Cheap vs Expensive Wetsuits: 10 Things to Know

for most things in life many of us would agree you get what you pay for the same is typically true for wetsuits expensive wetsuits tend to be better than cheaper ones but not always as quality and warmth are determined by multiple factors one thing to consider is the water temperature you'll be using your wetsuit in if you're buying a wetsuit to use in warm water you can probably get away with a cheaper suit however for colder water if you compromise on quality you may find yourself in a very uncomfortable situation of course just because a wetsuit is expensive doesn't mean it's high quality whether you're buying your first wetsuit or your 25th wetsuit here are 10 things to know so you can make the best choice based on more than just the price tag number one wetsuit labels can be misleading wetsuits are labeled by the thickness of the neoprene such as six four five three four three three two and so on this translates to the warmth of the suit for instance of those listed the six four would be the warmest and intended for cold water while a 3 2 would be the thinnest and therefore intended for warmer water the thing is while all brands use the same labels for wetsuits they don't adhere to the same standard for example this 3-2 wetsuit has 3 millimeters of neoprene everywhere but the arms where it goes down to two millimeters now this wetsuit has only three millimeters of neoprene in the chest area and everything else is two so while one suit is made of neoprene with three millimeter thickness for about seventy percent of the entire suit the other is made with neoprene of three millimeter thickness for about twenty percent of the total suit yet both wetsuits are labeled three two number two neoprene thickness can be deceiving the most important part of a wetsuit is the material that it's made of neoprene all other things equal the thicker the neoprene the warmer you're going to be neoprene is essentially rubber filled with millions of bubbles of nitrogen a gas which is extremely inefficient at conducting energy meaning it dramatically slows down the rate at which your body transfers heat to the water here's a five millimeter wetsuit you would think it's made of neoprene that's five millimeters thick right if you actually grab a ruler you may find that number closer to 4.5 or even four millimeters as the five millimeter measurement may include the lining on both sides of the neoprene while some manufacturers actually use the thickness of the neoprene on the label others use the total thickness including the lining if you've ever found that one wetsuit seems to be warmer than another wetsuit of the same thickness it could be that that neoprene is actually thicker despite the fact that the labels are exactly the same number three not all neoprene is created equally there are two ways to make neoprene the legacy method is petrol derived and the newer more environmentally friendly one is a limestone process petrol-based neoprene is less durable and colder compared to limestone-derived neoprene that has a higher density close cell structure there's also plant-based neoprene called ulix which claims to be the most sustainable wetsuit on the planet but it is expensive and not as flexible as the alternatives another thing to consider is closed cell versus open cell neoprene close cell wetsuits have lining on top of the neoprene making it easier to put them on and more durable open cell wetsuits have no lining and it's just neoprene being exposed to your skin a big advantage of an open cell wetsuit is that it glues to your skin making the seal between the body and suit super tight meaning less water flushing and the suit being much warmer additionally open cell wetsuits tend to be much more flexible a disadvantage is that it's very difficult to put on or take off and usually a lubricant is required number four stitching and seaming matters one of the biggest differences between cheap wetsuits and expensive wetsuits is the stitching cheap wetsuits use overlock or flatlock stitching methods which puncture multiple holes in the neoprene meaning that the water can get into the suit the more water that gets inside the colder you get bottom line stay away from wetsuits that use overlock or flatlock stitching unless it's a summer suit you can easily identify this sort of stitching if you can see the thread on both the inside and outside of the wetsuit mid-grade wetsuits use blind stitching and glue first neoprene panels are glued together and then stitched together without a needle puncturing the neoprene all the way through the advantage here is that there are no holes in the suit for water to get inside some wetsuits go a step further and tape the neoprene panels from the inside which makes the suit warmer higher grade brands double tape the panels from both sides and sometimes even use liquid seal seam making it 100 waterproof top of the line suits don't use stitching at all as they use advanced glues to fuse neoprene panels together these suits tend to be the warmest with everything else being equal however in real life not everything is equal as wetsuits have different designs wetsuit design can make all the difference number five zipper placement cheap wetsuits are more likely to feature a back zipper that's fine if you're using your wetsuit in warm conditions for colder months it's a different story a pricier wetsuit often features a front zip which is harder to get into but lets considerably less water inside making it warmer trust me if you need a cold water suit get a friendzip one warmth is worth the struggle of putting it on and taking it off let's say you have a top of the line wetsuit like this five millimeter one here it has high quality neoprene its panels are fused and there's no stitching it has nice seals around the legs arms and neck but it has a back zipper rendering it less effective as the water easily gets in during crashes now this is a diving suit and for diving it's probably fine as divers move differently for kite surfing where you're practicing new tricks and a variety of different body movements it could be less than an optimal choice whenever you have a high impact crash the water can easily get in through a back zipper number six flexibility and intended use my partner recently bought a top of the line diving suit for kitesurfing it lasted a year before it fell apart as it was simply not designed for excessive body movement divers move differently compared to surfers or kite surfers and for that reason a lot of the time diving suits are made of the same thickness of neoprene throughout in this case five millimeters as you can see the suit quickly developed holes under the armpits letting water in and basically rendering the suit useless gluing didn't help either the moral of the story is to get a suit for your intended use and keep the amount of flexibility required as a prime decision-making criteria number seven wind and water resistance another design aspect to consider is glideskin which is also sometimes called smooth skin if you spend the majority of your time over the water like kite surfing or sea doing glide skin will help deflect the wind chill and keep you warmer wind and water just run off of smooth skin neoprene compared to nylon lighting which can actually absorb water and wind also if you have glide skin around the wrist ankle and collar seals it will make your skin stick better to the suit and prevent flushing not surprisingly wind resistant suits will likely be on the more expensive side number eight inside lining a good inside lining helps more expensive wetsuits feature wool lining which prevents water movement inside the suit if it happens to get in top of the line suits feature a sealant lining which traps the body's infrared energy and reflects it back to keep you warmer examples of these are excel's tdc and bear's omni-red infrared fabric alternatively no lining at all can be even better for certain uses like free diving with the previously mentioned caveats of reduced durability and hardship of putting the suit on number nine fit is everything now you can have the best designed wetsuit in the world constructed from the best possible materials and craftsmanship but if it doesn't fit you properly it's pretty much useless from our experience the wetsuit has to be tight as possible around you without being too small or constricting if there are any empty spaces between you and the suit will not perform as well a well-fitted suit will let minimal or no water in at all the less water that gets in the suit the warmer you'll be keep in mind that a well-fitted cheap suit will likely keep you warmer than a poorly fitted high-end suit number 10 wetsuits age over time all wetsuits will age and get colder especially in diving nitrogen bubbles will escape the neoprene and consequently reduce its insulating properties an old 63 can be colder than a new 3-2 i had a 5-3 suit that i used quite a bit over the span of 2 years and then i replaced it with the exact same suit brand new and the difference was noticeable as the newer wetsuit was much warmer an interesting question is whether wetsu's age without being used once we bought a 6'4 mid-grade wetsuit on sale but it was 10 years old while the water didn't get in it was colder than a cheap 3-2 wetsuit the only possible explanation we could come up with was that the wetsuit shrank and lost its original warmth for this reason we now stay away from older wetsuits even if they are brand new it is worth noting that you can prolong the life of your wetsuit by storing it properly in a dry closet and when you do dry it make sure it's not in the sun so there you have it 10 things to know about wetsuits that should influence your buying decision while price can indicate quality it doesn't hurt to research your options keeping in mind the intended use of your future suit personally i use cheaper wetsuits that are thinner for summer months as they work well and last a couple of seasons oftentimes we just wear a wetsuit for sun protection and not necessarily for warmth in the water however when it does get cold a more expensive high quality wetsuit is justified in our opinion we used to have top of the line mid-grade and cheap suits and at the end of the day the mid-grade wetsuits that we currently use ended up being the best due to fit front zip overall thickness and intended use let us know what's your experience with your wetsuits and what do you look for in a good suit in the comments below thank you so much for watching we'll see you in the next one bye

Channel: Our Kite Life

Views: 127,443

Rating: 4.9414482 out of 5

Keywords: kitesurfing, wetsuits, windsurfing, surfing, thriathlon, diving, swimming, neoprene, how it works, cold water swimming, water sports, free diving, foilboarding, bare wetsuits, oneill wetsuits, rip curl wetsuits, bilabong wetsuits, xcell wetsuits, mystic wetsuits

Id: 6tO8_PPcSF0

Length: 9min 56sec (596 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 24 2020