Before You Buy a Wetsuit

Wetsuits are made of neoprene rubber and come in many different styles and thicknesses. A wet suit traps a thin layer of water against your body inside the suit. The water is warmed by your body heat. If you live in a warm climate you may have no need for a wet suit, however if you live where the waters are often in the 70 degree Farenheit range or colder you may want to consider one. Choose one that works best for you.

Environment in Which the Suit Will Be Worn

The first step in determining what type of wetsuit you will buy for waterskiing or wakeboarding is to know the weather conditions (water and air temperatures) in which you will be using it. Different temperatures and seasons require different types of suits to keep you warm.

Wetsuit Thickness

Wetsuits are manufactured in terms of body warmth and millimeters (mm) for thickness. A 1 mm or 2 mm suit will most likely work for water temps above 70 degrees F. A 3mm or 4 mm suit is a great choice for water temperatures of 50 to 70 degrees F. For water below those temps, a 5 mm hooded suit may be your best bet or even a dry suit. A dry suit differs from a wetsuit in that a dry suit has rubber seals around the neck, wrists and ankles and keeps all water out or the suit.

Wetsuit Design

A shorty suit is one with short sleeves and the bottom cut just above the knee. This type allows for maximum flexibility but is intended for water temps that are not extremely cold and they allow the least amount of exposure protection. A full suit extends to your ankles and wrists and is used in colder water. Farmer john type suits has full length legs and the top is tank top style. A full suit provides the most warmth but is the most movement restrictive. View Overton's Wetsuits.

Seam Construction

Seam construction indicates the quality of the suit. A high quality seam is one where the material edges meet flush and are glued or sewn together. It is then covered by a strip of cloth. Poorer quality seams are exposed and may come loose at the seams.

Overlock stitching is not high quality and allows water to freely flow in and out of the suit. Overlocking may work for warmer water.

More on Seam Construction

A flatlock or flat stitch is a seam on the inside of the suit. It is more comfortable against the body and helps prevent rashes but still allow water to enter the suit.

A blind-stitched suit has glued and stitched over seams and is better for colder water as it allows very little water to enter the suit.

Blind-stitched with taped seams is an excellent suit for extremely cold water temps (50 degrees F and below). These seams are covered with tape and allow minimal water to seep into the suit.

Fitting

Try on several different suits to see which gives you the best fit. Ideally the suit will have a snug fit (including around the wrists and ankles) but does not restrict your movement or breathing. Wetsuits become more flexible once they are wet. A wetsuit that is too big allows too much water to rush into the suit. A good test for determining a good fit is to squat down while raising your arms above your head. If you can achieve this with comfort you have probably found a good fitting suit.

Life Vest

Don't forget to see how your life vest will fit over the wet suit. You may have to loosen the life vest for use over a wet suit.

Hint to Avoid an Embarrassing Moment

When putting on a wetsuit make sure the zipper is in the back. They all come with a long string attached to the zipper which makes it easy to zip it up.

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