What to wear under a flight suit in the summer?

[lelebebbel]

Cotton T-shirts are pretty bad in 90+ weather.

I've tried a polyester bicycle jersey as an alternative. It made a HUGE difference in terms of comfort and heat, but it obviously ruins the whole fire protection deal of the nomex suit.

 

So, is there anything in between?

 

Losing the suit is not an option so, please, lets not have another pro/con flightsuit debate.

[delorean]

I know plenty of people who wear nothing but a pair of tighty-whities under their flight suits. I always wear a cotton t-shirt and switch them out throughout the day.

 

Try one of those gel filled bandanas around your neck. Soak them in water prior to flight, and they'll last about an hour or two based on the humidity. Seemed to help a little. Or you could get one of those goofy choker looking collars with the water and fan that Sharper Image was scamming for $150 a few years ago.

[Hueychief]

Strip down to your shorts and you'll be ALOT more comfortable. Always carry a nalgene quart bottle of icewater next to you and all is well.

[BOATFIXERGUY]

Under Armour makes a product designed for wearing under the bullet-proof vest. I used to use one when wearing a flight suit. Nice and cool. I tried the no shirt option, and found it too be not as comfortable.

 

Now for tighty-whities, try a Speedo Thong instead. Not only stylish, but darn sexy!

[Wally]

Cotton Tee and a pair of walkin' around shorts- I shuck the bag whenever possible. Lots of water and stay in the shade, when I can. Park the tail to the sun, too.

I carry clip-on suspenders and doff the top when I'm standing by, outta the public eye.

EMS- our aircraft are air-conditioned, for the patient, of course...

[scarybunny]

Hey guys! Flying in cotton, granted it's going to be hotter, but many years ago I worked on a fire crew in West Yellowstone. We saw training videos of people that had worn polyester underwear and were in shake-n-bakes with flashovers. They became hot enough that they did not burn, or catch on fire, but the flashover was hot enough their polyester clothing melted to their body, not a pretty site. I fly ag and I always wear cotton clothing under my nomex flight suit. Some guys in the industry find it funny to wear such clothing, but to me when I hit retirement age I want to burn on the beach, not in my aircraft!

 

Wear the cotton, look good for the rest of your life, sweating is a good weight loss program, just drink lots of water. Fly safe!

[Witch]

I seem to remember seeing something like a t-shirt with tubing somewhere-law enforcement? Anyhow, it was kinda like the water-cooled undergarments the astronauts wear, but without the water.

 

You might try yahooing something like "cooling t-shirt" or something like that.

 

As for me, T-shirt and T-back work well.

 

Later

[comcat]

lelebebbel

 

Don't complain, you watched me sweating next to you the whole last summer...... while you where in shorts in the open door.....

now suffer......

 

the daddy

[lelebebbel]

You know, in my heart I always suffered with you!

 

I'll submit a suggestion for suits with zip off legs and nomex flight skirts next week.

Edited May 24, 2008 by lelebebbel

[Jeff]

Why wear anything at all?

[Gomer Pylot]

I wear cotton mostly, and it's mostly for comfort. Nomex is going to be uncomfortable no matter what the weather is. My flight suit is cotton/polyester, so it really doesn't matter much what I wear. Nomex is in short supply, and the company is having trouble getting enough for the crews. I'm in no hurry, because what I have now is far more comfortable than Nomex. For civilian flying, Nomex is a waste, IMO. Nobody is shooting at us with tracers or WP, and the chances of being in a survivable crash which burns are very slim. I have far too many other things to worry about. I go for comfort over style every time, and for me, cotton is the most comfortable material for having next to my skin. YMMV.

[500E]

Some cooling systems

 

http://www.dskool.com/edskool/Products.htm

 

http://www.fastraceproducts.com/page/fastr.../coolsuit/fa213

Will keep the beer cool as well

 

http://www.stand21.fr/combinaisons/combi%2...ir-force-2.html

 

Just for interest we use the air-force suit in endurance racer

[EC120AV8R]

I thought this was going to be a riddle, like "What does a Scotsman wear under his kilt"?

 

5.11 tactical makes a shirt similar to Under Amour, but it is fire resistant. It's their "FLASH" series. They want something like 40 bucks for one t-shirt. I typicaly just wear the OD green Under Amour or similar. I have to agree with Gomer, that comfort is my primary concern. Even with A/C our ship is a friggin' greenhouse, and the A/C sometimes has trouble keeping up.

[Jack Poller]

When I was racing cars, where fire is a much greater concern, and wearing heavy nomex along with a fully enclosed helmet, I wore silk long-johns underneath. Summer weight silk long-johns are very comfortable, stop the itching of sweaty nomex, and won't melt in the heat like nylon.

 

If you're concerned about fire, make sure everything is fireproof - including your underwear and socks.

 

If you want cool suits, check out the car racing products, such as http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant2/merc...ategory_Code=CS

[rjl2001]

Personally for me Under Armour compression t-shirts and compression shorts are the way to go. Always wore that under my nomex flight suit and kit, and it really helps cool you down. If you are that worried about fire hazards then look at the Under Armour shirt they have that is fire retardent, but it used to be $100.

[500E]

When I was racing cars, where fire is a much greater concern, and wearing heavy nomex along with a fully enclosed helmet, I wore silk long-johns underneath. Summer weight silk long-johns are very comfortable, stop the itching of sweaty nomex, and won't melt in the heat like nylon.

 

If you're concerned about fire, make sure everything is fireproof - including your underwear and socks.

 

If you want cool suits, check out the car racing products, such as http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant2/merc...ategory_Code=CS

Note the cool shirts are Carbon X which has a much greater safety factor than Nomex.

Carbon X info if you are going to buy fire proofs have a read.

http://www.carbonx.com/

http://www.chapmaninnovations.com/products/carbonx.php

[lelebebbel]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll try one of these under armour shirts.

If you are that worried about fire hazards then look at the Under Armour shirt they have that is fire retardent, but it used to be $100.

 

I am not too worried about fire hazards, otherwise I would be wearing fire resistant gloves and a hood, too. Also, there's a student sitting next to me in jeans or shorts and a t-shirt..

 

I just think that it is kind of paradox to wear a nomex suit with polyester underneath. I couldn't find the fire reardant UA shirt on underarmour.com though, they just give a warning for their regular shirts, saying that they are not fire retardant.

[EC120AV8R]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll try one of these under armour shirts.

 

 

I am not too worried about fire hazards, otherwise I would be wearing fire resistant gloves and a hood, too. Also, there's a student sitting next to me in jeans or shorts and a t-shirt..

 

I just think that it is kind of paradox to wear a nomex suit with polyester underneath. I couldn't find the fire reardant UA shirt on underarmour.com though, they just give a warning for their regular shirts, saying that they are not fire retardant.

 

If you wnat the fire protection get one of the 5.11 Tactical FLASH series shirts. Another option is a Nike DriFit T-shirt. They do have some poly in them, but they are a poly cotton blend. Probably better that pure poly, they are comfortable and come in a ton of colors. Also keep in mind that not all poly material is created equal. Nomex (and most aramids) is a poly material. Here's my 2 cents (take it for what it's worth) on fire protection: The fire protective properties of the average Nomex flight suit are good for up to 1500 degrees for about 45 seconds. That has a couple of implications. it assumes that in a crash sequence with post crash fire, you are able to self egress (within 45 seconds), or are in an area of sufficient populace, that someone is going to render aid and remove you form said crash before you burn up. With that said, post crash fire is really a secondary consideration in my mind. If I can't get myself out, or some can't get me out quickly, the nomex suit is moot.

[IceWater]

I prefer to go Commando