Wetsuit vs. Drysuit

I'm currently out in 40 degree F. Water temps. I'm in a 3mm shorty with a 3mm full suit over that, booties with socks, 1mm gloves with 3mm gloves over the 1mm gloves, fleece head warmer. The air temps have to be in the mid to upper 50s for me to even consider going out in the cold water temps. The water is on the shallow side here, so it warms up fast. I shed my layers pretty fast in a matter of 2- 3 months. The neoprene layers work great for me. Dry suits are expensive and can leak if you Nick even a pin size hole in the material. My buddy had a dry suit and got a small tear in his suit and the whole thing filled up with water. Said he had trouble getting back in with all the water weight trapped inside.

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duzzi said..

excav8ter said..
Hi everyone. What are you using when out in colder conditions? Wetsuit or drysuit?
I currently have an excel 4/3 wetsuit that I use when the water goes below 55 degrees Fahrenheit and a 2mm farmerjohn for when it's from 55 degrees Fahrenheit to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Above that and I am in boardies and a rash guard.

I may be buying an Ocean Rodeo Soul drysuit today. Just wondering what everyone else is using and why you prefer it?

I had two dry suits in my life and they both ended up in the garbage din. One was a sailboat dry suit, it worked for catamaran winter sailing in the lakes of northern Italy but it was just too bulky for windsurf. Ocean Rodeo was somewhat better from that point of view. But the main problem is the gaskets. Every, say, 12-18 month at least one of the gaskets will go ... no matter what you do (washing, drying them, put it away covered in talc). You can change them but the process is messy if you do it yourself and very mistake prone (like ... ops why do I have two liters of water in my lower leg), or very expensive if you have a shop doing it. Then there the bulk, the weight, the limited to none mobility in water (try to swim with a dry suit!) and the sweat. My Ocean Rodeo did not breath well and you were soaked in sweat at the end of a session.

This year I restarted winter sailing (thank you foiling) and I bought a O'Neil Psycho tech 5.5 that it is just perfect. Ultra warm, ultra flexible, light, integrated hood, minimal (as in a few drops) to no water entry from the top. And it costs 2/3 of a dry suit.

I have had various versions of dry suits for winter windsurfing in Denmark in sub zero temperatures at times. (no kidding ). The type where you have dry jogging pants or other dry clothing on inside, should not be recommended for board sailing of any kind, where you have no full size lifewest on. Though super comfortable, the rubber cuffs closing your wrists, ankles and neck from the outside are super sensitive. And in case of rupture, such suit is even deadly dangerous in case its stays attached to you and fills up with water...

After trying various systems/models over the years, I ended up spending a minor fortune on the top models from O'Neil. But boy oh boy, they were worth every single penny! Super comfortable, as you can order them truly to your personal size in neck, chest, stomach, height. And also the quality of the sewing, the zippers etc are simply just top notch. But it does take that you care for them, so lubricating them at season end, so the garment is staying fresh and soft-rubberrish without drying out and becoming crispy stiff during the warm summer months in the closet. And same as well with the zippers, so ensure they keep working to perfection and staying dry when closing it up. Now again, such dry-suit is never going to be like 100% dry, but its very near being absolute. You do actually often have body perspiration, so you will become damp anyway as your work hard when out on the water having fun. But you totally avoid those ice cold flushes when crashing out on the deep cold, as your core body stays totally isolated, and its mainly just your face/head and hands/fingers that are most exposed to the cold. (get a great neoprene hoody/facemask on and also some neoprene gloves without individual fingers and you are ready to have fun surfing even in arctic conditions!)

The comfort I experience in these O'Neil drysuits is so great, that I actually use them near year round. Only in the hot summer days with water temp above 15 degrees and sunny weather do i volunteer to take on wetsuits/shorties. Keep yourself and the muscles from the cold just makes you have energy to go on for that much longer, as all your energy is on the surfing fun and not lost just to keep yourself warm.

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Paducah said..

excav8ter said..
Hi everyone. What are you using when out in colder conditions? Wetsuit or drysuit?
I currently have an excel 4/3 wetsuit that I use when the water goes below 55 degrees Fahrenheit and a 2mm farmerjohn for when it's from 55 degrees Fahrenheit to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Above that and I am in boardies and a rash guard.

I may be buying an Ocean Rodeo Soul drysuit today. Just wondering what everyone else is using and why you prefer it?

What water temps? Those drysuits look like workman's overalls. Not a fan. A good semi-dry is a lot cheaper and hardly leaks at all. A good one that is. If you get the models in a any line's "value" series, more leaks in the seams, top enclosure etc. I have a cheap NP and expensive Ion both in 4/3. Completely different ranges of use. I can use the Ion with water temps into the mid 40s. The NP leaks like a screen door and is barely tolerable in the lower 50s - however, much nice when the water is warmer because it's more pliable.

Well, the water by us has been in the low to mid 30 degree Farenheit range for about 4 months now. I used to use a Bare Drysuit which is similar to the O'Neil Boost and I LOVED it. I would drag my gear across the ice to open water and jump in, water start and take off windsurfing of I had enough open water. Temps in the 20's were fine... especially if it was a bit sunny.

I just hate how I struggle with neoprene and how constricting it feels for me. I feel like I get fatigued just by having it on. I hate it so much that as long as the air and water temp was above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, I'd go with just a 2mil farmer john that was easy to get on and kinda loose fitting and send it.

I there's a few kiteboaders around here who have gone to the Ocean Rodeo line and love it.

Edit.... I just looked up the O'Neil Fluid drysuit. Looks like it may be a good option if the Ocean Rodeo Soul doesn't workout.