Wetsuit Buyers Guide
Unless your only going to use a suit for 2 weeks in July or August we recommend that you buy a full suit and not a shorti. Every time the sun comes out somebody will come into our shop and ask for a shorti. This happens even in February when the water temp is only 9C.
For surfing you should buy a steamer, that's a full suit with a zip up the back. You don't want a zip up the front because you will have to lie on it when paddling and waves will push water through the zip.
Virtually all wetsuit manufacturers have now moved their production to the Far East (despite what some of them would have you believe) and this has reduced suit prices dramatically over the last couple of years. Is has also opened the door to a load of shysters to import cheap rubbish suits (some not even made of real neoprene) so remember the old adage "buy cheap, buy twice!"A good wetsuit will not break the bank. Our first bit of advice then is to buy the best you can afford and buy an established and reputable make from an established and reputable shop (us of course!)
We sell mainly English brands (made in the far east of course!). Reason for this is simple. The UK Surf Companies we deal with have all been in the wetsuit business for donkey's years (over 30 yrs in most cases). They make excellent (even brilliant) suits for UK conditions. There is nothing (usually) wrong with top International Wetsuit Brands if you know the spec is correct for your purpose but be aware that you are paying a premium for the name... all that International Advertising, Contest and rider Sponsorship, Surf Exploration by Private Yacht and Seaplane (Yes really!) has to be paid for by someone and guess what... if you buy these brands, it's you!
We, ourselves have been occassionally tempted to stock the odd International Brand but we are "over it now" after our latest experience with a Top International Brand that will unfortunately have to remain nameless. The suits didn't fit... anybody. Not just a bad fit, a hopeless, unsalable fit! So much for Pedigree. It is a fact that most suits are made at the same two factories in the far east anyway... same neoprene, same glue, same thread, same workers, even made on the same tables... just in a different "production window".
A wetsuits prime function is to trap a layer of water in its cell structure, which is in turn warmed up by your body heat. Every time you fall in or (wallow about) a fresh lot of cold water will attempt to flush all your lovely warmed-up water away and replace it with cold water instead.
There are 3 things that keep you warm in a wetsuit.
Fit- The single most crucial thing... It won't keep you warm if it isn't a good fit as it will "flush". This means the suit should be taught and smooth all over, you should not be able pinch up any excess neoprene except possibly a small wrinkle behind the knees and elbows and under the armpits. It should look as if it has been "sprayed" on. The clue is in the Brand Names.. "Snugg" "BodyGlove" "Second Skin" etc. You should put the suit on virtually naked.. skimpy stuff only underneath... no shorts and t-shirts!! Start with zip at the back (fully undone) , plastic bags on your feet will help you slide through the ankle holes... make sure the crotch goes fully up and is not hanging low. If you cannot get this far then either the suit is too small or you have "thunderthighs" and will need Superstretch Neoprene!
Next start on the top half. Make sure that the arms are pulled fully up onto the shoulders or the zip will not pull together at the back. If the suit is one of the new Superstretch ones a fair bit of time should be taken carefully picking up the neoprene and tweaking it into the right position. Finally, slide the zip up. Again, if the suit fits and you have put it on correctly it should be possible (for someone else) to run the zip up and down fairly easily without having to tug the suits shoulders together. The neck should form a good seal as when you are lying down paddling the board, waves will wash down the neck and cause the suit to flush.
If is feels a bit tight remember that neoprene does tend to relax a little once it is wet. Suits are easier to put on when properly wet so another tip is to put your suit on in the shower however if's it's a brand new suit you won't be able to return it if you do this! Ladies should wear Ladies suits.. you will not get the best fit in a man's or childs suit, obviously.
Thickness and Seams-
It's a close call as to what is the next most important thing... Thickness or Seams, both play a major part in being warm. It is generally accepted that for the UK 3/2mm is summer thickness and 5/3mm is winter thickness. Many people want just the one suit that can do it all however so growing in popularity is the 5/4/3mm. It is important to understand right from the start that there are currently two main types of seam.
Cheapest is Flatlock... No glue involved, 4 rows of stitches perforate the suit so the seams are not watertight. Seams allow "flush" when you fall in. Generally used for "entry-level" 3mm suits and shorti's... when it's warm enough for a shorti is doesn't matter if the seams leak!
A better way to go is "blindstitched and glued" ...this starts off first with the neoprene panels being butt joined with glue. These seams are then sewn with a curved needle which brings the thread back out the same side without penetrating right through the neoprene. This creates a totally waterproof seam which will prevent flushing. This "double" process obviously adds to the cost.
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| From the outside |
From the inside |
There is a slight problem though...the natural stretching of the suit combined with saltwater acting on the glue has a tendancy to eventually open up the seam from the inside. This then allows water to once again flush through the stitching. In reality though, most suits are probably in the bin long before this occurs. To be on the safe side however, better suits now have their blind-stitched seams "liquid-taped". This is basically a flat silicon bead applied to the seams which will ensure that it remains watertight whilst retaining the stretch properties of the neoprene. This can be applied to the seams either inside or outside of the suit.
If good quality these seams are smooth and do not rip the tiny hairs from your skin but poor quality ones can be painful. Top end suits generally have the liquid taping on the outside as it is more comfortable. Superstretch Neoprene and Liquid taping are the best thing that has happened to the wetsuit industry in years and have revolutionised the comfort, fit and warmth to a level unimaginable a few short years ago. Liquid Taping will normally last the entire life of the suit however it will rot at the crotch if the suit is pee'd in. The few suits still being built in Britain are at a major disadvantage as the choice of neoprene imported into the UK is limited and Liquid Taping is not an option.
Different Wetsuit Specs-
In our shop (terminology may vary) we call 3mm Flatlocked suits "Summer" and 3mm Blindstitched suits "Extended Summer". Once you introduce 5mm somewhere into the suit (now blindstitched of course) we call it "Winter". That said, winter suits can vary greatly in the amount of 5mm they have in them which make them hard to quantify. Some quite frankly would be useless in severe conditions. There is also the 5/4/3mm which we refer to as "a year-round-compromise" or "4 seasons" suit. We run these in our hire fleet all year round... you get a better suit in summer (beginners fall in a lot!) can be too hot if we get a heatwave (flat surf usually anyway!) Bit marginal in Jan to March/April but most who surf in those months are keen enough to buy a proper winter suit anyway... Works for us.
New this year we are now selling winter spec suits made in summer spec 3mm.. these have all the winter features (exact replica's of their winter counterpart) but in 3mm neoprene. These we (maybe only us!) are calling "fully winterised summers" and this is probably a better way to go.. one of these and a proper winter if you surf Jan thru March/April. Might be worth mentioning here that there is also a good choice of "thermal underwear" available to wear under wetsuits... look in our "Rash Vest" section on this site.
Other useful wetsuit terms and features...
DOUBLE-LINED-
Both sides of neoprene lined with nylon. On the outside this makes the fragile neoprene more durable. On the inside this prevents the suit from sticking to the skin. Talcum powder is a thing of the past.
SINGLE-LINED-
Neoprene lined on one side only. See below...
Coloured Neoprene is doublelined, black meshskin singlelined.
MESHSKIN/SMOOTHSKIN/SHARKSKIN
All different names/types of single lined neoprene. Single lined neoprene is sometimes used because it does stick to your skin. Neck seals and the zip flaps on better suits often have these features. In addition some suits feature upper body panels in single lined neoprene. These suits are warmer due to the instant evaporation from the neoprene as no water is held in the nylon. The downside is that single lined neoprene is a lot more susceptible to damage.
Singlelined Smoothskin to Smoothskin Seal behind zip to prevent water ingress.
TITANIUM-
A titanium layer...usually a metallic powder mixed into the glue bonding the neoprene to the nylon lining. This helps reflect body heat back into the suit. One independent test rated titanium neoprene 24% more thermally efficient. Some people think it's a gimmick. At least one major Wetsuit Company refuses to use it.
SECOND GENERATION TITANIUM-
As above but twice as much! Well if the suit is double-lined (as most are, except the mesh panel) then it follows that it has twice the Titanium that a Singlelined suit has... (except nobody makes a totally singlelined suit any more)!
ZIPS-
Zips with metal heads far more reliable than plastic. Remember it's just the zip head (slider) we're talking about here, the teeth will always be plastic. There should always be a strip of velcro positioned to stop the zip coming undone (the "zip-stop") unless the neck design caters for this problem in some other way.
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| Metal Headed YKK Zip with Zip-Stop Velcro under |
KNEES-
Cheaper suits often have a simple screenprinted "knee-pad". This is adequate but only just. Learners especially are heavy on the knees so again a good reason to spend a little more, even from the outset. Some suits use a different, harder sort of neoprene for the knee and then print on top of that, a good solution but not one that the untrained eye would spot.
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| If you planning to spend plenty of time on your knees-get the best kneepads you can find. |
OTHER OPTIONS-
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| Smoothskin Seal |
Tighten Collar System |
Storm Collar |
Hope this has helped... Wetsuit technology is advancing all the time! Now go back and look at the suits we have for sale...you will see even more features...
If you have any other questions regarding wetsuits please phone us at the shop
01271 890453 or e-mail us at croydebay@aol.com
The Little Pink Shop
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