Choosing a winter or
summer wetsuit to buy?
When it comes to
making the choice between buying a winter or summer wetsuit the first thing you should
consider is how cold is the water temperature you intend to use the wetsuit in
and how long into that season you are likely to be using it?
Summer wetsuits come
in two types, which are either shortie or full. If you are intending to use a
shortie then the water really needs to be above the 19c temperature. These
wetsuits are great for surfing, wakeboarding, sailing, kite surfing and jet
skiing. They are generally a 2mm thickness in the neoprene and constructed with
short arms and legs. Meaning you get maximum flexibility and just body warmth.
Best brands to consider are O’Neill, Billabong and Rip Curl which are usually
around the £50 mark. You can get cheap wetsuits like the TWF ones and Tescos
but these are very inflexible and the neoprene is an abrasive material that is
less durable then the better quality brands. The cheaper brands are better for casual beach goer’s use
that is pretty much discarded at the end of the summer.
Full suits are the
preferred choice for the UK and Europe as you get far more use out of these
wetsuits due to the short summers and less warm waters. A full wetsuit for the
summer is a 3mm on the body and 2mm on the arms. Great for pretty much all
water sports and in terms of spend it means the more you spend the more
flexible and more features the wetsuits has. You can get some really high
performance summer suits and these are in the price bracket of £200 plus. The temperature that a full suit can be
used is in the region of 13c plus as anything less is more of a 5mm winter wetsuit. All the 3/2 are multi purpose wetsuits which can be used for pretty
much all water sports. Good brands to consider are O’Neill, Rip Curl, Billabong,
C Skins and Xcel. The same applies for the cheap wetsuits in brands such as TWF
and the same applies for the abrasive and non-stretch neoprene.
If you are looking for
a wetsuit to last you the entire year in the UK then a 5/3 is the only option to
keep you warm in the winter months. These wetsuits range from £100 to £400 with
the warmest being the most expensive. However in Europe a 4/3 should be perfect
as the sea doesn’t get as cold through the winter months. A winter wetsuit is
used in water temperatures of below 13c for sports such as surfing, kite
surfing, sailing and winsurfing. The wetsuits are 5mm of neoprene on the body
and 3mm of neoprene on the arms. All winter wetsuits are glued and blind stitched
on the seams for maximum protection against water penetration. Good brands to
consider are O’Neill, Rip Curl, C Skins, Billabong & Xcel. The best selling
entry wetsuit is the O’Neill Epic, which is priced at £129. If the temperatures
are below 5c then you should consider a hooded wetsuit for maximum warmth. To
be honest it’s always worth spending a bit more in the winter as you will be a
lot warm and that is always worth the extra spending.
