Wet Suit Recommendations

milehighjc

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 19, 2014
Messages
155
As I assemble my Christmas wish list, the idea of a wet suit for early and late season water skiing has come to mind. I did a first pass search online, and quickly realized there seem to be an infinite number of options - most of which I do not understand the pros and cons of.

Im looking for something to extend my skiing season - nothing crazy, just trying to make it more comfortable in the spring and fall. This year it was early June (June 7 to be exact) before I was willing to get in the water, I would like to be able to get back on the ski sometime in May. Wish I could remember the water temperature then, but I recall it was pretty dang cool, maybe not enough to take my breath away, but cold enough to make me NOT want to be in for long.

Would appreciate any recommendations... Material, thickness, shorty vs fullsuit (Im thinking shorty makes sense, but Im not sure) etc, Brand recommendations would be most welcome, but I suspect that is a matter of preference...

I would be pretty happy if I could add a couple of weeks to both ends of the season...

Thanks in advance!

Jeff
 

alldodge

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
40,581
A 3mm shorty will get you easy 2 weeks (early, late), most cases will get you can get 4 weeks. That said it all depends on what your tolerance to cold is. The cold on my legs and arms is not so much a biggy as the torso. Now if you get a 3mm full suit, you should have no issues getting 4 to 6 weeks. A farmer john is also an option for a bit more
 

oldjeep

Admiral
Joined
May 17, 2010
Messages
6,455
Shorty for me, the water temp doesn't bother me a ton on my arms and legs - and if it is too cold for a shorty then my wife doesn't want to be driving anyways. We've had good luck with a bunch of gladiator short suits that we bought from O V E RTons about 5 years ago. Nothing fancy but they fit well and are durable.
 

milehighjc

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 19, 2014
Messages
155
Sounds like confirmation that a shorty is right for me... I think my cold tolerance may be better than many: despite losing some weight this past summer, I still have enough insulation that I was skiing until Sept 27 this year, and COULD have skied into the first week of October (just didnt have an observer). I was in the water with our dog in a cove without much of an issue.

Having never worn one, how restrictive will a 3mm be? I guess in the end, it probably doesnt matter if that is what I need to extend the season... :)
 

oldjeep

Admiral
Joined
May 17, 2010
Messages
6,455
It looks like the modern version of what I have is 3mm in the body and 2mm arms and legs. I never thought it was restrictive until I got a new life vest. The thing that happens with my suit and my radar x-vest is that the vest grips the suit tightly and gives more resistance when it should be stretching, where it used to slide freely inside my old vest. The suit itself isn't restrictive but its interaction with some vests is.
 

skibrain

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 17, 2004
Messages
766
I prefer a l-sleeve heater shirt plus neoprene shorts to a shorty. But also have shorty and long-sleeve shorty.(and full-suit and dry suit, etc etc.) Better ones are more flexible, and cost more.

Wet suit wear house
 
Last edited:

milehighjc

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 19, 2014
Messages
155
I prefer a l-sleeve heater shirt plus neoprene shorts to a shorty. But also have shorty and long-sleeve shorty.(and full-suit and dry suit, etc etc.) Better ones are more flexible, and cost more.

Wet suit wear house


Thanks, that is the site I have been looking at. Is there something I can look for other than price that would indicate flexibility? Any specific materials?
 
Top