Choosing Wetsuits Appropriately For Your Sport
Choosing wetsuits that are designed for your performance level, your sport, and your climate is really quite important. There is nothing more discouraging than dropping a few hundred dollars on a wetsuit only to find that it chafes, doesn’t move in all the wrong places, and isn’t the appropriate weight for most of your wetsuit days.
When water becomes trapped between your skin and the suit, you may feel a slight chill at first, although it’s not the same shock of jumping in unprotected. In a moment, the water that is trapped warms up as an extra layer of insulation, creating additional warmth.
Each water sport has its own requirements and therefore will not be appropriate for all suits. While surfing suits can often be interchangeable with windsurfing and kiteboarding, the different movements required for each sport will require different flexibility for each activity. It is vital that you choose the appropriate suit for the sport as well as for your body type and skill level.
Remember that wearing a suit is not necessarily just a spring and fall endeavor. Many water enthusiasts up north need some sort of suit all year long. Sometimes southern destinations require nothing more than a shorty in February. Every variable factor comes into play when choosing the right suit.
Full suits are very popular, as they come in various weights to help you choose the right one for you. It provides your entire body with coverage and can be used with hoods. If you need extra protection you can use gloves and booties to add to the set up. The thicker, or heavier, the wetsuit is the more protection from cold you will receive.
A shorty is a suit that offers core protection. It has shorts, usually to just above the knee, and short or three quarter sleeves. Using three quarter sleeves gives you the option to pull the sleeves down over the elbow or push them up a bit for more arm movement. Sports like windsurfing and kiteboarding require a lot of arm movement and most people find a three quarter sleeve below the elbow to be constricting.
A “John” or a “Jane” is a suit that offers full leg coverage and core protection while it also allows for total arm movement. It’s sleeveless. A light suit like this can be beneficial not just when you need a little bit of lower body warmth, but can come in handy when stinging nettles take over the water.
You will probably need more than one style and one weight when it comes to the perfect suit. You will have days when a shorty is perfect and then there will be days when a heavy, thick full suit with a hood is called for. Having multiple options extends your season and your session options. With every suit, you have to ensure that you have chosen well and have a back up on hand. Participating in a water sport with a suit that is too light can hamper your ability to perform well and can hamper your ability to swim to safety if needed.
Clement owns the wetsuits information website where you can find out everything you need to know about wetsuits. Just check this wetsuit buying guide for instance.
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