Wetsuit advice

[thawkwood]

Hey,

I'm looking into buying a wetsuit in the near future because the water in Northern Florida (Jacksonville) will start to cool a good amount in late October/November. However I intend to also use it should I wind up visiting California (which seems likely) as well. What thickness might I need to cover both fronts?

Hawkwood

[isaluteyou]

3/2mm is fine thats what i wear all year round if i go surfing, at dawn patrol i might alo wear a warm rash guard. I dont wear hoods,gloves, or booties i cant stand them but at dawn patrol i will wear gloves. Thats for san diego water temp howver. If you are going to surf further north i would opt for a 5/4 and the whole works gets chilly up there

[dondiemand]

3/2mm is fine thats what i wear all year round if i go surfing, at dawn patrol i might alo wear a warm rash guard. I dont wear hoods,gloves, or booties i cant stand them but at dawn patrol i will wear gloves. Thats for san diego water temp howver. If you are going to surf further north i would opt for a 5/4 and the whole works gets chilly up there

what he said, a 3/2 does the job

[thawkwood]

I'm guessing a 3/2 should work fine on both coasts (I surf primarily in Florida), but I may be visiting California in the future and I'd like to buy a wetsuit suitable for both places I surf. I know that the water gets chilly around November here in Florida till March/April timeframe...

[gdude335]

i live in california, san francisco. get a 4/3 eveyone has em here and the shops barely even sell any 3/2s

[isaluteyou]

i live in california, san francisco. get a 4/3 eveyone has em here and the shops barely even sell any 3/2s

Last winter i took a rode trip up San fran and boy my 3/2 was no good at all brrrr it was freezing up there.

[gdude335]

i live in california, san francisco. get a 4/3 eveyone has em here and the shops barely even sell any 3/2s

Last winter i took a rode trip up San fran and boy my 3/2 was no good at all brrrr it was freezing up there.

ya during the winter a 3/2 isnt enough.
During the summer its ok but i would play it on the safe side and get a 4/3 for all around surfing. I got a nice one for 80$ new on sale. If you need shop locations just ask for in SF

[isaluteyou]

yep i was freezin the whole time.

[Matt Waterman]

[thawkwood]

In Florida, all the shops carry 3/2. I'm not going to California for a while though, so I've got enough paydays to save up for a 4/5 mil. I heard of some kind of 3/2 with a poly-something filling pocket that helps with a little extra warmth...

[Broosta]

For SoCal in winter get at least a sealed 3/2 long arm. I've been there (LA - SDiego) in Dec/Jan and had a flatlocked 3/2 convertable - too cold. Had to buy a 2mm rashie and boots and put the arms on to be bearable for a usable length of time.

[thawkwood]

I'm going for a 3/2 mil because I surf in Florida which doesn't get nearly as cold as California waters, thanks to the Gulf Stream. I was looking for a wetsuit that I could use in both Florida and California.

[surfishlife]

Whereabouts California will you be surfing? For sure, you'll want a 4/3 if you're in Northern California. If you're surfing between San Diego and Los Angeles, you could probably do with a 3/2, and something underneath. In my opinion though, it makes more sense to buy the smaller one, if you want it to suit FL and CA, because 4/3 sounds like it'd be too much for FL.

[thawkwood]

Probably either SoCal or San Francisco. But that won't be for a while. I already bought a 3/2 for surfing the dawn patrol Saturday mornings in FL. I never need it surfing in the afternoons, but I suspect I'll require the ol' wetsuit before long...

Hawkwood