Wetsuit advice?

[jmoore15]

Any advice for a wetsuit novice? I am looking into buying a wetsuit for the colder months (this is where all of you from the north can make fun of the word cold coming from a Texan) but am not sure what to look for. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[duffymahoney]

Look for a super stretch suit. Check bantler.com. They always have deals, but they don't last long so you will need to check on it a bunch of times a day. I rock o'neil psycho I. It's spendy but the best suit I have ever tried. I would guess a 3/2 would be a good suit for you. Don't buy wakeboard brand suits, they are junk!

[Timmy!]

I have an O'neill 4/3 and it's pretty good. You want to look for zippers that have good seams on them. The better the seam technology, the less water that gets in to the suit. The first few times I wore mine, zero water in the suit but now I seem to get enough where my shorts get damp.

[Original Wing Nut]

I have an O'neill 4/3 and it's pretty good. You want to look for zippers that have good seams on them. The better the seam technology, the less water that gets in to the suit. The first few times I wore mine, zero water in the suit but now I seem to get enough where my shorts get damp.

Are we sure that the wetsuit is leaking or maybe it's a bladder control thing?


I thought it and it had to be said

[Ewok]

I would recommend going to a surf shop where you can try a few on, they all fit a little bit different.

[Vicseek]

I rock out an O'Neill Hammer Large 2/1 Spring Wetsuit. It's great! Long sleeves and only down to your knees, it has kept me warm when the water was a refreshing 61 degrees this past spring. The only thing I think I'll do this fall/spring is find some gloves and maybe a neupreme skull cap. Head and hands seem to get really chilly when riding
I've also rode with guys who rock out thier "ocean" surfing full body wetsuits. Just depends on how cold the water will be when your out riding.

[robert theisen]

I have a 5mm skin diving wetsuit complete with scuba socks.It's fine down to 60* water.Much colder and my wife won't pull me anyway.

[jmoore15]

Thanks guys for the info!!

[Bakes5]

I would get a higher end one. Don't look for a bargain. Looks to spend around $250 or so and you will end up with a nice one. Look for a poly liner, a neck splash shield and taped seams. Don't skimp.

[Timmy!]

I have a 5mm skin diving wetsuit complete with scuba socks.It's fine down to 60* water.Much colder and my wife won't pull me anyway.

60!?!?!? That's good down to 40! I use my 4/3 down to low 50's.

[duffymahoney]

bantler always has high end suits, watch it for a week or so. I bet you can find a great 3/2

[Joeprunc]

Not sure how cold it gets at your lake, but if you can get away with a spring suit get a short leg, long arm suit, either 3/2mm or 2/2mm. Super easy to put on and take off (and I don't know a single person that wears trunks under the suit unless its a dry suit, plus you can just change into a pair of pants when you get out, learn the towel change you will not regret it). The short legs will not interfere with your bindings either.

The more $$ you drop the more comfy the suit will be. If you go in a try on suits at a shop, the full length suits should be quite tight and very difficult to put on if you want them to fit properly. You should be sweating after taking off the second suit. As you hit the water the neoprene stretches and if it isn't tight you will get way too much water in the suit and it will be like wearing jeans, and you will be cold. the thicker the suit (measurement in mm) the warmer you will be, but you will also lose that free movement feeling.

I'm 5'-8", 150lbs and all my various suits have been small tall (Oniell, Quicksilver, Xcel, & Ripcurl). Whiskeymilitia.com also runs specials throughout the day, they have been running a few Xcel suits the past few days.

Back when I surfed I would go through a suit a year. After all the suits I've been through I would say Ripcurls were the nicest. The higher end suits use different types and thickness materials throughout the suit to make it much more mobile than the budget suits.

Stitched seams are the strongest, but suck and let water in. Taped seams are nice, but after a while the tape will come unglued. The fully glued seams are the best, but will also fall apart. For a budget suit I would go with stitched on the outside, with taped or glued on the inside.

[Timmy!]

I always wear my board shorts under my suit

[Joeprunc]

I always wear my board shorts under my suit

Well like they say once you go naked you never go back

[IDBoating]

You can go the full custom route:

http://www.horizonwetsuits.com/

We had them make one for our son when he was about 3YO and we couldn't find off-the-rack suits that small. They did a great job. Price was quite reasonable and you can have it made any way you want.

Just an idea.