SUP Surfing / Kayak:
When choosing a wetsuit for SUP surfing or kayaking, the most important thing is flexibility.
The reason for this is because you should have ample opportunity to move freely without effort as a result of the wetsuit. Since you would otherwise get tired faster and would not be able to paddle and row as far. Therefore, you must have a wetsuit that fits as if painted on your body while still not too thick, as this will allow the most optimal flexibility possible. These wetsuits can be a lot more expensive, but the performance you get from it is also so much better.
In addition to SUP surfing and kayaking, you are most interested in knowing something about the air temperature and the wind conditions, seeing as you typically spend most of the time on the water, and not in the water. You often want to have as little wind as possible, but this depends on the type of SUP surfing you want to perform. Therefore, thinner wetsuits can be used for most months as you will achieve more flexibility and less resistance over your shoulders when paddling or rowing.
Paddle Surf:
For paddle surfers, the flexibility and warmth are the most important factors in getting the most out of the sport. You need high movability to be able to paddle on your board. Therefore, it is advantageous to choose a wetsuit that is flexible around your shoulders. Most often paddle surfers choose wetsuits with 3mm or less at the shoulders/arms and several millimeters around the legs and abdomen. Typically, the wetsuits chosen for paddle surfing are called 5/4/ 3mm.
Windshield is not as important as you are in the water.
However, the water temperature also plays a role, since you are constantly in contact with the water. Therefore, if it’s cold water you should choose some thicker but still flexible wetsuits as you have to be able to move properly.
Kitesurfing / Windsurfing:
In Kitesurfing and Windsurfing you need a strong wetsuit, which also has wind gusts (wind shield) at the chest. This is because the wind shield gives warmth and minimizes the cold that penetrates the wetsuit when you are standing upright during your sessions. If you are more into freestyle kitesurfing, you will also benefit from a flexible wetsuit in the arms, as it will make it easier to perform your tricks and wild maneuvers. Often you will choose a wetsuit with distributed millimeters, for example 5mm on the stomach, 4mm on the legs and 3mm on the arms. The wetsuits can be called 2/3/4 mm, 1/2/ 3mm or 3/2mm wetsuits.
As a kitesurfer or windsurfer, the cold index, also called the wind cooling factor (real air temperature felt on bare skin), is an important thing to think about before moving out on the water. The water temperature is less important, as you spend much of the time on top of the water.
If it’s very cold air temperature, you need a thicker wetsuit, but if the air is warmer you can use a thinner or short-sleeved / short-legged wetsuits. Basically, you should choose a thinner wetsuit with a windshield on the chest that is flexible at the shoulders and arms.
Wakeboard:
For wakeboarding you are best suited with a wetsuit that allows you to move freely. Especially if you are interested in performing tricks. You do not have too much wind as a wakeboader and most of the time, you’ll be riding on the water.
If you are into the tricks embossed wakeboarding rather than pure coziness, it can be smart to get a wetsuit with wind support/protection. This is because the speed, as with kitesurfing and wind surfing, creates a fast and strong rush that can give some gusts of wind.
Whether you need a thinner or thicker wetsuit for wakeboarding, depends mostly on personal preferences and seasonal weather conditions.
Open Water Swimming:
Many athletes buy wetsuits designed for SUP surfing, as they have high flexibility and because they have less millimeters at the shoulders and legs. It can e.g. be 3mm in the shoulder, 4mm in the legs and 5mm by the torso. Many use these SUP wetsuits instead of their open water wetsuits when training for e.g. triathlon. Because they are stronger made, last longer and are less expensive. In doing so, they also protect their wetsuit for open water swimming to be used exclusively at events.
For open water swimming you are in the water all the time and therefore need a thick and warm wetsuit. In addition, it must also be flexible so that you can easily swim freely in the water.
However, the thickness of the wetsuit depends on the water temperature. If it is cold water, you need a thicker wetsuit than if the water is warm.
Wind is not as an important factor, but if it blows a lot you may experience that swimming will be harder and possibly also could be dangerous.
Underwater Hunting:
For underwater hunting you need a warm and thick wetsuit, since you’ll be underwater for long periods of time, and need to stay warm throughout your hunt. Since you’ll be completely still while underwater, flexibility isn’t as important a factor as the thickness of the wetsuit is.
The air temperature or the cold index does not have the great importance for those who are in the hunt for UV, but on the water temperature does.
The colder the temperature the water has, the thicker a wetsuit you need.
Allround - Casual Swimming & Fun:
If you rather just enjoy casual swimming, your wetsuit choice will depend mostly on your needs and the seasons you want to use the wetsuit. Most wetsuits can be used for this purpose without any problems, and you do not have to consider the many factors such as whether it is thick enough for casual swimming or if you use it for easy play and comfort rides on a SUP board. A wetsuit with a mid-thick and thin thickness will be optimal for most things within casual swimming and all-round fun.
Quality:
Here at Euroskateshop we assess the quality of wetsuits based on their performance, as well as the materials and methods used during the designing and production of each wetsuit.
Year:
Every year, the quality of wetsuits becomes better and better. Therefore, the optimal choice is to buy a new wetsuit to ensure you're up to date. At Euroskateshop we recommend that you only look at wetsuits that are newer than 2 years. Older models of wetsuits doesn't have the latest improved technologies and therefore won't deliver to the new standards within flexibility and comfort.
Thickness:
It's important that you choose the proper thickness for your wetsuit. The thickness of the neoprene is written in millimeters, and most often there will be different thicknesses of neoprene in different regions on the wetsuit. A wetsuit is always thickest on the stomach and legs, as you need plenty of heat for this region of your body. The thinnest region on the wetsuit is typically under the arms, as it is important to achieve good flexibility. A thick wetsuit is warm, but not as flexible as the thinner wetsuits. A thin wetsuit is not as warm as the thick wetsuits, but has a better comfort and flexibility. Most all-year wet suits are 5 mm thick.
Season:
When you're looking to buy a new wetsuit, remember to decide which seasons of the year you wish to use it for. The thinner wetsuits are made for Summer, and the thicker wetsuits, which typically also have built-in hoods, are made for the Winter season. It's possible to find wetsuits that can be used all year round, and these are typically 5/4/3 mm and of good quality.
Type:
There are different types of wetsuits: shorty, fullsuit, long john, fullsuit with built-in hoods. For Summer use, a shorty wetsuit is a great choice as they are typically flexible and really comfortable to wear. A fullsuit is like the name suggests, a wetsuit that covers the entire body up to your neck. This wetsuit is the most popular and can be used all year round. Fullsuit hooded is also a wetsuit that covers the entire body up to the neck, however, on this type of wetsuit a built-in hood is added. This is a really smart detail when you need to use your wetsuit during the Winters. When the hood is built into the wetsuit, it is limited how much water gets into the wetsuit, and therefore it is ideal for winter use. A Long John is a sleeveless wetsuit that gives you plenty of body movement and flexibility. This is a very popular wetsuit for SUP surfers in particular.
Gender:
Most of wetsuit brands produce wetsuits for both women and men. A woman's wetsuit is specially made to fit a woman's body, therefore it is most optimal for women to choose a women's wetsuit. Men's wetsuits are not really gender-based since it can actually be used by both men and women.
Zipper System:
There are various zipper systems on wetsuits: backzip, front zip, zipperless. A typical old-fashioned wetsuit features Backzip , which can still be seen on modern wetsuits. On cheap wetsuits there is always a backzip zipper, however, there are also some manufacturers who choose to have the closure system on their top models. On a backzip wetsuit you have a zipper on the back. This makes the wetsuit incredibly easy and quick to get in and out of, but the flexibility is not the best since the zipper provides one's stiffness in the back. In addition, a small amount of water and cold air can also leak through the long zipper on the wetsuit. A wet suit with Frontzip is typically a feature of a good quality wet suit. A wet suit with front zipper has the zipper seated above the chest. This means that you have plenty of flexibility in your wetsuit, and it is very limited how much water gets into your wetsuit. We recommend at Euroskateshop that you buy a wetsuit with a front zip for most sports. The relatively new system is called Zipperless , and as its name is, it is a wetsuit without a zipper. There are only a few wetsuit manufacturers who use this, and there are many skeptics around this zipper system. The advantage of a zipperless wetsuit is that you can quickly get your wetsuit off and on, as there is a large and flexible hole at the top of the wet suit. The disadvantage of this is that some water comes into your wetsuit, as the wetsuit cannot close tightly like wetsuits with a zipper.
Interior material:
The quality of the interior material in your wetsuit makes a great difference. The very cheap wetsuits that you can find in building markets, for example, have incredibly poor quality of interior material. Some of these wetsuits actually just have neoprene on either side of the wetsuit. The wet suits we sell at Euroskateshop are carefully selected, and the wetsuits of poor quality have not been included in our range of wetsuits. The big manufacturers put in a soft fleece layer on the inside of their wet suits, which means that you can endure having your wetsuit on for several hours.
Water Temperature:
The water temperature is the measuring of how cold or warm water is. The water temperature is an incredibly important factor within water sports and should be taken seriously.
However, the importance of water temperature depends on which sport you want to exercise. If you for example are deep below or in contact with the water as with diving and swimming, it is very important to take the temperature of the water into account to avoid being too cold. But if you are above the water as with kitesurfing or SUP surfing, the temperature of the water plays a smaller role.
The water temperature is measured in Celsius degrees.
Air Temperature:
The air temperature or cold index (water cooling factor) is the real air temperature felt on bare skin, when the wind blows the heat away. Some water sports are dependent on wind and therefore the temperature of the air can affect whether you get a good or freezingly cold session.
In kitesurfing and windsurfing especially, you are dependent on wind. You must therefore always remember to check the wind conditions before choosing a wetsuit and moving out on the water.
Depending on how much it blows and how many degrees the weather is, you will either find yourself better suited with a thicker or thinner wetsuit.
The cold index is measured from the wind velocity and the temperature degrees in Celsius.
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