Newbie: Wetsuit

[Shocker]

Hi,

I have just started to surf and i've decided that i'm getting too cold and i need a wetsuit. Are they any brands that i should avoid? Is there anything else that i should avoid? From what i've read so far, it appears that a good fit is quite important.


Cheers for any help in advance.

Rob

[drowningbitbybit]

it appears that a good fit is quite important.

Not 'quite important' but absolutely critical.

Make sure you're getting the right thickness - where are you surfing and in what seasons?
A relatively top-end wettie will be better than a cheaper one - but only to a certain extent, and its still the fit thats most important.

The only ones to avoid are your cheap 'supermarket brand' wetties. Most of the others will be fine as long as they fit.

[behindThePeak]

IMO the most important factor is arm and shoulder rotation. Try it on and make sure you'll be happy paddling in it. Feeling limited in the shoulders by a tight suit sucks.

[tony g]

I would spend the extra money for good wetsuit construction if you are surfing in cold water. Sealed wetsuits cost more because they are more expensive to make. They also keep the water from penetrating through the seams. Look for glued and blind stitched seams, taped seams, or fluid weld seams. Like already mentioned I would check with your local surf shop for the proper thickness for you area!

[Shocker]

Cheers for the advice. I'll be doing my thing around England and at the minute i only intend to active between spring and autumn. I'm not hardcore enough to go out in the winter. I'm guessing for this i'll probably need about 3/2mm. As i can imagine that a 5/4mm could get too warm and anything thinner will be too cold?

[jaffa1949]

I'd go 3/4

[Ydna]

I'm looking to get an xcel infiniti drylock for surfing year around in Northern California. Its either 3/2 or 4/3. I would imagine for yeararound in northern california it'd be 4/3?

[behindThePeak]

for NorCal it's nice to have a 3/2 for the summer, but if you're only going to buy one go with the 4/3 for sure.