Flotation Suits...we-e-eellll... the thing is, if you don't get wet your body heat won't get washed away. Anything that gets wet will have to be a very good fit to trap that precious heat. Wetsuits work by keeping a thin water layer close to the skin that warms up and stays there. If the flotation suit does anything like that it will be stiff, bulky and uncomfortable to wear inside the cocklit. Does anyone have experience with this?
I'd go for a drysuit and dressing apropriately underneath, in layered clothing with thermal underwear, and wearing a lifejacket on top. The suit does the job of keeping the cold water from touching you, the clothing and the air trapped in the clothing keeps you insulated, and the lifejacket keeps you afloat. I had a separate hood (a wetsuit diving hood) and neoprene (surfing) socks. These are still in the aircraft on the bottom of the Atlantic together with the raft we couldn't get out, I did not have the time to put them on! My feet were cold but the suits changed what could have been a death scenario into a case of mild hypothermia. Given a choice between a drysuit and a raft I'm not sure to get out or even be able to climb into, I'd take the suit any day. When you're in tropical shark-infested waters the choice may be different...
