Extending the season -- wetsuit? Drysuit?

[PaceWithGrace]

Hi all.

I'm game to keep riding into the fall, early spring, and maybe winter if the water doesn't go hard. The air and water temperatures will probably be around 5 C (40 F).

I've looked at some nice looking 5/4 full wetsuits for about $250. Drysuits are at least twice that much.

What does one wear under a drysuit and how warm and comfortable is it? Do you get sweaty while wakeboarding or waterskiing? Can you move around enough?

What is your experience and thoughts? Wetsuit or drysuit? Any specific brands or models?

Thanks,
Severin B.

[Surf406]

Oneil boost dry suits only way to go and we ride in really cold water in the winter months here in Montana below the damn it never freezes but it's cold and the boost works great

[surfidaho]

X2 on the dry suit!

[dakota4ce]

X3 Dry suit much more versatile. You can move around in them just fine.

[MN Tige-man]

x4 on the dry suit. I have used an Oneil boost suit for the last 3 seasons and it has been great.

[PaceWithGrace]

Ok, I'm sold on a drysuit... Thanks for the feedback!

Can you guys tell me your heights and weights and what size Boost you use? I'm kind of an in-between size.

[dakota4ce]

I am 6'3" 225# and have an XL. It has been worn by me all the way down to a 5'9" 140# female. She even surfed accidentally with her iphone in her pocket!

[lancehon]

Boost drysuit all the way!! XL would fit you perfectly, I've had mine for about 6 years and finally had to glue a new wrist seal in, cost $20 and a few minutes to do

[lancehon]

Misread the sizing, mines a large and I'm 5'10" and 170#

[007]

The only downside to a dry suit is on "in between" days, you can freaking cook in a drysuit if the sun is shining and the air is not cold. Once you get up on the board there is nothing to help you bleed off the heat from pumping. On cool/cold days in cool/cold water, its a godsend. I go from a 2/3 mil shorty to a dry suit. I need something in between. There have been a few warm sunny days where the drysuit was too hot, I threw on my shorty and felt like I was gonna go into shock when I hit the water.

I will second everyone's vote for the Boost. If you watch amazon, you can occasionally find them for $100 off regular price!

[lancehon]

My buddy's ride in 5/4 suits in water down to the mid 30's and are fine. I just like being able to be dry when I'm done and being able to share suits with other riders, when it's warm I just wear board shorts underneath

[lancehon]

I just checked Wakemakers and they have the boost suit on sale for $393, that's a screaming deal!

[007]

That is a great deal right now! Amazon briefly had them on sale for $315 last August when I bought ours, which was too ridiculous to pass up.

[UNSTUCK]

I was out riding last night. Water temp was 62*. I was still in my board shorts only. Although we did stop at our local shop to see what suits they had. BIG money for wet and dry suits. I didn't know anything about them and the kid "helping" us knew less.
Can you guys explain the different types of dry suits? Is it just thickness in the material? What temps are they good for? At this point I'm not sure a dry suit would do me much good. I don't see our boat in the water when air temp is in the 60s or colder.
Do your kids have suits too? My kids seemed fine swimming behind the boat last night but I kept making them get out after 5 minutes to warm up. How cold is too cold?
Thanks guys.

[dakota4ce]

I was out riding last night. Water temp was 62*. I was still in my board shorts only. Although we did stop at our local shop to see what suits they had. BIG money for wet and dry suits. I didn't know anything about them and the kid "helping" us knew less.
Can you guys explain the different types of dry suits? Is it just thickness in the material? What temps are they good for? At this point I'm not sure a dry suit would do me much good. I don't see our boat in the water when air temp is in the 60s or colder.
Do your kids have suits too? My kids seemed fine swimming behind the boat last night but I kept making them get out after 5 minutes to warm up. How cold is too cold?
Thanks guys.

There are not many different kinds of DRY suits. They are baggy, and designed to go over clothing. Oneill Boost--great example. You wear whatever you want underneath (sweatpants, sweatshirt), and typically only a little around your neckline gets wet (due to *** over teakettle falls). The material itself is not insulating--it is thin, and is an impervious barrier. When you take it off, you simply put socks and shoes back on and go on with your day. $350-400 for low end.

Wet suits are insulating. They get wet--and your skin also gets wet. What they allow, however, is your body to keep the dampness warm that is near your skin. When water gets into your wet suit, it might feel cold for a quick second, then gets warmed up quickly to near body temp. They are tight, and made of thicker neoprene. The thicker, the warmer. 2/3mm, 4/5mm etc. They are cheaper than drysuits. 150 bucks is not out of the question.

My kids have shorty wetsuits that I found at a thrift store. They work great and were cheap.

65 degrees is about as low as I can tolerate. I suppose if you stayed in for a long time, you could get hypo cold at that temp. With a nice wetsuit you can go down to mid-low50s if your feet and hands are tough (or you use booties and gloves). Dry suits, with proper extremity protection, can go as low as you want. Just wear more underneath. I have used in high-40s water and the feet get cold really quickly. Oh and the head too!