Hello all, I am after a little assistance here, firstly does anyone know of a reccomendable HEAVY DUTY waterproof overall manufacturer /supplier In uk Im looking prefferably for the viking branded oversuits which seem to be a miners favourite?

but I have had no luck sourcing good quality waterproofs anywhere other than the flimsy throw away overcoats,and trousers that rip the minute you move your feet more than 1 ft apart,

I am also really interested in getting a pair of heavy duty shin pads/ankle protectors, I see the lads at boulby have a decent supply of them and often see pics of lads at the few remaining UK collieries ,always seem to have them on,who manufactures these and again any ideas if they are available to purchase retail?

Thanks for reading peeps

Any reason a normal caving suit won't do? Apart from lacking 'miner-cred' that is.

Hello Richard, the miner cred thing is actually part and parcel,

the way I look at it is this:

of all the hard wearing waterproof caving suits that Ive seen online some appear to be very good in their appearance and their construction , but the prices seem to be extortionate, Which I think has nothing to do with the materials used more with the fact that its aimed at caving?
and for some reason that means it must be highly priced and sold at some swank store on the highstreet or out of a flash catalogue,(as with most caving gear)

I know from much personal experience that no typical mining/offshore/engineering company is ever going to pay that much for waterproofs for each individual member of their workforce, so surely there must be a supplier in the uk of reasonably priced but hard wearing waterproofs, Where are the fishermen getting theirs from? am I going to have to grow a beard and go trawling for the next 36 months to uncover their secret source of high quality rubber trousers??

I am having the same trouble with knee pads, The only place I have seen a pair of heavy duty rubber knee pads which were upto scratch (exactly like the latter ncb ones)were literally in some one elses mining collection, all I can find in any diy/tool or commercial retailer are these pathetic black cloth styrofoam things which are more suited to being used on a kids t.v gameshow rather than crawling 100m on sharp rock?

Basically I dont care if the suit looks more aimed at caving or mining, I just want strong stitching and hard wearing rip resistant waterproof material combined into a reasonably priced oversuit, I know they most deffinately exist for less than 50 quid but where??

Also the shin pads/ankle protectors, im very keen on a pair of them/not for street cred I simply have a strong fear of shattering my ankles !!

Dunno what there is out there really, I've trailed round my local ARCO and all the usual online suppliers and nobody seems to do a good, cheap alternative to a cordura caving oversuit.
See people about wearing all sorts of budget waterproof jumpsuits and the like but they never look particularly up to the job in hand.

The Daleswear cordura oversuits are as good as any, but come in a touch over-budget at seventy quid.

over here we use ocean oversuits for underground they have a thermal lining waterproof and a thin hood maybe overkill for what you want mind you we are working in -stupid temps dont know the price though the mine buys them

In the 1980's and 90's when mining we used Guy Cotten bib and brace + overcoat. All genuine commercial fishing and industry gear supplied by the company. http://www.guycotten.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=32_60_115&products_id=318 

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Chris,
Try Flexithane,they are tough and waterproof,
Ones we were supplied with in Smallmines in South Wales,were the cheap ones,did`nt last long,but that was working in them 6 days a week.

I'm not entirely sure of the benefit of waterproof gear for mine-exploring, particularly in the Pennines where Chris spends a lot of time & where the mines are often damp and in poor condition.

Basically there's little to be gained in having fully waterproof kit when the water's flowing up your cuffs and trouser legs and down your neck! Much better to have something 'weatherproof' & durable which will cast off water quickly.

A decent caving oversuit (not the yellow ones!) is cheap though it may not sound it. Even put through hard use it'll likely work out at less at quid a trip. Waterproofs won't last a fraction of the time in the same conditions.

The spats you refer to are plain uncomfortable, no real used in caves and downright dangerous for ladder or srt work. They are ok if you wear them all the time but no-one wears them for fun.

Viking waterproofs are the wrong cut altogether for caving, and far too heavy; especially if you are doing ladder or srt work. Miners don't, as a rule, crawl about in water, nor do fishermen; their suits are designed to shed water which falls on them from above.

I use lightweight offshore overalls and just throw them away when they wear out.

Another point about wearing work overalls is the reflective tape, which does no favours for your photographs

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A decent caving oversuit (not the yellow ones!) is cheap though it may not sound it. Even put through hard use it'll likely work out at less at quid a trip. Waterproofs won't last a fraction of the time in the same conditions.

You get what you pay for when it comes down to it.
In my early days I bought a 'heavy duty' overall at B&Q for about £20, it was ripped up the backside after my first trip and the legs fell off on the second trip.

Then I stumped up for a Warmbac and its been used minimum every week for the last two years and is still going strong.

Don't buy the Beaver oversuit, had it less than a year & its fell apart.
Warmbac here i come!

Beaver do 2 grades of oversuit, I've got the heavy duty one and it's lasted OK, I had it mended once though.

Derrickman has ruined several good photos with his reflective overalls.

Daleswear oversuits are good quality but in the caving world Warmbac are pretty ubiquitous and for a good reason: they are damn good quality.

Meander PVC oversuits have a tendency to rip. If you want to go this route it might be worth holding on for the proposed Warmbac version.

I have a Petzl/TSA and it's tough as old boots and hoses down easily.

Okay firstly thanks to everyone for your input, I am getting the impression that the heavy duty waterproofs I want are not very good for tight crawls etc, To be honest Icurrently manage to wear 2 pairs heavy duty cotton overalls with a cheap waterproof oilsking coat on the outside, and a pair of waterproof trousers, and thats with about 2 layers of jumper shirt jeans and all the rest underneath, In this oiutfit I can still move VERY easily with no restrictions believe it or not, and amazingly I manage to keep extremely warm Even in the Waist deep water,

Anyway my new plan is to look into these flexothane overalls as I have seen a pair in daily use which are holding up very well considering the price is around 30-50 quid,.

Ireckon if I use flexothane overalls as my first layer and put my raggy orange cotton overalls over the top to take the abrasion I should hopefully be able to stay pretty cosey

I still fancy a GUY COTTON bib/brace and overcoat though, they just appeal to me more than the Warmbacs,I can also use the guy cotton stuff daily outside of mine exploration, Think Id get some strange looks walking onto site in a warmbac 😉

The answer. odd as it sounds, might not be to worry about staying dry - staying warm is probably more important. That being the case it might be worth investing in a good quality fleece furry suit and bung a bog standard boiler suit over it. A decent fury will keep you warm even when wet.

I tend to wear a furry with a "Faithfull" flexothane type oversuit on top. The last faithfull suit I had lasted 8 years (and it wasn't new when I "acquired" it).

I found my new one at Bogey Nights surplus shop in Plymouth for £12. If you've got a "proper" surplus shop near you it's worth taking a look, you never know what might turn up.

Whilst I rate the Faithfull for mines a decent Wharfdale cave would shred it fairly rapidly -so I guess its horses for courses.

The warmbac suit, whilst pricey, is a good suit and, if you are underground regularly, is a good investment, particularly in combination with a furry.

It's a shame that you can no longer get the Troll PVC oversuit - phenomenal bit of kit - outclassed its rivals like the TSA.

For slightly wet/cold mines I use a furry suit with a flexothane outer suit, works well, has held up for 3 years with no major rips, keeps you warm and is OK in water to knee deep.

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do these furry suits get heavy when wet ?.

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last time I did a wet cave - ttxela's famous "slightly damp" Spinney Level - I wore lightweight thermal underwear from Arco, flannel shirt and a light, cheap fleece top, cotton overalls and a cheap waterproof suit taped at the ankles to stop water flow in and out. I was warm enough despite waist-deep water wading in and out.

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do these furry suits get heavy when wet ?.

Slightly I suppose, but its not noticable.

The two big plus points i've found with wearing a furry are, as soon as you're out of water you're warm again.

Secondly you're not plagued by lower layers of clothing riding up your back after crawling around.

do these furry suits get heavy when wet ?.

As Chris says, they do get slightly heavier though most of the water quickly makes it's way down to the bottom 6 inches or so, as you are walking about you don't really feel any difference in weight, ( only feel it when you take it off ). They also keep you walm in very heavy winds on the surface when worn under oversuit or just plain overalls.

It's one of my best bits of kit I reckon. 😉

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