Flotation suits -
Flotation Suits - Baltic Polar & Nova Floataion Suit
Baltic Floatation Suits have the ability to protect against the first shock of entering cold water. It then traps water inside the suit and the same principle as a wet suit applies with the body heating the trapped water.
All Baltic floatation suits have three important features for persons in rugged marine environments
1. 100% waterproof
2. The same buoyant properties as a standard buoyancy aid.
3. Protection against the first cold shock
Baltic floatation suits are CE marked and tested and approved to EN393 and ISO 1527-1
One of the criteria is that five persons, each wearing a floatation suit, are immersed in water at 15°C for two hours. During that time they must not lose more than 2°C core temperature. The test subjects for Baltic lost only 0.8°C
I found these online recently and wondered whether they might prove a suitable alternative for an immersion suit ?
It strikes me that a flotation suit has a number of advantages over an immersion suit. They incorporate a hood and apparently negate the need for a separate life jacket. They look more comfortable and I assume they won't restrict movement as much as an immersion suit does. They cost less than an immersion suit.
On the downside, as they appear to work on the wet suit principle the added weight from the trapped water could make it harder to exit an aircraft and climb into a liferaft.
Regards, jez