SURFING WETSUITS GUIDE
NOTE: This wetsuit guide is generally based on our experience with surfing wetsuits. There are many other wetsuits for different sports and water activities, but with the popularity of surfing, money invested by the big surf wear companies and the fact that surfing is very demanding of the wetsuit, surfing wetsuits are among the best and most versatile wetsuits out there. Surfing demands an unlimited range of movement from the wetsuit, warmth for long surf sessions in cool water and a cool look. Therefore this wetsuit guide can be easily also used for wetsuits for windsurfing, kite surfing, wake boarding, rafting, swimming, rafting, kayaking etc. Only wetsuits designed for scuba diving are vastly different. Some reasons why will be listed below. But still neoprene is neoprene and you can learn a lot from this guide. WHERE AM I GOING TO USE THE WETSUIT?
WETSUITS AND NEOPRENEWetsuits - also called neoprene suits are made (surprisingly) from neoprene. Neoprene is an elastic synthetic rubber material with good insulation properties. You can see how the neoprene sheet looks like just above. Considering which body parts the neoprene covers we divide wetsuits:
Another big warmth factor is the thickness of the neoprene, but more on that a little later, when we explain how wetsuit works. HOW DOES A WETSUIT WORK?The basic thing that wetsuit does to keep us warm is this – wetsuit catches a thin layer of water between our skin and the neoprene. Body heat warms this layer of water and we are all warm and comfortable in the freezing surroundings. The better the fit of the wetsuit, the warmer we are. Because every time we fall, wipe out, duck dive, get our asses kicked by the white water etc. cold water wants to enter the wetsuit and flush the warm water out. That is how we get cold. Cold water can penetrate the wetsuit:
The second thing that keeps us warm is isolation from the environment that depends on the thickness of the neoprene. WETSUIT THICKNESSWetsuit thickness or better the thickness of the neoprene is the insulation between us and the forces of nature that provide us with fun environment for our sport. Wetsuit thickness is usually given with two numbers like 3/2, 4/3, 5/3, or three numbers like 5/4/3. The numbers mean that the thickness of the neoprene is 3 millimetres (or 4 or 5) on the body (and legs with winter suits) and 2 millimetres on arms (and legs with spring suits). The goal of this variable thickness of the wetsuit is better and easier movement of our limbs that move a lot between our surfing, windsurfing, rafting, swimming, kayaking, kite surfing etc. This is also the reason that some cheaper wetsuits or for instance wetsuits for divers have only one thickness. Divers do not have to (and in fact should not) move much to keep the heart rate low (we do not know much about diving so please, if we are wrong …) and their range of movement is much smaller than lets say when paddling a surfboard. A 3/2 wetsuit is generally suited for summer and autumn surfing windsurfing, swimming, kite surfing etc... , while 4/3 wetsuit and 5/3 wetsuit keeps us warm when surfing in winter and spring. The real dry suits and wetsuits with neoprene thicker than 5mm (OK, with exception of some surfers in Norway, Alaska and other really cold places that surfing has spread to) are to clumsy to surf or do any other sport that requires free movement. On the other hand wetsuits with only 2 millimetres of neoprene thickness often stretch and become loose quicker. WETSUIT FLUSHINGCold water wants to get into your wetsuit. That is why the most important thing to look for when buying a wetsuit is the right size. The better the wetsuit fits us, the less flushing through holes for our head, hands and feet we get and the less place we leave for the cold water. Even the best, warmest, high-tech, feature packed and solar panel integrated heating system with ipod wetsuit won't help, if its to big. Lucky for us, the modern neoprene is stretchy and elastic so it fits and hugs our body better that old wetsuits. Also note, when trying a wetsuit, which will probably be dry in you're not buying it from someone's back – wet neoprene is looser and feels a bit bigger than dry neoprene. So if a dry neoprene feels a little tight it is very likely that a wet one won't. The wetsuit should really hug our skin everywhere – snug fit. But don't go to far - without making us crouch because it's so tight we can't stand up straight. WETSUIT STITCHES
OVER LOCK STITCHOver lock stitch is the thing of the past or maybe it is still the thing of the cheap, thin tourist wetsuits. You can recognize it by the big stitches on the inside of the wetsuit that stick out of the neoprene and can therefore also be uncomfortable. Over lock stitch is very strong, but leaves a lot of needle holes for water and wind to flush the wetsuit. Conclusion: cheap wetsuit, durable, strong, for summer wetsuits, for beginners (not very flexible). FLAT LOCK STITCHIs what replaced over lock stitches. It looks better and the wetsuit is more comfortable, but the stitch itself leaves the same amount or even more holes in the neoprene. No improvement for warmth here. Flat lock stitch is strong, but the thread is exposed on the outside of the wetsuit and is therefore more likely to tear. Conclusion: still pretty cheap wetsuit, strong and durable, for summer surfing and also good performance for demanding surfers (flexibility). BLIND STITCHBlind stitch is the stitch for the warm wetsuits. It has more versions that have different effect on warmth, durability, flexibility and price of the wetsuit. Wetsuits that made using blind stitches which are "waterproof" are called steamer. BASIC BLIND STITCH & GLUED
On the picture you can see the blindstitch from the outsude, on the otherside you can not see the thread, just glued neoprene panels. Conclusion: warm wetsuit, flexible (of course also depending on the neoprene type and thickness), variable durability and expensive. BLIND STITCH, GLUED & SPOT TAPED
DOUBLE BLIND STITCH & GLUEDDouble blind stitch is first sawn the same way as the above basic blind stitch. Then the neoprene is turned around and is sewn again from the other side. This is a good compromise used with cheaper winter wetsuits. The problem is that sometimes holes from stitches from one side link to holes from the other side and we have some holes that go the whole way through the neoprene. And again we get some flushing. Conclusion: warm wetsuit, flexible (of course also depending on the neoprene type and thickness), durable and reasonably priced. BLIND STITCH, GLUED & FULLY TAPEDAll the inner parts of stitches are completely covered and glued at high temperature and with special tape. That means no opening of the stitches and no water. This type of stitch is very time consuming to make and therefore expensive. Conclusion: very warm wetsuit, OK flexibility (not the best), durable and expensive. BLIND STITCH, GLUED & FULLY TAPED with NEOPRENE TAPEInstead of taping the stitches of the wetsuit with special tape at high temperature they are taped with glue and neoprene tape. This eliminates the lower flexibility of the taped stitches. Conclusion: very warm wetsuit, flexible (of course also depending on the neoprene type and thickness), durable and very expensive. LIQUID TAPING
WETSUIT ZIPPERSZIPPERZipper helps us get into and out of our wetsuit. The longer the zipper the easier that process is. But the longer the zipper the more flushing you can get through it. So some winter wetsuits have special, short zippers. Also the size and shape of the teeth on the zipper has some influence on the flushing. Note also that metal zippers are more durable than plastic ones. We are talking about the part that slides up and down, the teeth of the zipper are always plastic. There is also a small Velcro safety belt that stops the zipper from opening. BAT FLAP / BAT WING / DRAIN HOLE etc
ZIPPERLESS WETSUITSHow to get into a wetsuit that has no zipper? Again almost every wetsuit company has its own zipperless system that more or less successfully lets you into the suit. The benefits of this system are of course no flushing through the zipper and better fit and flexibility. Without the zipper the neoprene on our back, chest and shoulders flows freely and is therefore more elastic. The downside is trickier changing into the wetsuit and bigger abuse of neoprene in the place where you try to squeeze yourself info the wetsuit through some ridiculously small hole. OTHER FEATURES OF WETTIESThere are some basic and more advanced features of the wetsuits that you also often come across and it is nice to know what each of them does for your wettie.
|
Great stuff This is hands down the most comprehensive wetsuit guide I have found so far, nice job! |
Kevin
said:
Thank You It is so hard to find honest, free advice from someone online who is not trying to sell the item - making the advice slightly suspect. Thanks for the great info |
adan
said:
very neat!! hey you guyz muchos thanks!! ![]() |
john Michaels
said:
Good Info Great write up. A little more can be found here as well. Scuba Wetsuit Guide |
Aaron B.
said:
... Great Site! Knew fair amount about wetsuits and now i know more so i can help others in their purchasing of a wetsuit. Come Surf Isla Vista, CA! |
Ian
said:
Surfing Wetsuit Guide Very, very good ,no need to buy rubbish after reading this guide. Go rip |
silas
said:
Wetsuits I knew nothing about wet-suits, looked all over the net until I came across this website. For those of us, who are not aware of this secret world of wet-suits, this has been a eye opener. Thanks, for the research and dedication form making this information available. At least now, I know what to look for when I buy a W-suit ![]() |
lirun
said:
very cool thanks people.. have been surfing for a while and finally convinced to start winter surfing and youve really helped me understand my suit and its benefits.. |
Jim
said:
it's real thanks a ton for some honest talk about looking for wetties. It's easy to get lost in all the promo stuff out there and I swear I go blank once I walk into the shop. Update this puppy when you can! |
Brian
said:
!!! First site I landed on. I won't be needing to go to another wetsuit guide page ![]() |
Nicole
said:
Love it Super informative!! Let the kite season begin!! |
ben
said:
helpful, but missing one thing I would like to be given some general guidelines for which wetsuit to buy for different water (and maybe air) temperatures. Saying one suit is good in the springs is only somewhat helpful (spring where?? New England?). But overall, I found this website quite helpful, and would certainly recommend it to a friend. |
Philip
said:
lower back! i'm not an average size....rather tall, and find 99% of wetsuits dont fit tight around the lower-back. most leave about inch space ![]() |