Wet Suit and Accessories
Guide
Wet
suits come as; Spring suits or Shortys , Short Johns, Long Johns, and
Full Suits
Spring
suit’s keeps just the upper body warm.
It has a short legs and short sleeves.
It is used mostly in warm temperatures.
The thickness of the suit is typically 2 mm.
Short
Johns are like spring suits but
without the sleeves. Thickness of the suit is typically 2 mm.
Long Johns
are like Short Johns but have a full length in the legs.
The typical thickness is 2 mm.
Full
suits depending upon cool to cold
will determine the thickness of the suit.
- For
cool water temperature suits the whole suit may use a 2mm thickness
while a cold water suit will have a combination of 2 different
thickness of neoprene. The two thicknesses refers to having a
thinner neoprene in the arm area specifically the sleeve and under
sleeve area to allow for easier arm movement and the thicker
neoprene for the rest of the suit keeping them as warm as possible.
The suit is designated by two numbers such as 4/3 which means
4mm in the body and 3mm in
the arms.
Typical combinations are 3 /2, 4/3 and for real cold water
6/4. Most people (even small
women) will be very cozy in a 4/3 wetsuit in Santa Cruz for 9 months
out of the year.
You can also wear a nylon/spandex top or suit (see below) for
added warmth under the wet suit.
If you plan to surf down south in San Diego a lighter suit
say a 3/2 or just a 2 mm suit will do.
(If you are not sure ask the local surf shop which thickness
they recommend for the local water at different seasons of the year.
You may also want to let them know if you are a cold or warm
blooded type of person).
Things
to look for in a surf wet suit
- Flexible
neoprene in upper torso, shoulder.
You will be moving your arms paddling the surf board and want
free movement in this area.
- Pre-bent
knees with kneepad feature make moving the legs easier especially
when performing the pop up onto the board.
- Is
the neck area sealing with out choking or itching i.e. 2MM smooth skin collar feels pretty good after a
day in salt water.
- Check
the seams are they Double-glued and blind
stitched seams or maybe the latest glue welding technology.
-
#10
Heavy duty zipper, with a hook and loop closure system to keep
zipper from opening up.
-
Hidden key pocket is a nice thing to have instead of
trying to hide the car key in the bumper or on the car frame or on the
wheel.
-
Gender
specific suits fit and are more comfortable than unisex suits.
Booties
For those who get cold
feet or just don’t like placing skin onto the reef bottom.
Booties come in
two major styles: round toe and split toe.
The round toe is like a boot keeping all the toes in one
compartment while the split toe allow a split in the toe area with the
big toe having it’s own compartment and the rest another compartment.
Most
booties are 3mm thick but can be up to 7 mm for real cold water use.
Surfing with or
with out booties is an individual preference.
Some say they get a better feel or grip without booties but then
again there are a lot of surfers who have booties on.
Nylon/Spandex
Nylon/spandex
tops and suits can be worn under the wet suit as an added warmth layer
or to minimize direct skin contact with the wet suit or used when no
wetsuit is worn when surfing warm waters.
The most common is the Rash Protection which minimizes the
chaffing and rash from direct contact with the wet suit.
They come in 3
types.
U.V. and Rash
Protection - 5oz.
Designed for use as a rash guard, U.V. protection. The 5oz. skins feature nylon/spandex composite material. Key
thing to look for is the stitching where good stitching assures they are
flexible and durable.
U.V. Protection -
7.3oz.
Designed for use as U.V. protection.
The 7.3oz. skins feature nylon/spandex composite material. Again
the key is the stitching where good stitching assures they are flexible
and durable
The
Full Long Sleeve
The Full Long Sleeve
can come with an attached hood with sun visor and boardshort connector.
Usually comes with a back/lumbar stash pocket and wind resistant ear
panels as well.
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