Its that time of year . Anyone know the lightess & less restrictive 5mm wetsuit on the market.

Not sure if its 5mm or not but my Neil Pryde wetsuit keeps me quite warm when windsurfing in winter. Its very flexy and not restrictive. Its probably more flexible than my springy wetsuit. I usually sail on NSW Central Coast lakes in winter where the water temperature gets well into single figures and when its windy, the air temperatures are not that much higher.

Just got back into my 5/3 NP steamer on Saturday. It was bloody cold but was pretty toasty in the rubber. Wind chill is the killer so a smoothie is the go. Its a pretty flexible suit with wide ankles making it easier to get in and out of with Velcro closures. Slightly bigger arms means you don't get forearm pump too. Designed for windsurfing.
Best part was we all had beanies on and it made a huge difference. You lose a lot of heat from your noggin.

Select to expand quote

gavnwend said...
[br]Its that time of year . Anyone know the lightess & less restrictive 5mm wetsuit on the market.

Ion 4/3 semi dry

Select to expand quote

kato said..

gavnwend said...

Its that time of year . Anyone know the lightess & less restrictive 5mm wetsuit on the market.

Ion 4/3 semi dry

What's a semi dry? Does it keep out more water than other wetties?

Yes

^^ and keeps the No. 1s in

Select to expand quote

kato said..

gavnwend said...

Its that time of year . Anyone know the lightess & less restrictive 5mm wetsuit on the market.

Ion 4/3 semi dry

just be careful there are a tight fit

I don't understand why they don't make a model with a front lower zipper to relieve yourself

As we all know, a wetsuit of more than 3 months old, is likely to have the shoulders become so thin, that you still freeze.

Rather than spend heaps on a new suit (when the existing suit is still 98% good), I added a vest into the mix.... and it adds another 2mm to my core:

www.ripcurl.com.au/mens/wetsuits/jackets.html

I got a oneil psyco3 last year 3/2. its a bit hard to get on but the best wetty i ever had.
its not stitched together only glued, seam welded or somthing.
most people say get a sailing wetty for sailing but i surf to & can do both in the oneil
no probs.

Select to expand quote

gavnwend said...
[br]Its that time of year . Anyone know the lightess & less restrictive 5mm wetsuit on the market.

Personally l hate wearing wetties but l need it for those iceburg westerlie fronts.the prydes feel good & the ions are good .so its a flip of the coin.

Does anyone have a problem of water getting injected up from the ankles and trapped in the legs?

It is the most annoying thing about my (roxy, obviously not a windsurfing wetty) wetsuit. I cant do more than one run these days without having wobbly jelly-like legs by the end. I have to jump on my board and let go the water with my hands, not very elegant!! A fair amount of water comes out and i think its starting to stretch my wettie.

Im considering getting velcro to strap around the ankles. Failing that, maybe punching a drain hole at the bottom. Could this end up causing a tear in the wettie?

Any tips?

Most of my buddies and myself has experienced the NP crotch failure, where nice big holes form to let water in to the worst place possible.

Regarding flexibility, I was blown away by the flexibilty in the shoulders in the O'neill Psycho. It is somewhat colder because of windchill, but that can be fixed with a rashguard underneath or a spraytop outer shell.

Skekles said: "Im considering getting velcro to strap around the ankles".

Yep, that'll do it. I find the 25mm-wide stuff is better than the 50mm wide. Spotlight, Coles fabric area or perhaps Bunnings in their paint area should be able to supply. You'll need a pack containg hard and soft velcro. When you apply the velcro over the wettie, have the hard velcro on top and have it so the end is facing backwards over the top of the inside of your ankle.

Wouldn't recommend a drain hole. The water inside the wettie knows that the drain hole is there to let it out but the rest of the ocean doesn't know that it's not allowed to go UP inside the wettie.

Hope this helps.

Select to expand quote

skekles said..
Does anyone have a problem of water getting injected up from the ankles and trapped in the legs?

......
Im considering getting velcro to strap around the ankles. Failing that, maybe punching a drain hole at the bottom. Could this end up causing a tear in the wettie?

Any tips?

I have made several small holes with a soldering iron around the ankle. I think the water also drains from the top , ie when you waterstart, so the velcro would make it worse.

Select to expand quote

powersloshin said..

skekles said..
Does anyone have a problem of water getting injected up from the ankles and trapped in the legs?

......
Im considering getting velcro to strap around the ankles. Failing that, maybe punching a drain hole at the bottom. Could this end up causing a tear in the wettie?

Any tips?

I have made several small holes with a soldering iron around the ankle. I think the water also drains from the top , ie when you waterstart, so the velcro would make it worse.

My suit comes with velcro closures around the ankles and works fine.Just remember to undo them before you try and take it off..

Any hot tips on where to get ion gear in Aus?

Did a search on ion wetsuits a surf store in dee why used to sell them but not any more go on line but you might need a geman interpreter !

Wind Surf N Snow comes up on the dealer finder.

www.ion-products.com/bike/dealerfinder/?type=bike

Select to expand quote

needsalt said...
Any hot tips on where to get ion gear in Aus?

Wetspot Watersports, Fyshwick ACT 6239 1323

(I have an Ion Quantum 5/4 semi-dry. It is brilliant)

Select to expand quote

skekles said...
Does anyone have a problem of water getting injected up from the ankles and trapped in the legs?

It is the most annoying thing about my (roxy, obviously not a windsurfing wetty) wetsuit. I cant do more than one run these days without having wobbly jelly-like legs by the end. I have to jump on my board and let go the water with my hands, not very elegant!! A fair amount of water comes out and i think its starting to stretch my wettie.

Im considering getting velcro to strap around the ankles. Failing that, maybe punching a drain hole at the bottom. Could this end up causing a tear in the wettie?

Any tips?

Ions come with a removable ankle strap

+1 on the O'Neil Psycho suits, mine keeps me warm and dry on all but the coldest days, when it's brass monkeys weather I have an ION Fuse drysuit.

No problem getting in or out of either suit and as for the shoulders getting thin that is usually caused by putting it on a hanger when it's soaking wet.

Winter ions in store now. 4/3 and some 5/3's.
WARM!!

Select to expand quote

WINDSURFnSNOW said...
Winter ions in store now. 4/3 and some 5/3's.
WARM!!

Thats gr8 guys lm in the market for a new long leg/arm wettie.l know where to come cheers