X-CORE WOMENS VEST

The Fourth Element X-Core Vest solves a problem specific to drysuit diving, which is the blast of cold air that arrives through the inlet valve on every descent. An additional chest panel sits directly behind that valve and takes the worst of it.

The vest is sleeveless by design, so it adds nothing to buoyancy or bulk at the shoulders and arms where freedom of movement decides how a dive feels. The fabric is a four-way stretch knit cut long in the body, which keeps a snug fit and removes the cold points a loose layer creates. It wicks perspiration outward toward the next layer rather than leaving it against the skin.

The result is a targeted fix rather than a general one. Divers who feel a stab of cold every time they add gas to the suit are feeling the inlet valve, and a thicker undersuit does not address it; a panel in the right place does.

Eight sizes run 2X Small to 3X Large in black. It goes over a J2 or Xerotherm base layer and under an Arctic or Halo AR undersuit. The men's X-Core Vest is the matching cut. This is a layering piece rather than an undersuit in its own right.