Wetsuit or Drysuit?

Riding in Michigan here......wnat to ride until mid to late October. What do you reccomend....4mm wetsuit or a drysuit? If so brands and specific qualities are appreciated. I heard the temps usually run down to mid 50's around that timeframe typically.

Man get a drysuit for sure. They are like a million time more comfortable than a wetsuit. Floating in the water kinda sucks but they are great once your up. Its a lot like wearing light snowboard outerwear.

Get an inexpensive 3/2 shorty and a dry suit. You will be covered for all temps with those.

I have a wetsuit and live in chicago, so we have similar weather. For me the prob isnt my body getting cold but my hands and feet are so cold it hurts. My wet suit is good for water temps as cold as 42 degrees but at that temp my hands cant last more then 10 minutes out there at a time.

Scott, if you can only purchase one or the other, I would recommend a drysuit because when either the water or air temp is that cold & you're doing multiple sets, you'll stay warmer then in a drysuit. A wetsuit will stay wet in the boat until you're next set which will be very uncomfortable to get into. Plus, your body temp stays warmer in a drysuit because when you get back in the boat, the only part of your body that needs to dry off is your head, hands and feet.

You will take some water through the neck occasionally, depending on how you fall but a drysuit is worth every penny for early & late season riding.

You can also choose what you want to wear under your drysuit to stay warm and comfortable. I usually wear board shorts plus a long sleeve t-shirt or sweatshirt to keep warm, but my legs don't get cold. Some wear sweatpants.

Hope this helps.

i wear a 3/2 jetpilot chamber through mid october up north...hands and feet get cold, but everything else is ok.

thanks for all the comments. Keep them coming. If you can, recommend drysuit and wetsuit brands that work for you. Thanks again!

In my crew half of us use wetsuits and half drysuits. Some like the tight feel of a wetsuit which I hate, so I opted for a O'Neill Boost Bag Drysuit.

That said, when the air and water temp both drop below 50, the wetsuit guys wear my drysuit

What kind of riding do you plan on doing in the winter? Serious progression, or more just staying in shape and maintaining what ya got? If you plan on hitting it hard, go wetsuit. If you are going to stick to your bread and butter, a drysuit is fine.

Im one for the wetsuit, though. that being said, I own an Oneill boost baggy drysuit, an Oneill Assault tight drysuit, and an Oneill Psycho2 4/3 wetsuit.

In the past, wetsuits have always been more flexible and feel better riding, but you are getting really wet, and like mentioned above sitting in the boat while wet gets uncomfortable. But, in the past couple of years, wetsuit technology has really improved from the old days. The material is even more flexible than before, keeps you warmer, and are generally fully sealed so there is really no water getting to you anyway.

Drysuits leak. You get your dry clothes wet and its worse than sitting in a wetsuit. Uncomfortable bulky ride. I started off with the Boost drysuit, but the bulk and seal leaks on diggers drove me to the assault suit. It didnt leak, but was only slightly more flexi than the boost. Then i got the Psycho2 and fell in love. Its warm, doesnt have douching seal leaks, and feels like your not wearing a suit.

I highly recommend trying the Psycho2 and seeing for yourself. I havent been back in either of my drysuits since, and ask anyone who knows me, I HATE COLD WATER!

Thanks Lantz....I am leaning towards the dry right now. I like the looks of that O'Neill. That might be the one. A new Pro shop is opening up next week in my area and they are starting off with a huge sale. Might pick one up there. The dude on the phone said everything in the store will be on sale. SWEET!

Jason, Just out of curiosity, which Psycho 2 do you have? 6/5/4, 4/3, or 3/2? Thanks.

mine is the 4/3. It also had that non leaking pullover zipper thing in the back along with all the seams sealed from the inside. it really is an interesting piece of technology when you look at it.

I have an O'neill Boost dry suit and I love it. Zero leaks or tears for two winter seasons of hard riding. Water does seep down through the neck from time to time, but other than that you are completely dry.

It is worth the extra $$ to get a drysuit IMHO.

Scott, Oneill Boost Baggy Drysuit. Once my friends used them for the first time, they never went back to their wetsuits.

I second the O'Neill Psycho. I have the 4/3 and here in Michigan rode with it in 48 degree water and 39 degree air last spring. First set I took the thing off and I was totally dry. I could have ridden for hours if I could feel my toes and hands. For next year, a new pair of closed toe bindings and some gloves and I'll be good to go.

I am definitely going to check ot this O'Neil Psycho as well. I have heard from quite a few people now that is a great suit. I was checking online the Jetpilot gear as well. A couple of their suits fit the same description of that the psycho suit. Are they good...does anybody know. I know I am real happy with my fullmetal lifevest that JP makes. I do own a O'neil shorty (have not had it on in a long time) but it is a great suit and it has to be at least ten years old now. So I do not doubt the O'Neil for quality. Just curious if the JP stuff is any good when it comes to suits?

Where is the best place to get a drysuit?

Scott, 4/3 for sale on

http://www.whiskeymilitia.com/

if you hurry.

The old man gave me one of these for my birthday a few years ago.

Bare Ultra Dry
http://www.bare-wetsuits.com/product_details.aspx?pid=000901&dept_id=113

+1 for O'Neill Boost

I like the wetsuit myself. I got a Quiksilver Ignite 3/2 full wetsuit last spring. In 47 degree water it felt plenty warm for me. I've tried a friends drysuit but I prefer the flexibility of the wetsuit and the Ignite is super comfortable. Plus with a wetsuit you can use the old surfer's trick of peeing in the suit when you enter the water to heat things up inside.

I missed whiskeymilitia's sale... where else can you get the psycho 2 or the bear ultra dry for the best price?

Drysuit here, no need to pee in it when your warm and DRY the whole time, oh yea and I'm in Florida I dont know what others are using for a wet/dry suit but all the wetsuits I've ever worn were way tighter and less flexible then wearing a baggy dry suit. Add the extra bulk of a vest over a wetsuit and thats bulky. You can wear your vest inside or outside a dry suit, usually.

Shirley:

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/spo/430636135.html

This person is in LA.

I have both but prefer the wetsuit when its cold. Just throw some hotwater (if you got a shower) in yur suit before you jump in and yur better than new....as soon as you get back in, have a hot shower and then dry yourself up. I guess if I didn't have a shower on board I'd be using the drysuit more often. The drysuit seems to limit flexibility and body heat reduction, which will make you tired faster.

Kinda off topic ; Does everybody else still feel the urge to pee in a dry suit too?

why wouldn't you pee in it ?

I can't understand what drysuits that people are wearing that are less flexible than a wetsuit? I have so much more flexibility in a drysuit than a wetsuit, even my top of the line rip curl F-bomb. I'll never wear a wetsuit behind the boat as long as I have a drysuit available.

we're on the other side of the lake from you in SE Wisconsin. I rode in a wetsuit until several years ago. It was a chilly OCT day, nice and sunny but that water and air was still cold. I was cold but it was bearable, I announced it would be my last ride for the season. The crew I was with all had drysuits and rode a month past that. I now drysuit it. Typically we ride until Halloween and put in as soon as the temps stop dipping below freezing at night. The only reason we really stop is that we have to start winterizing every time we use the boat, so once temps drop into freezing for more tahn an hour, we are done.

Drysuit all the way, I'd never go back. It goes, trunks, heater shirt with trunks, drysuit. Just skip that wetsuit mess

I am kind of surprised with the number who say full wetsuit. Now I haven't been in the new semi-dry wetsuits, but compared to the traditional full wet suits it is not even close.

One huge advantage of dry suits not mentioned is that you can wear as little or as much as you want under a dry suit so you can regulate temp MUCH better. You can wear anything from trunks all the way up to sweats and a fleece. No equivalent option in a wetsuit and dry suits are more flexible IMO.

I don't quite understand when people say wetsuits are more flexible. A drysuit is completely flexible -- it's just a big garbage bag. No binding at all and super comfortable. When I was riding in fall/spring in a wetsuit, I would invariably catch a cold. It must be from sitting in the boat in a wetsuit. I don't really understand it, but then since I switched to a drysuit, I don't catch colds anymore.

It's been unseasonably cold in Seattle and we've already switched to drysuits for the early morning runs in my crew. One guy wore a drysuit last week for the first time and when he got in the water, he giggled like a little girl he was so happy with how warm and comfy he felt.

Thanks for all the input. I am going with a drysuit. They have a run in december on Silver Lake for a Christmas party. So that would give me the opportunity to make that run as well. Anyone see any deals on Drysuits. The popular one I see on here is the O'neill boost baggy. I can pick one up for 379. is that a good price?

Not a bad price. Seems to be with drysuits you kinda get what you pay for. I've ridden a Barefoot International Baggy Drysuit for the last 3 seasons, and its awesome.

I skipped alot of the above posts, but i've owned
the Bare & the O'neil Boost. IMO the Bare is better in the neck area because of the rubber seal, the Boost has a neoprene neck that absorbs water & gets you shirt wet.
But....I do like the Boost because of the suspenders inside allow you to peel your top off & still wear the lower half. I have the Boost now, but am missing the better sealing neck. BTW I wear sweat pants, a long sleeve tee then my jacket.

I purchased a Bare drysuit last year from grizzlysports.com for $300. shipped. I couldn't be happier with the suit keeps me dry and warm. I'm pretty cheap and shopped around for best price, and nobody could touch that price.

I don't even see drysuits on the grizzlysports.com website.

Thanks for the info Marc...I am going to check into that. Paul...I am going to give Grizzlysports a call to see if they still carry drysuits. that is a good deal.

I did not find them on their site either I just gave them a call. They told me they purchased a large amount of them at a discount price and they will beat any advertised price out there.

Good info Paul, did they say when they would get them up on their site? Or do we need to call?

Paul...your the man! I just ordered my new Bare drysuit from Grizzly. I got an awesome deal. I told them they were not posted on their website...the guy just chuckled a little and said he knew that. So just call them and get the great deal on these suits man. I am super stoked that I am extending my riding season. You can bet I will be killing it first thi8ng in the spring as well. My last ride will be the 31st of this month...here in Michigan.

Scott, your not gonna need that thing for a bit here! We're looking at the 80's this weekend

This is true Roddyrod....Ill just extend into November then

Scott, glad to hear they still had them, and you got hooked up. You wont be disappointed I used mine late last year and early this year. I'm the only one in my group that has a drysuit so needless to say my drysuit got used a lot, and everyone loved it. I'm sure you will too.

Thanks again Paul...I did get the super deal. I am looking forward to using it in a few days.

We ordered our drysuits from grizzly-sports.com today, you can't beat their price anywhere.