Can one wetsuit do all of this? (Sailing/Swimming)
May 6, 2013 7:46 AM Subscribe
Looking for a wetsuit that I could use for late fall/winter swimming + Spring/Fall/Winter Sailing. Can I get all that in one suit?
I'm looking for a wetsuit, at the sailing club I go to it's a requirement for some of the small, wet boats we sail until the summer starts. I've also been interested in having a wetsuit for lake swimming into the fall/early winter. I'm in Massachusetts.
I'm just wondering if I can get one suit to do both things. I'd like to be able to swim at Walden Pond into November (have done warm October days in my bathing suit for short periods so I suppose I'm relatively hardy).
But I'd also like to be able to have the suit on in May without dying, to go sailing. Additionally, I'd like to be able to use the suit for frostbiting sailboats (Lasers) over the winter here in Boston.
Would I be better off buying two suits, a swimming suit and a sailing suit? Is the sailing suit I'd use for winter going to be too hot to use in the spring/fall?
Would removable sleeves help make one suit more adaptable?
And would you buy online or is this something that you really need to try on?
Any brands or models you'd recomend?
Thanks!
I'm looking for a wetsuit, at the sailing club I go to it's a requirement for some of the small, wet boats we sail until the summer starts. I've also been interested in having a wetsuit for lake swimming into the fall/early winter. I'm in Massachusetts.
I'm just wondering if I can get one suit to do both things. I'd like to be able to swim at Walden Pond into November (have done warm October days in my bathing suit for short periods so I suppose I'm relatively hardy).
But I'd also like to be able to have the suit on in May without dying, to go sailing. Additionally, I'd like to be able to use the suit for frostbiting sailboats (Lasers) over the winter here in Boston.
Would I be better off buying two suits, a swimming suit and a sailing suit? Is the sailing suit I'd use for winter going to be too hot to use in the spring/fall?
Would removable sleeves help make one suit more adaptable?
And would you buy online or is this something that you really need to try on?
Any brands or models you'd recomend?
Thanks!
And would you buy online or is this something that you really need to try on?
Most of my wetsuit experience is from SCUBA diving. I would only buy a wetsuit online that I had already tried on in a store. Different manufacturers cut differently, stretch differently, feel different.
Wetsuits designed for swimming are generally stretchier in the shoulders than wetsuits for diving or sailing - and a wetsuit that is appropriate for sailing in May won't be good for frostbiting, and vice-versa. The numbers ("3/2" and "4/3") referred to are the mm of neoprene on the torso and extremeties, respectively. You can get a good estimate of the mm of thickness you'd need based on the air and water temps, and estimated immersion times.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:24 AM on May 6, 2013
Most of my wetsuit experience is from SCUBA diving. I would only buy a wetsuit online that I had already tried on in a store. Different manufacturers cut differently, stretch differently, feel different.
Wetsuits designed for swimming are generally stretchier in the shoulders than wetsuits for diving or sailing - and a wetsuit that is appropriate for sailing in May won't be good for frostbiting, and vice-versa. The numbers ("3/2" and "4/3") referred to are the mm of neoprene on the torso and extremeties, respectively. You can get a good estimate of the mm of thickness you'd need based on the air and water temps, and estimated immersion times.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:24 AM on May 6, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks...I should have been more specific about the temps. Seems pretty clear that one suit won't do everything.
1) Spring/Summer sailing in small boats: Water temp is probably 50s-60s
2) Swimming: Water temp is <6> 3) Frostbiting: Water temp is mid 30s-40s.
3 suits? I'm just trying to have less stuff but I can see how I could end up with a suit that does none of these things very well.
posted by sully75 at 10:37 AM on May 6, 2013
1) Spring/Summer sailing in small boats: Water temp is probably 50s-60s
2) Swimming: Water temp is <6> 3) Frostbiting: Water temp is mid 30s-40s.
3 suits? I'm just trying to have less stuff but I can see how I could end up with a suit that does none of these things very well.
posted by sully75 at 10:37 AM on May 6, 2013
Actually I just had an idea:
Look into a "Farmer John" or "Farmer Jane" type wetsuit setup, where you have two pieces that can be worn independantly, or layered: overalls-type for summer sailing, shorty for swimming, both together for frostbiting. With good gloves and boots (and possibly a hood) you could make that work.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:55 AM on May 6, 2013
Look into a "Farmer John" or "Farmer Jane" type wetsuit setup, where you have two pieces that can be worn independantly, or layered: overalls-type for summer sailing, shorty for swimming, both together for frostbiting. With good gloves and boots (and possibly a hood) you could make that work.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:55 AM on May 6, 2013
Your cold temps, plus the possibility of sailing lasers in the winter, makes me think that a drysuit might be more up your alley. I whitewater kayak in cold water (I'm in Colorado; most of our whitewater comes from snowmelt). I wear a Kokatat drysuit nearly year-round, with plenty of fuzzy layers under it in the early spring and a single polypro layer under it in the summer (when the water is still cold). I find them much more comfortable than wetsuits in nearly all conditions. Though the full-on goretex drysuit may be overkill, other, cheaper versions might be up to the task. Semi-drysuits would work well too; the main difference is that they have a neoprene neck gasket, rather than the drier but more uncomfortable latex gaskets. Unless you're doing some kayaking as well, don't worry about the over-skirts; they're designed to mesh with sprayskirts.
posted by craven_morhead at 11:22 AM on May 6, 2013
posted by craven_morhead at 11:22 AM on May 6, 2013
I have the two piece Farmerjohn type wetsuit and I adore it.
Both pieces are 3mm so when I am wearing both i have 6mm of neoprene over my core.
if it is warm I just wear the top piece and it is a shorty that is pretty comfortable to wear in and out of the water and stylish to boot.
BUT im looking at those cold water temps and I agree you might want to look into a drysuit.
posted by fogonlittlecatfeet at 1:03 PM on May 6, 2013
Both pieces are 3mm so when I am wearing both i have 6mm of neoprene over my core.
if it is warm I just wear the top piece and it is a shorty that is pretty comfortable to wear in and out of the water and stylish to boot.
BUT im looking at those cold water temps and I agree you might want to look into a drysuit.
posted by fogonlittlecatfeet at 1:03 PM on May 6, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
What are the air/water temperatures there? Here in Santa Cruz, CA I'd wear a 3/2 spring suit for dinghy sailing in the warm months, and a 4/3 full suit for surfing in the cold months, but our water is basically between 50 and 60 degrees year round. You can sail in 57 degree water and 90 degree air.
I would never buy a wetsuit online unless I'd already tried on one in the same size from the same manufacturer.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 7:52 AM on May 6, 2013