Video Wetsuit Guide To Beginners

Wetsuits are advancing every year but the principles of a good wetsuit have not changed in a while and I don't think they will anytime soon. If you want a good wetsuit you need:

• stretchy neoprene - the stretchier the better, more comfortable, easier to put on and take of, better fitting and less tiring to paddle.
• more air bubbles in the material - more insulation
• wetsuit that does not let water inside or as little as possible - waterproof stitches (blindstitch, taped, sealed), short zipper, and a GOOD FIT!
• internal lining - makes the wetsuit a little bit warmer, a little bit more comfortable to wear and it dries really fast.

For people that don't like to read, here is a video guide that explains what makes a good wetsuit:

If you are in the market for a new wetsuit, also check out this 2014-15 buyers guide.

Enjoy!

Wetsuits For Beginers

A few tips for first time wetsuit buyers (and also read the rest of this blog...)

1. The first thing you'll notice is that a wetsuit it tough to put on. It's tight and restrictive. And this is exactly the way it is supposed to be! Every empty space inside your wetsuit means a place for the water to accumulate and cool you down. You want your wetsuit to be as tight as possible without restricting your breathing, movement etc...

2. The zip goes on the back!!!!! Only some models have s short chest zip.

3. Wetsuit will get looser when it gets wet and after a few days of use.

4. A good wetsuit is worth its money. It's lighter, warmer and more flexible.

5. This is a really really really general rule but the most versatile and useful wetsuit is a 4/3 full suit.

All the wetsuit info you will need!

I will try and put all the important wetsuit information into this one post. I think it is the best if I make this post and give info in the form of questions and answers. We will start at the beginning and work our way down :)! Lets go!

What is a wetsuit?
It is a suit made out of neoprene that is designed to keep you warm in cold water.

How does the wetsuit work?
There are two ways how wetsuit keeps us warm:
1. Neoprene is a very very good insulating material since it has a lot of air bubbles inside. These air bubbles act as insulation. More bubbles the better the neoprene (and warmer) it is. It is also important how thick the wetsuit is. Thicker neoprene means more insulation and warmer wetsuit.

2. Wetsuit is not a dry suit :). So some water will get in. And neoprene will catch this water and a thin layer o water will become trapped between your body and the wetsuit. It will be heated by your body and you will stay warm. Here is also a good time to tell that you do not actually want water in your wetsuit. Since water will come in anyway. If too much water comes in it will constantly fush out the warm water and it will be replaced with cold one. And you will be cold, not warm. So look for a wetsuit that has a snug fit.

Damn, I forgot all about this post. I allready did a full and complete wetsuits buying guide over here. I just posted this for some aditional info if anyone is interested.

Which wetsuit do I need?

So you want to know which wetsuit do you need. Before anyone can answer that question you will have to ask and answer yourself the following questions:

1. What is my sport? Do I need a wetsuit for surfing, diving, windsurfing, triathlon etc...
2. Where and when am I going to use it? Is it going to be summer, winter, cold water, warm water...
3. How much money am I willing to spend? Better wetsuits cost more, I think they are worth the money... but if you won't need it a lot, maybe a cheaper one is a better idea.

I cant answer or predict the first and third one for you, but I can give you a water temperature guide/chart for wetsuits. You can check this link or to sum it up here (the temperatures are water temperatures):

TEMP: > 77 F/> 25 C
You don't need a wetsuit

TEMP: 72F–77F / 22C-25C
If the the weather is colder wear a shorty. Or a wetsuit top maybe.

TEMP:68F–72F/20C–22C
Shorty. Or even spring suit/ 3/2 full suit in cold weather.

TEMP: 64F–68F / 18C–20C
Spring suit or full suit 3/2. 

TEMP: 59F–64F / 15C–18C
A good 3/2 full suit, 4/3 wetsuit is better.

TEMP: 54F–59F / 12C–15C
4/3 wetsuit+ booties, If you surf 54F a lot get a 5/3 wetsuits.

TEMP: 48F-54F/9C-12C
5/3 or 5/4/3 wetsuit + booties + gloves + hood.

TEMP: < 48 F / < 9 C
5/3 wetsuit is OK, 6/5/4 is better. Use THICK booties, gloves and hood (5mm or more).

Hope that helps.

A few reasons why you should wear a wetsuit

You have no idea what sorts of hazards there are in a long, dark street, or in the choppy, murky sea. A lightweight and skintight wetsuit that most water sports professionals wear will not only protect you from cold, but also help you swim better.

The three most important things that a wetsuit does for you are the following - they keep you warm in the cold water, the give you extra protection against rocks, your equipment etc.. and they improve your buoyancy.

1) Hypothermia. You might not think this is a serious problem, especially to those who only surf in the summer. However, you will find that the risk of contracting hypothermia is still there even when you are swimming in warm waters at noon. It's due to the fact that water is 25 times more heat-conducting than air, making you lose your body heat. So, the longer you stay in the water, the more body heat you will lose. Here is a cool guide that will tell you  how thick wetsuit do you need in different water temperature.

How does the wetsuit keep you warm? A thin layer of water comes between your body and the wetsuit. Body heats it and the wetsuit prevents the heat from escaping further, hence you have an insulation layer. Because neoprene contains many bubbles the air in them also acts as great insulation. This of course only works if fresh cold water doesn't constantly flush your wetsuit. So your wetsuits should be tight fitting, snug.

2) Wetsuits can also serve as protection against your own equipment, somebody else's equipment, rocks, corals etc... So even if the water is warm it is sometimes wise to wear a thin wetsuit for protection. There are for instance special swimming wetsuits that protect you from jellyfish if you are swimming in areas that have lots of them.

3) And finally there is buoyancy. I already mentioned that neoprene is full of air filled bubbles, so wearing a wetsuit will help you float better. Here I would like to warm you that before you take on any water sports you need to know how to swim - swim good! Wetsuit is not a life vest.

And this is why it is hard for me to imagine what the water sports world would be like without wetsuits.

The complete wetsuits buying guide

I want to start from the beginning here, so anyone can use this guide. So I will start with the most basic question I can think of :) - 

What is a wetsuit?

Wetsuit is a insultaion suit that is made out of neoprene and is used in water sports. It keeps you warm and it offers some protecton. Wetuits were invented about 50 years ago by a few people at about the same time. Jack O'Neill is mostly credited to be the first one to produce a wetsuit. Those old wetsuits were of course nowhere near the wetsuits that we have today (but we still have O'Neill wetsuits :)!). Next you want to know what kind of wetsuits are there?

WETSUIT MODELS
There are many different wetsuit models. They are divided by the thickenss of the neoprene and by how much of your body do they cover. Lets list them: 

- rashguard - this is more like a t-shirt for protection against sun. It's not made out of neoprene so I can not really call it a wetsuit...
- wetsuit top - it is made out of neoprene and it looks the same as rashguar, this one is for summer surfing
- shorty wetsuit is also mean for summer. It is called shorty because it has short legs and arms.
- spring wetsuit is a bit thicker than a shorty and has either long arms or long legs. And then you have a full range of
- full suits or full wetsuits. These will covers your whole body and can be found in many different thicknesses. You will find numbers like 3/2, 4/3, 5/4/3 etc.. on them. 

What do 3/2, 4/3 etc... numbes on wetsuits mean?
For instance 4/3 means 4 millimeters and 3 millimeters. This means that this wetsuit is amde out of two neoprene sheets of different thickness. Logically - thicker is warmer. Once you surf in really cold water you will also need wetsuit boots, wetsuit gloves and wetsuit hood.

How does a wetsuit keep you warm?
Wetsuit catches a thin layer of water between your body and the neoprene. This water becomes warm since your body radiates heat and you feel warm. Wetsuit is also an insulation against the cold. The neoprene used in wetsuits has lots of small bubbles that act as great insulators. Beter neoprene has more bubbles and is therefore warmer. Also as I said - thicker neoprene more insulation warmer wetsuit. If you want to know what kind of wetsuit do you need for certain water temperature then you should read this water temperature and wetsuit thickness guide and chart. While you are at it also check their wetsuit guide. I think it is the most detailed wetsuit guide that you can find online.

What makes a good wetsuit?
When you are buying a wetsuit you need to consider the following things. Ask the salesperson:
- how good is the neoprene, how warm it is and how stretcy?
- what about the seams, are they waterproof?
- is there some aditional insulation inside the wetsuits?

other things are really not that important.

So, to keep warm you need that thin warm layer of water in your wetsuit. But you do not want new cold water constantly flushing the inside of your wetsuit. The first thing here is - make sure that your wetsuit fits - that you have the right wetsuit size. If it is to big, the water will get in easier. But even if it's the right size water can come into the wetsuit through
- stitches,
- zipper.


Wetsuit zipper is not watertight. There are a few solutions here - shorter zippers and specially shaped teeth in the zipper. Then there is also a thin neoprene membrane under the zipper called bat wing (other names also exist...) that stops stops the water that comes through the zipper. Every wetsuit brand also has a zipperless wetsuit model (or models). These are actually better but they don't last that long since they get stretched out faster.

Wetsuit stitches
From worst to best:

Over lock stitch
Flat lock stitch 
Blind stitch (needle never penetrates the neoprene - no holes)

Liquid taped stitches - these are the best, usually you begin with blidstitch and then seal it with liquid rubber This makes the seams 100% waterproof. 

Other wetsuits features and expressions that you need to know are:
- single lined/double lined neoprene - neoprene is lined with nylon. Single lined only on one side, double lined on both. A lined neoprene is more durable, neprene without lining is smoother and it better repels water and wind. Windsurfers use it a lot. Single lined neoprene also has names like mesh skin, smooth skin etc.

- titanium - if wetsuit is lined with titanium (between neoprene and nylon lining) it will reflect your body heat back into the wetsuit.

- aditional insultaing fabric, fibers - todays modern fabrics can be made out of hollow fibres that have great insulation capabilities. Some winter neoprenes have this on the inside. This is called aero core, fire skin etc.

- stretchy neoprene - if neoprene is more flexible, it will put less strain on your muscles, it will be much more comfortable etc. This is a really cool thing. Wetsuits are getting stretchier every year! 

- reinforced knees, key pocket... - here just choose what suits you, it's not that important.


I think that I covered most of the things that you need to know before you buy a new wetsuit. If you still have some questions you can ask in the comments. Cheers!

How to test a wetsuit if it is waterproof?

This is a cool simple wetsuit test that you can do in the store when you are buying your wetsuit. First we need to make one thing clear - all wetsuits get wet inside. That's why they are called wetsuits. If they wouldn't get wet then they would be called dry suits. And there are suits that are called drysuits and are used for extremely cold condition, diving etc... But most of them are to clumsy to be used for action sports (allthoguh there are models designed for that, but they kind of don't catch on...). So if we are talking about a wetsuit that is waterproof we are talking about waterproof seams.

How to test the wetsuits seams if they are really waterproof?

Grab the wetsuits sleeve under the armpit and sqeeze it tight. Then grab the end when your would come out and blow into the sleeve like you would want to blow into a baloon. Any stretchy wetsuit will expand when you pump it with air and you will quickly see if the wetsuit seams are really watertight or not. If the sleeve quickly deflates then they are not, if it deflates slowly than they are OK.

You can do this test in the store or wherever. Watertight seams/stitches are a must in todays cold water wetsuits.