the remaining water will warm up and act as further insulation against losing heat through conduction. The clothing under the suit holds the water, so you don't lose heat by convection, and the suit is a rubberized fabric, so it doesn't lose heat by radiation. Wearing it gives him a chance. Without it he would lose heat by all three methods, and probably die in a few hours.

gnufrra 11y ago
I have never seen a survival suit. But you mention convection. I wear a wetsuit while surfing in Western Canada (Tofino, BC). So if the suit traps water than it probably start acting like a wetsuit[1] . [1] http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/212_spring2011.web.dir/nicole_wade/thermodynamics.html http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/212_spring2011.web.dir/nicole_wa...
- ColinWright 11y ago
  Exactly so, but a survival suit is intended to be a dry suit (when used properly) so the mechanism is not identical. However, when water does get inside, it heats up, gets held in place by your regular clothing underneath, and then the suit acts like a hybrid.