I was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations for winter wetsuits. I've never tried to surf through the winter before, and am unsure as to what thickness a full winter suit needs to be. Do they make wetsuits with pre-attached booties (mine always fill up with water) for winter surfing, or would I be better off looking into drysuits?
Doing a search in the forum is a good idea, but this is discussed greatly. your going to want to go 5/3 or greater for the northeast winter. There are a lot of good wet suits out there. I reccommend going to your local shop and trying them on. The most important thing is that the suit fits you well in that you have enough flexibility in the chest/shoulders.
I live in RI and found that Rip Curl F-Bomb 5/4/3 works great. The hood is attached almost no seepage (only got some down the back when duck diving) As for the boots Rip Curl and Hyperflex both have good high ankle 5 to7 mill boots. If you're thinking of going out all winter I would get a pair of mittens or 3 finger gloves, your fingers stay warmer then with fingered gloves. Good luck with the season
oneill mutant Get an oneill mutant 5/4 or or 6 mil if you live in maine trust me this suit is great, little on the pricey side but definetly worth it. it has a detachable hood to a neck piece and i found this suit extremely easy to get into compared to other suits.
i have been using an xcel 5/4/3 for years , but all the crew on the cape are raving about the rip curl f-bomb this year, either 5/4 or 6/4... definitely get 7mil boots and either 5mil lobster claws or mittens... the water in the boots stays warm so don't worry about it... and just remember it only gets cold when you get out, or you get 5 set waves on the head, both are likely to happen
+1 on the O'neill Mutant. I have the 5/4 and it is the best suit I've ever owned. I had a ripcurl for a while and It was the biggest pain to get out of after a long session. With the mutant the chest/back zipper attached hood and the super stretch neck entry makes it a breeze to get in and out of . I love having the interchangeable neck too, when the air was still warm but the water had gotten cold already I had the 5/4 with just the crew neck and it was really comfy, and now I have the hood on it. I have Oneill 7mil boots and lobster claw gloves and both keep me super warm. Just remember, a wetsuit is called a wetsuit for a reason. You are supposed to get wet while wearing it. your body warms the layer of water in between your suit and your skin and keeps you warm. One thing I always recommend is to tuck your boots and your gloves INTO your wetsuit. keeps the water flowing up and down your body instead of just flushing fresh cold water directly into your hands and feet every time you submerge. Like other people have said though, just go to the local shop and try a bunch on. the technology is pretty much there in most well known suits, so just make sure it actually fits you no matter what you buy. If you have restricted movement then it will make your sessions that much more uncomfortable, and that much less fun.
If you dont want to surf in winter, you shouldnt want to surf at all.. The best swell all year hits the east coast in the wintertime. I rock the 5/4 drylock..i live in Nova Scotia, Canada...waters 3 degrees celsius and im still warm.
I surfed around new years in rhode island with my year-old 4/3 excel, a hooded vest, 5 mm boots and 3 mm gloves. my hands were stupid cold after 2 and a half hours but the rest of my body was fine in 40 degree water. i'm not saying do as i do. 7 mm gloves would have made a big difference, i think i'm going to get a pair....
i went out this morning, this is the coldest water i've been in so far due to a lack of gear but i was in for a little over 2 hours with a 4/3, 6.5mm boots and 5mm lobster claws. for the first 45 minutes i was warm, later on i didn't get cold enough to shiver but i wouldn't say i was warm. not having a hood kind of gave me a headache
Yeah. It makes it a lot easier if you put on your gloves first then put a plastic bag over it and it'll slide right through the sleeve, so that way it won't be a pain to get the sleeve of the glove all flattened out. It's not worth it to use this method with booties because of the rubber soles and velcro straps (it's just easier to put wetsuit on first, then peel up the bottom of the leg sleeves and slip on the booties. I found once while trying to loan a friend gloves in the water that when he gave me back the gloves because they wouldn't go on, that if you just put them back on over the sleeves (My hands were cold and it was SUPER hard to get them back under), they'll slip off (at least a little).
i recomend the 5/4 xcel drylock with 5mm 3 finger gloves and 7mm booties. all interior seams are taped so water will not get in and also your skin wont get irritated from the stitches. Plus the tape they use is super smooth, light and warms up quickly. The suit has a waterproof zipper and keeps cold water out. Definitaly has one of the most plush interiors. enviromently friendly limestone based neopreene and hydro electric factory. Most importantly get the right size, snug but not stretched to the max.
