It seems like, we are continue surfing over winter time more and more.

When it is our most beloved sport and we stay in the country, we do not want to stop during winter time, just because it is getting too cold…And we don’t have to, because material now got so well fabricated that we don’t freeze anymore in the cold and windy winter days.

Here is a guide with the latest collection wetsuits, and neoprene accessories there is out at the moment. And most of all a guide to help you to choose the right gear. There is a lot coming extra in winter when you think about the accessories; boots, hoods and gloves. From our own personal experience, we describe and show you how to wear it for the most optimal experience and the less cold water flushing in.

 

Let's start with the basics.

How does a wetsuit work?

What a wetsuit basically does, is trapping a very thin layer of water inbetween your body and the suit. Your body generates warmth and heats this thin layer of water, the neoprene around this layer of water insulates this warmth and the thicker the neoprene you're wearing is, the more insulation it will provide.

The wetsuit will work at its best when the layer of water is thin and when this layer isn't flushed away by cold water trough holes or leaking points in your wetsuit. Cold water flushing into your wetsuit causes warmth & energy loss since your body needs to get to work to "re-heat" the thin layer of water. 

So what we need to stay warm during winter (basically), is a wetsuit with enough neoprene, a tight fit and a proper sealing to keep the flush of cold water out of your suit.

Neoprene thickness

Winter wetsuits come mostly in 5mm and 6mm. On and under the arms the neoprene is often thinner; the thickness of this neoprene is found after the slash (/). Example: 5/4mm means 5mm of neoprene around the torso and 4mm on the arms. The thicker the neoprene, the more warmth but also the less flexibility.

 

Lining

It is not only important what is on the outside. It is also about what is on the inside, what makes a wetsuit warm. A wetsuit with a lining cost you more, but in winter time it is nice to have at least lining on the core parts of your body, to keep you warm. Besides, it also dries quicker. And you do not want to put on a wet wetsuit in winter. Every brand has there own type of lining. Rip Curl has its flash lining, Vissla has its thermal fiber lining, Manera its magma fleece etc.

Sealing

Seams are necessary to make your wetsuit fit well. But seams are also tricky because this is the first place where cold water wil flush into when the sealing of the seams isn't done properly. Proper sealing results is less waist of energy to keep the thin layer of water warm.

There are many ways to seal a wetsuit, we're going to explain you the most common ones:

- Glued and Blind Stitched: At first, the neoprene panels are being glued to each other. Afterwards the seams are getting stitched "blind" to each other. "Blind" means that the stitching is only halfway through the neoprene which results in a 95% waterproof seam. This way of sealing is also known as GBS. "Normal" stitching would result in many holes in your wetsuit. (we don't want this in winter)

- Glued Blind Stitched and fully taped: In addition to the GBS the seams are equipped with a flexible taping on the inside of all of the seams. This improves the sealing, makes the seams more durable and it also improves the insulation. 

- "Liquid seams and taped" : After blindstitching the neoprene panels to each other. A very strong "liquid seam" is used on the outside in combination with taping on the inside to make the wetsuit 100% waterproof. This is the most high-end way to seal a wetsuit.  

 

Fit

The fit is about the right size. A tight fit is very important. No matter how thick or high-end your wetsuit might be, if it is too big, water is flushing in and you are getting cold. A wetsuit should feel like a second skin. Neck, arm-ends and leg-ends need to be tight.

Brand use different sizing. For example MT which stands for Medium Tall. That would be for people with a medium waist, but that are a bit taller.

Usually the fit with a chestzip is a bit nicer then with a backzip, because it’s more stretchy on the back and you do not have a stiff zipper which divides the back panel in two parts. Another advantage is that a chestzip is a bit warmer, because there is no water coming in through the zipper.

 

Surf-orientated & kitesurf-orientated wetsuit designs.

We offer multiple renowned wetsuit brands in our shops, a part of them is designing wetsuits with "surf-orientated" minds. The other part is designing their wetsuits with "kite/windsurf-orientated" minds. The feature that is most worth mentioning in a kite/windsurf wetsuit is "Aqua flush" or "Water strainer". This is nothing more than a perforated neoprene panel around the ankle part of the wetsuit. The holes in the panel allow water to go outside but doesn’t let water go inside. With all the upcoming water from below with kitesurfing, this is really adding comfort during your kite/windsurf session.

 

Surf minded wetsuit brands: 
Rip curl | Quiksilver | Roxy | Hurley | Patagonia 

Kite- windsurf minded brands:

Mystic | Manera