layering wetsuits

I have a 3/2mm full wetsuit and I used it last year in 56F water. To say the least, I think I am allergic to cold water. It kept me alive, but wasn't comfortable. Would putting a 3mm vest wetsuit top over my 3/2 full suit be worth while giving me 6mm in the chest area? Or is it a waste of money? Also you can lose up to 40% heat from your head and neck. Would the hoodie feature be a good one to get as some 3mm vests come with either a 5mm hoodie attached or a 7mm attached? I don't care about looking cool when the ice is melting. I save that for July and August ;) I was even considering doubling up the legs. For $100 I can get both and I am having a hard time finding a drysuit for a $100.

Anyone double up?

Forgot to add, if I had to give advice to someone about wakeboarding in 50 degree water, I would say forget the wetsuit and save your $$$ and just get a good drysuit. I wish I did that.

sounds like you already know what you need to do. Save some money and buy a good drysuit.

drysuits rock....except that you can't pee in them!

A 3/2 in 50+ degree water is more than adequate. If you are that uncomfortable get a 4/3. I don't know how mobile you will be with layering a wetsuit.

This year im planning on wearing a 3/2 full suit and a neoprene ride shirt, but im going to be in mid 40's water.

I have double wet suited before. It restricts you more, but I wasn't cold.

I'd say save up and get the drysuit. Summer's coming soon and if you can wait that long you can get some sweet deals.

Or get a Ripcurl Hotskin and wear that under your wetsuit. Although they are only .05mm they do about as good a job as a wetsuit on their own. They are not the same as the neoprene ride shirts or most heater shirts, they are far warnemer. They are made with some sort of a titanium material that reflects the heat back into your body. Make sure it is tight on you though.

I would say get a 4/3 and be free...

your wetsuit might not be working for you because 1. it has bad seams 2. it is too big for you 3. both.
i have been using a 3/2 all winter and have been fine in 50 degree water. get taped and glued seams and you might want to go with a size smaller. a perfect fitting wetsuit will trap in a thin layer of water and heat it up to your body temp, and then it will be trapped in there keeping you warm. i normally wear a size medium vest that fits really tight but i got a size small wetsuit and it just feels like skin i love it.

you should also look into getting 3mm oneill slx gloves and 3mm oneill heat socks. they help so much. especially the booties. i get in the water and i dont feel wet until i fall hard. i love it.

the main factor that gets you cold is the wind. i went from a satandard neopreme vest to a oneill vapor that is all glidesskin and it helps so much. the glideskin is wind resistant so i dont feel the wind chill.

I agree with mitch. I bought a decent o'neill wetsuit, but before that I had a shaun murray jet pilot wetsuit (it's "vintage"--1997 baby!). Anyway, I used the oneill suit and I was colder than usual. There's something about that jet pilot suit that's better, and one thing I recognized was the seams.

Anyway, I live in WI and I was able to extend my season until the end of october (at the time, the nights were in the 20s and the water had to be somewhere in the 40s). i actually layered my wetsuits, and it does work. I had a shorty, then my jet pilot full suit, and then a neo top. that way, I could still bend half way decent at the knees...but my arms did get tired. And it was hard to breathe (as you might imagine). i also wore a visor beanie and I attached it to the piece of fabric on the zipper, and I ended up wearing pipe gloves to protect my hands from the wind (in addition to being submerged in that chilly water).

Ultimately, I'd go with a drysuit if you can afford it. I know that's what I'm saving up for. I'll be able to ride a lot longer and more comfortably with that than my goofy layering routine. And I don't think you'll find any half way decent dry suit for 100.00 unless it's used.

Definatly. I am talking about a used drysuit. When the water was 56F, on my first run of the year I did a dock start and made it for about 5 minutes. Did some wake to wake jumps, and then went down. After about 3.5 seconds, I felt the water touuch my skin and I started breathing in short breaths for about 5 seconds from the cold. This was uncontrolable. Then my breathing returned to normal and the suit started working. So Mitch, your saying that you don't even feel the water on your body in a wetsuit? Mine fills up, but it fits good. If I could just slowdown the amount of water that enters it so fast to say, 10 seconds. Ok, a wetsuit lets water through the material doesn't it? Or is it not supposed to?

I found a few drysuits on the net, but they have these neoprene wrist, neck and ankle seals that you tighten with a strap. Doesn't look like rubber gaskets. Wouldn't these things leak? I asked one guy and he said it doesn't leak if they are tight but I can't see how it wouldn't leak.

Great advice guys. If I can't get one for a good deal before april, I think I am going to just get the 3mm vest with hood, and get some 3mm gloves.

My bindings are a pretty snug fit, I can get in noproblem with lube, but I don't know how the socks would work. I have to pull pretty hard to get out of them.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Forgot to mention, I was at a watersports store and tried on a pile of wetsuits, and then finally found the one that fits me perfect, its s ML from what I can remember, so there are no air pockets except a little in the crotch. The name excapes me at the moment but its not a jetpilot or ONeill

I have the O'neil boost and I ride in 45 deg water. The only thing that gets cold is my hands.
I will never go back to a wetsuit.

I agree with many others above in the wetsuit camp. Get a newer 4/3 and enjoy the warmth, comfort and flexibility. Drysuits are so 1985! ha ha! I surfed one year on the Oregon coast and the 4/3 was plenty warm. The only problem was on really cold days duck diving the waves would give me an ice cream headache, but then I went really geeky and got a 1mm hood. If you really get cold you can get some booties.

Drysuit- Hands down! If it's cold enough for you to need something, then you might as well be dry and comfortable. I'm a delicate flower, and wince at the -thought- of being cold, so a drysuit has been a lifesaver for me....... It'll be money well spent!

Mike, the only way water gets in my wet suit is from the ankles, wrists and neck. so when i wear my booties it takes a lot for the water to get to my skin.
wetsuits do not let water through the material. the water gets in through bad seams and/or the openings.

and yeah booties would be hard to use in bindings but i dont have that problem because i just wear them in my shoes.

oohhhhhhhh. I thought they let water in through the material. So mine leaks faster than a boat with no bottom. ok. hummmmmm. So thats why my Bal*s got so cold so fast.

Is there anyway you can glue and tape the seams after? So a wetsuit would be a drysuit if you glued the ankle and wrist and neck gasket onto it?

I wonder if I could use clear silicon on the inside of the seams? Or any recommendations for a rubber tape and glue? I am pretty handy with things once I know what to use.

Thanks guys. Found my problem. IT LEAKS BAD.

Going to be doing some bathtub testing this week and see if it also comes in through the zipper. The zipper is also supposed to be watertight then?

I found these 3 types of wetsuit stitching.

Seams. These connect the panels of neoprene. Generally speaking, more panels in a suit design means better flexibility. It also means more places for water to get in. There are a few types of seams used:

* Overlock. This is found on the least expensive suits. This type of stitch lasts forever, is not watertight, and can cause skin irritation or rash as it protrudes a lot.
* Flatlock. A flat stitch that doesn't push into your skin like the overlock stitching. It is not as durable as the overlock stitch, but does not cause as much rash problems. This is also not a watertight stitch.
* Blindstitch. Blindstitching is flat and does not penetrate through to the other side of the neoprene, so there are no stitch holes for cold water to follow. Double-blindstitched suits have stitching on both sides, neither of which break through to give water a path to follow.

So, in theory, if I use http://store.everestgear.com/117523.html or something along thoes lines on all the seams, and also glue rubber tape to the inside of the seams. And take my time and do I good job, I think I can seal up all the seams. And if I glue a rubber flap to the inside of the zipper and try to reduce the amount of water entry there, and maybe wear a Ripcurl Hotskin under my 3/2 suit, then I should be warm emough. Would the sealing of the seams work, or sound like it would work?

In the discussion about heatershirts, Josh really sold me on the RipCurl top.

Think I am going to order one to wear under my wetsuit. Will also wear it all summer except for the 1 weekend that we have when the water temp is 78F. I love Canada but I was ment to be a polarbear or seal, lol.

On my wetsuit i only get water in around the neck/zipper area. Maybe alittle, if any, around the arms and neck. They say for a good fit you should be able to put it on and be able to raise your arms over your head and bend down and touch your toes with ease.

I got mine from www.overtons.com
They have a good selection.

You can get neoprene cement and Aquaseal at any scuba shop...I would suggest only using aquaseal on the outside cuz it's thick. you can also attach patches with it if you have to.

Cool, I am going to try it this week. Will also try to glue in a flap on the inside over the zipper on one side and on the bottom to help stop the flush at the zipper.

So Aquaseal will be good on the joints by itself? I was thinking of using a rubber seal with the aquaseal on the inside and actually try to "tape and glue" the seams. So just aquaseal on the outside of the seams by itself?

Well, I tested my wetsuit in the bathtub. Pushing the suit into the water, it does not leak anywhere, except the zipper. Is there anything I can put on the zipper, or can I glue a waterproof one over on the outside to stop the cold rush using aquaseal? Zip up the interior one, then zip up the outside one as the waterseal?

IMO, drysuits are so much better for overall warmth and mobility. buying one is a bit of a downer tho...haha

I don't know what some of you are talking about trying to water proof a wetsuit. Like previously said. I's called a wetsuit for a reason. It traps water between your body and suit to keep you warm. If you don't stay down in the water long enough for water to get in you won't notice it than it is just cover when you are on the board. I'd go with the drysuit if you are going to spend that much time & effort keeping the water out. Layering it does slow down the seepage though.

yeah, Come to the conclusion that I am going to tape the ankles and wrists with electrical tape, and try to tape the back zipper closed with industrial duct tape. Its just that I don't have a semidry suit and the flushing of the water on each fall through the rear zipper really cools me off. Want to plug up that zipper. And I can fill the suit with warm water in the shower before I go boarding if the tape holds on the back zipper and will keep me warm.

Mike -- I was out in my 4/3 yesterday on lake Austin. I'd say the water was about 55 or so. I have to say - I was colder than I remember being in the ocean in Oregon. But if you go with the blindstitch you should be OK.

However, if you are living in Canada and you are going to be in 50 deg water - I take back what I said before about a wetsuit -- go with a drysuit instead -- especially if you are really trying to keep the water out. Like Rick said -- it is a wetsuit for a reason. If you tape your ankles and wrists, you WILL get some water in through your neck area and it will accumulate around the ankles and wrists.

What should I be looking for in a drysuit. What is a good brand?

Thanks

buck up and get a drysuit. The only downside is that you need friends with drysuits too or its useless. I can wakeboard really early and late in the season, but noone wants to go with me because the water is so cold. When my buddies want to ride, I only need a wetsuit anyways.

Yeah guys, I am warm in my wetsuit. What gets me cold is when I fall, water enters through the rear zipper and it is cold. When I get up, the water pours out and I am ok until I fall again. Then the cold water enters again and I am freezing for about 1 minutes until the water warms up. I am looking into a waterproof zipper to aquaseal over the existing zipper to make the zipper watertight so once its full of water, most of it will stay in. Then I think I will be find in 50 degree water and above. That should be from about beginning of may, and will take me to end of October. Now trying to find a good deal on a waterproof zipper is another challenge. Installing it is the easy part. A little water will enter around my neck from time ot time but the water just pours in through the zipper. Everything else is waterproof more or less.

Thanks for all the advice. If I manage to get the zipper and install it, I will post how well it works in may.

Also getting a ripcurl hotskin longsleve shirt for my b-day in april so between both of them and the zipper, I should be plenty warm to start May 5th.

Might have to shovel the snow off the boat april 1st to start getting it ready, lol.