Buying a wetsuit for the first time can be confusing. One of the biggest challenges is the terminology of knowing what you want, understanding the different names given to the different wetsuit types and features. Here we’ll provide you with a Starter’s guide that will explain the different types of wetsuits and their features.
Why A Wetsuit
The main reason you get a wetsuit is to keep you warm out in the surf. Keeping warm is important to your surfing as while you are warm your body will perform its best and you will surf your best.
The other reason you may wear a wetsuit is to have protection for your chest from rashing on your board as you’re paddling. T-shirts and rash vests are also used for this purpose.
Let’s look at surfing in colder conditions.
Your upper body, your shoulders especially, do a lot of work paddling moving you through the water. If you strain your shoulder because it’s cold you’ll notice it greatly impacts your ability to get out into the lineup and to get yourself on the wave. Even a slight reduction in your shoulder strength can make a big difference to your timing and ability to take off. So you want to keep your shoulders warm.
Your lower body, your lower back, is crucial once you’re on the wave for your jump up and getting to your feet. If your hip area gets stiff you’ll find you won’t be able to get your front foot around onto your board, or it will come around too slow. The result is that you won’t be able to stand, you’ll fall, or at least end up in the wrong stance and not able to control your board the way you want.
The conditions you’re surfing in, how cold the water and air temperature may be, and how well your body handles the cold, will determine what type of wetsuit you need and what features that wetsuit should have.
Wetsuit Steamer
The Steamer is the wetsuit that covers your body most completely. It covers from your neck, to your wrists, down your body to your ankles. It’s worn in environments where the water and air are cold for you.
Depending on the conditions and how your body handles the cold the steamer can come in different thicknesses. For example around Sydney a 3-2mm steamer is common in the middle of winter. This is a Steamer that has 3mm thick neoprene through the body and 2mm thick neoprene through the shoulders and arms. The idea is that the thicker neoprene will keep your body warm, your shoulders will have warmth too while having extra flexibility so you can paddle easily.
If you feel the cold a 4-3mm Steamer might be used in Sydney. This has a 4mm thick neoprene body and 3mm neoprene on the arms.
In colder areas you may go to a 4-5mm Steamer. It’s rare in Australia you would surf in any thicker wetsuit. In warmer areas you may go for a 2mm Steamer where the neoprene is 2mm all over. Or, you may switch to a different type of wetsuit, one of the models described below.
Performance Penalty & Tradeoffs
Neoprene Quality
There’s a tradeoff between the warmth you get from wetsuit neoprene thickness and your performance. The thicker the neoprene, from 2mm to 3mm and 4mm, the harder it is for you to surf. Generally it’s harder to paddle and harder to get to your feet the thicker your wetsuit neoprene is. This is both from the constraint and the extra weight of the neoprene on your body.
A quality brand wetsuit can give you better surfing and higher performance than a wetsuit with the same thickness but lower quality neoprene. For example high quality neoprene can be the same thickness but be lighter and warmer, being filled with more air bubbles or having reflective layers that reflect heat inward and cold away. It can also be more flexible, for example giving you 4 way stretch greatly helping your paddling.
So all wetsuits are not created equal even when they seem to have similar neoprene thickness specifications.
Size, Fit and Cut
Another aspect of quality relates to the cut of your wetsuit. This means the way the panels are cut and put together. In quality wetsuits there are generally less neoprene panels and this equates to less stitching. Neoprene stretches best when there’s no stitching so less stitching means you get better flexibility for a good fit, and for paddling and surfing.
Having a good fit is a key feature you need to have in your wetsuit. For example if the suit is gaping at the neck it will let cold water in. If it is too tight you’ll feel overly constrained and unable to surf. If it’s too loose in the back you’ll find you may feel cold even if you’ve got a good fit everywhere else. Too loose under the arms and you may get rubbing creating rash. Getting the fit right is important so it’s best to try on a wetsuit before you purchase to find your size.
Quality brands comes in half sizes catering for different body shapes, for example M for Medium and MT for Medium Tall that will be the same measurement around your waist but longer in your body, arms and legs.
The panel shape, how the neoprene is cut, makes a big difference to your performance. For example the panel shape around your shoulders especially impacts your paddling. A common quality-wetsuit panel shape is a ‘gull wing’ at the back of the shoulders. So as you stroke in a paddling motion with one arm extended and your other arm back, the back panel flexes optimising paddling and reducing fatigue. There’s also common ‘off the shoulder’ and ‘raglan’ shoulder cuts that are different ways to optimise your paddling performance. You may find you have a personal preference for one or the other of these shoulder cuts.
Panel shape in your body is not quite as important as in your shoulders but still makes a difference. For your back, having one panel from around or just below your shoulders to the back of your knees means there’s no stitching. This removal of stitching means there’s no way for water to seep in so your back stays warm, this is an important feature. With no stitching the back panel is also very flexible for crouching in the tube or throwing big moves.
Seams do add contours that could be seen to aid the fit of your suit. However quality suits use advanced 3D fit techniques or moulded neoprene pieces to give you great fit without seams.
The other important aspect about the cut of your suit is that seams tend to be wear points. As you’re pulling your suit on the seams can start to open, wear and tear. So having less seams in the main areas of your suit is a good thing.
Tape
One way to reinforce your wetsuit seams and to also prevent water seeping in through them is to tape them.
Tape is a wetsuit feature that will make your wetsuit more expensive as all the seams have to manually have a tape applied. To work, the tape has to be of high quality to adhere and be able to flex with your wetsuit. Tape makes a big difference to keeping you warm as generally a Steamer that is well taped will have a little water enter, maybe through your neck, and then that water will not be able to exit. It will quickly warm adding to your body warmth.
Tape is most common on the inside seams. It can also be on the outside seams in the form of a glue bead.
Smoothie
Smoothie refers to an outer panel or coating that your wetsuit has that’s smooth. It looks like smooth rubber as opposed to the fabric look of the outside of the neoprene.
Smoothies can be applied to the front, the chest, and upper back of your wetsuit. It’s rare but some wetsuits may have the whole upper body with with smoothie finish.
The smoothie reflects wind and makes a big difference to how warm you stay when you’re out in the elements. The benefit of the smoothie becomes more noticeable as the wind rises.
Smoothie panels can tend to be more prone to damage, nicks and scrapes that quickly open up your suit. Good quality brands though have smoothie finishes that stand up to the wear giving you the extra warmth benefit for the life of your suit.
The smoothie panel may be less flexible than the straight neoprene. So how do you know if you should go for the smoothie feature? If you tend to sit waiting for waves then the smoothie is great. If you’re paddling around all the time and not sitting waiting your own body heat will likely be enough to keep you warm, so that the lower flexibility of the smoothie might not be warranted.
Zips & Zipless
Two main ways are available to get into and out of your wetsuit. These are from zips or zipless entry.
Zips can be at the front or the back. Rarely there’s zips on the side or neck of say a wetsuit top.
The back zip is said to give the easiest entry and exit as it allows your suit to open wide and you simply step in and out. The tradeoff is that back zips let in a lot of water. This is can be overcome by the addition of another thin flexi panel placed behind the zip that stretches open called a batwing. However it adds bulk and expense and these aren’t so common at this time. The back zip also adds the extra hardware of plastic, metal and seams that do limit flexibility.
The chest zip runs across your chest. The opening is smaller than a back zip yet it’s still relatively easy to get into and out of. There’s hardware there too and additional bulk however chest zips are smaller, lighter and once your suit is on, generally unnoticeable.
Zipless suits have no zip. They have a stretch panel that comes over your head and across your shoulder. They offer the benefit of no zip, no hardware or extra stitching so they give you great flexibility.
Depending on the quality of the brand a well designed Zipless wetsuit may be a little harder to get in and out of than a chest zip. A poorly designed zipless wetsuit can be very difficult to get in and out of.
The effectiveness of both a chest zip or zipless wetsuit is dependent on the quality of the design. It’s common for low quality brands to not have a high enough neoprene panel behind the zip or under the zipless pullover. So water can slosh in, especially when your chest is low paddling on your board. Very quickly you’ll find you get cold from this constant influx of water.
Steamer Neoprene Options
There are other neoprene thickness options in Steamers. If it’s on the lead into and out of winter there are thinner neoprene Steamers. The next common would be a Steamer with 2mm all over. This gives reasonable warmth on your body.
This is recommended for summer day surfing.It will keep you more comfortable, covering you against wind chills. It normally comes in different sizes, but the thickness is usually around 3 mm. Wearing a wetsuit vest has its advantages, especially for the people who would like to show their muscles, curves, underarm hair, or tattoos.It also does not impede paddling. For the people who would not be comfortable showing their curves, tattoo, muscles, and upper part of their body, the wetsuit vest is not the best choice. They might choose to buy a different surfing wetsuit, perhaps a wetsuit jacket.
In and Out of the Water
Wetsuit Jacket
If you would like to be warmer, and feel that the vest will not be enough, the wetsuit jacket is a little bit warmer. It comes with full length arms and offers additional warmth on the upper part of the body. You will also get more protection from elements and parts of the body which you would not be comfortable showing while surfing, which will be well covered. The wetsuit jacket normally comes with a material which is 2mm thick. One has to be aware of the chest zip as some can be very uncomfortable while paddling
Spring Wetsuit
The spring wetsuit has arm and leg coverage but comes as separate parts. The leg cover is short but there are options. It is an ideal wetsuit during the summer as it keeps the body at the right temperature.
With this background on wetsuit shape you are now good to go with an idea about the surfing wetsuits that will make you comfortable.
Buying wetsuits can be a bit overwhelming and confusing for first time buyers. One of the biggest challenges is the terminology used – to most people it may seem like rocket science.But this article will provide you with a general starter’s guide that will explain the different types of wetsuit shapes.
Wetsuit Vest
This is recommended for summer day surfing.It will keep you more comfortable, covering you against wind chills. It normally comes in different sizes, but the thickness is usually around 3 mm. Wearing a wetsuit vest has its advantages, especially for the people who would like to show their muscles, curves, underarm hair, or tattoos.It also does not impede paddling. For the people who would not be comfortable showing their curves, tattoo, muscles, and upper part of their body, the wetsuit vest is not the best choice. They might choose to buy a different surfing wetsuit, perhaps a wetsuit jacket.
Wetsuit Jacket
If you would like to be warmer, and feel that the vest will not be enough, the wetsuit jacket is a little bit warmer. It comes with full length arms and offers additional warmth on the upper part of the body. You will also get more protection from elements and parts of the body which you would not be comfortable showing while surfing, which will be well covered. The wetsuit jacket normally comes with a material which is 2mm thick. One has to be aware of the chest zip as some can be very uncomfortable while paddling.
Short John Wetsuit
This comes with exposed arms, but the lower part of the body is well covered. It is an ideal wetsuit for taking away the chill during a patrol surfing activity. However, it is not ideal for people who would not want to expose their underarms.
Long John Wetsuit
This wetsuit gives you complete body coverage, while leaving the arms exposed. It is good for easy paddling as it allows you to flail your arms without any neoprene resistance. It is an ideal wetsuit during the warmer season but when cooler it can be a bit chilly.
Spring Wetsuit
The spring wetsuit has arm and leg coverage but comes as separate parts. The leg cover is short but there are options. It is an ideal wetsuit during the summer as it keeps the body at the right temperature.
With this background on wetsuit shape you are now good to go with an idea about the surfing wetsuits that will make you comfortable.
Spring Wetsuit
The spring wetsuit has arm and leg coverage but comes as separate parts. The leg cover is short but there are options. It is an ideal wetsuit during the summer as it keeps the body at the right temperature.
With this background on wetsuit shape you are now good to go with an idea about the surfing wetsuits that will make you comfortable.
