found this whilst whiling away an hour on this machine....
A wetsuit is a wetsuit - right? Wrong!
Do you know what you are looking for when you walk into the store and see a rack full of wetsuits? In my quest for the perfect suit, I have stumbled upon many facts that I would like to share with you, which will help you too to make the right decision when you next purchase yourself a suit. I will also discuss some handy hints on the maintenance of your suit and in my next review we will go into more detail about the brands that are available to us on the market.
First of all we have to find out our needs. What water sport are you planning to do? A Scuba diver needs different suits to the Deep Sea Divers, and Surfers need different suits to Windsurfers. In this case I will be discussing purchasing a suit for a kiteboarder. The sport is still in its infancy, so there are not many kiteboarding specific wetsuits on the market yet. So far, the surfing wetsuits are best suited for us.
What kind of protection does a kiteboarder need?
What are the conditions like where you will be kiting? Warm water conditions will need different suits to cold water conditions. And generally speaking the wind is also colder where the water is colder and therefore your suit needs to protect you. Having a suit that is too warm will also affect you negatively. There are suits that protect your body from the heat of the sun. Today, there is a suit for everyone and you just have to know what you are looking for. Layers are always the key to maximum protection.
What are you looking for in your suit?
You want flexibility. You want comfort. You want to stay warm in cold water conditions and this I mean that you want to maintain your body temperature. You also want to stay dry for as long as possible. Can you afford to pay the price of not having the above? Let’s go into more detail and explain to you the differences between the various quality suits, but first we need to get a clear understanding of the material a suit is made of, see the glossery at the end of this discussion for more on material.
How must a suit fit?
My call is Snug-As-A-Bug-In-A-Rug. Any other way, and you’re loosing the benefit of the features. The collar must not strangle your neck, the wrist bands must not cut off your circulation, and there must not be space for air (or water) to enter into the suit. A suit might fit slightly restrictive outside the water, and sometimes you need to test it inside the water before you can really make a decision. This I would say is most relevant to very thick suits or the more entry level types. A top of the range surfing suit these days can be tried on inside the shop and you will know if you're gonna take it or not. The myth that you need water in your suit to stay warm is long gone. If you want to get cold then that is fine, but the best way to stay warm is to keep in what’s in and out what’s out.
Like any medical practitioner will tell you, in an emergency, should you wish to assist someone suffering from hypothermia, place them in luke warm water. Water is the fastest and best way to change body temperature back to where it should be - hot or cold. So, back to wetsuits... Water takes away your body heat around 5 times more quickly than air and so it is vital that as little contact as possible is allowed between the two.
Maintenance
1. Never wash your suit with any detergent. Rinse your suit in fresh water for at least 15 - 20 minutes, after every use. If you have to use soap, use a very little of a very mild dish soap and make sure you rinse it all out.
2. Do not machine wash your suit.
3. If you must hang the suit up, then don’t use a hanger, because it will cause irreparable bumps on the shoulders. Rather lay the suit down on the floor in a dark room.
4. Never turn your suit inside out and leave to dry, especially the top of the range ones! This will also cause compression of the neoprene gas cells, leading to permanent failure once the suit is being used again. Never dry your suit in the sun. Always dry your suit in a dark and ventilated area.
5. Do not fold your suit up. The creases will cause poor insulation at the folds.
6. Zips need periodic protection with bees wax.
7. Should you wish to lubricate your suit, you can use a little baby oil in the water, or you can purchase special silicone spray from the manufacturer. Do not use anything from an aerosol can on your suit, as it will most likely contain chemicals that will eat away the neoprene.
8. Velcro can cause allot of damage to your suit, therefore ensure that all Velcro tags are covered or tucked away.
The final part of my review is the pricing structure. The more bubbles they pump into the material, the softer, and more flexible the material becomes. Comfort therefore means that your wetsuit will probably not last longer than a season, and right now comfort comes at a hefty price. Windsurfing suits are pure rubber, and not very flexible but they keep your dry and warm, which means they are also more expensive than the avarage suit. The less expensive suits are less flexible, more water absorbing and will last much much longer. Technology of the material has reached a stage where they have found the materials that provide comfort. They have also found materials that can maintain body temperature, and that is water resistant. But what they now need to do, give us a wetsuit that has all the bells and whistles, and that can last a long time.
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The different types of wetsuit material and features that is available are the following:
Spandex:
This material is very thin and stretches really well. They are mainly for diving in tropical conditions protects your body from bluebottle stings, scrapes and the sun. People also often use these types of suits as an extra layer underneath their normal neoprene suits. Provides the body with 45% insulation.
Thermoplastic:
This material is between 1.2 and 1.2mm. This three ply material is sandwiched between two layers of Spandex, and is also used in warmer climates, and is windproof. Provides the body with 30% more insulation than the Spandex suits.
Neoprene:
This is the stuff we are mainly talking about that your suit is made of. Neoprene was discovered by Jack O'Neill in the 1940s. It is a stretchy rubber made from melted-down petroleum chips which come from Limestone that has been 80,000,000 years in the making. This Synthetic rubber is filled with tiny nitrogen gas bubbles, which gives it the insulation and flexibility that we are looking for. Thickness of material is from 3mm to 9mm. This foam type material has various degrees of water absorbsion and windproof abilities. Mobility of the suit reduces as the thickness increases and is typically laminated with other materials depending on the desired function of the material.
Superstretch
Trade names differ with each brand but its mainly referring to a particular brand's most flexible rubber. Mainly used in areas where most movement takes place (i.e., the shoulders). It's generally considered less warm and durable than other kinds of neoprene. Every year it's the relevant brands' top of the tops: what was last year's super ultrahigh stretch is this year's boring old neoprene.
Titanium
A soft metal weaved into neoprene to reflect heat back to the wearer.
Nylon Lining
Neoprene is often lined with a layer of Nylon. This gives the neoprene extra strength and comfort.
Polypropylene
Thin material that doesn't absorb water and has been replaced by nylon linings in suits in the late '80s and is often used for insulating rash guards today.
Rubber outline
Neoprene suits can be outlined with a Rubber Finish, which sheds wind and water.
Zippers
A zipper in your suit means a point of entry for either wind or water. Many suits have a zipper cover (also known as spine pads) which squeezes any unwanted elements out as your body moves along.
Seams
You want a seamless suit. Stitching causes water to enter your suit and is so yesterday anyway. In the same breath, most suits are stitched but some of the suits stitching has been covered with rubber, and is therefor called "seamless". The idea of seamless is that you dont want a point of entry for wind or water.
Kneepads
This feature is for when you're diving and spend time on your knees.
Key Bags
If your suit does not have one of these nifty bags somewhere in it, then you gotta reconsider your purchase.
Dry Suits
This suit is made from a 100% waterproof material of some kind and is specifically for Deep Sea Divers. They are able to inflate the suits as they go deeper, thus reducing the pressure they experience. Very advanced in their game but not very aesthetic, any way we are talking about suits for kiteboarders, not space kadettes, so you can ignore this option completely - unless you wanna look like a space kadette of course.
Wet Suit Accessories
Booties are generally made for protection against the elements such as wind, water, sun, and or the grounds your feet will be covering.
Hoods can reduce the loss of heat by about 20 - 50 percent. Try using one that is attached to your suit for maximum protection. You also get hoodies that have a bib-like material to tuck in under your suit.
Gloves are also available for the protection against the elements and for when you are catching sea creatures...
bonster
> 9 months ago, 12 Jun 2005
Next wetty I get will definately be an O'neil, because my Billabong one leaks... As another member said - Well known brands like Billabong, Ripcurl and Quicksilver are names first and wetsuits second -- oh so true... O'Neil's a thumbs up from me...
