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Buying a wetsuit?

If you are looking to buy yourself a new wetsuit, the terminology, and huge range of options, can sometimes be a bit confusing. This is designed to be a general beginners guide, to help you figure out which wetsuit will suit you...

1. Wetsuit Styles

Here we will cover some of the typical surfing wetsuit styles and their uses...

VESTS

A vest or wetsuit top, covers only your upper body and provides the least insulation. Ideal for a summers day surf, when there’s a cool wind or slightly cooler water. Usually either 1mm, 2mm or 3mm thick.

SPRINGSUITS

A springsuit, goes a step further and includes your upper legs with variations for sleeve length. For that spring or autumn day, or slightly colder summers day. Usually either 2mm or 3mm thick.

STEAMERS

A steamer, extends down to your ankles and also has variations for sleeve length. Suits for winter surfing, with many available features for different cold water conditions. Usually either 2, 3, 4 or 5mm thick.

2. Sizing and Fit

Sizing is a very important aspect to consider when buying a wetsuit. If your wetsuit does not fit properly it will not be able to keep you warm or allow you the flexibility you need for your sport. It needs to fit tightly but comfortably to your body, in order to keep a thin layer of water between your body and your suit. If it is too loose, too much water will flush between your suit and your body, and it will be ineffective in keeping you warm.

Men's Height(cm) Weight(kg)
2XS 168-173 50-54
XS 170-175 57-64
S 173-178 61-70
M 175-180 68-77
MS 169-174 64-73
MT 185-191 73-82
L 178-183 77-86
LS 171-177 73-82
LT 188-193 82-91
XL 180-185 86-95
XLS 174-179 82-91
2XL 183-188 95-104
3XL 183-191 104-113
Women's Height(cm) Weight(kg)
4 163-168 45-54
6 165-170 48-57
8 168-173 50-59
8S 164-169 45-54
8T 171-177 54-64
10 170-175 54-64
10S 166-171 50-59
10T 174-179 59-68
12 173-178 59-68
14 175-180 64-73
16 180-183 73-82
     
     

Fit Checklist

  • After you have your wetsuit on there should be no excess room, including the torso, crotch, shoulders, and knees. A proper fitting wetsuit will be somewhat hard to put on when dry.
  • Lift your arms up and stretch out your shoulders. If you feel a lot of pressure during this, then the suit is too small. You should be able to squat down and move your arms easily too.
  • Each brand/model has a slightly different fit; make sure to shop for your body type and check out the sizing charts of the specific brands you are interested in for a perfect fit.

3. Seams and stitching

As you might expect, there's a little more involved in wetsuit construction than just a needle and thread, just in case you thought you were ready to knock one up for the weekend session. It's not just a great fit that ensures a wetsuit is nice and warm.

Flatlock stitch (FL)

Flatlock stitching involves laying one panel edge over the other, then stitching though the neoprene. The resulting seam is flexible and strong. The drawback to a flatlocked seam is that the process involved creates many holes, and is prone to high water penetration. This makes it more suited to summer or warmer water surfing.

Blind stitch (BS or GBS)

The edges of the panels are placed end on end and glued together. They are then stitched on the inside, but the stitching does not go all the way through to the outside of the panels. Result: watertight, flexible seams. This is the ideal seam for cold water temperatures, and is the one found on higher quality, more expensive wetsuits.

Seam sealing...
Water seepage will reduce the effectiveness of the suit. Fortunately there are a number of ways to increase the warmth of a wetsuit, (without constantly peeing in it) and to increase the strength of a wetsuit's seams.

Glued Seams:
The panels are glued together prior to stitching, increasing the strength of the seam and creating a waterproof seal

Fully Taped Seams:
Tape is glued to the inside of every seam. Neoprene tape can be used to ensure there is no loss in flexibility

Liquid Taped Seams:
The ultimate seam seal. A special liquid rubber is applied to the inside seam which makes it 100% waterproof.

4. Brands

Do brands really matter? Well, not really. The mainstream manufacturers all use top quality materials and construction techniques. The choice of suit should be down to fit, stretch and suitability, not who made it. In general, you'll have to pay more for the surf brands than you will for a no-name brand from a discount store, but this is a reflection on the quality of the suit.

Buying a wetsuit?

If you are looking to buy yourself a snowboard, the terminology, and huge range of options, can sometimes be a bit confusing. This is designed to be a general beginners guide, to help you figure out which snowboard might suit you...

1. Riding Styles

The snowboard that you end up choosing, depends on what kind of riding you want to use it for...While you can ride any snowboard on any type of terrain or in any snow condition, there are specialised snowboards for specific terrain, conditions and applications. And while it's easy to over analyse the multitude of offerings available today, the following descriptions give you a good sense of the broad categories into which snowboards are divided.

FREERIDE / ALL MOUNTAIN

Of the different snowboard styles, Freeride or All Mountain snowboarding is probably the most popular. Snowboards designed for All Mountain use, feel at home on groomed tracks, side country powder, park runs and almost anything in between.

PARK / STREET

Riding the park is all about performing tricks, like airs, spins, grabs, slides etc on terrain such as parks and halfpipes. Park/Street/Freestyle Snowboards have limited edge grip and stability, and are not the best for carving turns or cruising fast.

FREERIDE / POWDER

These boards are typically directional boards with setback stances designed for riding at higher speeds in natural snow conditions such as powder. Often these boards have tapered shapes, which means that the nose is wider than the tail; this difference in widths allows the nose to float higher than the tail in powder, resulting in a surf style feel..

2. Snowboard shapes

DIRECTIONAL

Directional boards are designed to be ridden predominately in one direction. They are often stiffer in the tail and softer towards the nose to help maintain stability while carving at high speed. Typically, the binding inserts are set back giving you a longer nose than tail.

TRUE TWIN TIP

True twin is completely symmetrical with identical tip and tail measurements and flex pattern. Bindings will be mounted in the center on a twin tip snowboard. Often found in freestyle snowboards the twin shape has the ability to ride in either direction, ideal for terrain parks, street, halfpipe etc

DIRECTIONAL TWIN

A combination of a twin and directional snowboards, directional twins feature a similar size nose and tail but the nose is more flexible than the tail. Directional twins are most at home on all-mountain/freeride and freestyle terrain.

CAMBER

Camber is the traditional profile for snowboards, and still popular among high-level riders because it offers maximum control, energy and pop. A cambered board has a smooth arch underfoot and touches near the tip and tail when unweighted; when the rider’s weight is added, it provides a long, evenly pressured running surface and edge.

REVERSE CAMBER

A rocker board side profile is the opposite of a camber board, with a smooth downward curvature to it and less edge contact when the board is weighted. Reverse camber boards float well in powder and are at home in the park. More forgiving than a camber board, reverse camber boards are often used by beginners, also called : ROCKER

HYBRID

Some companies try to utilise the advantages of different profiles by combining them together in countless different arrangements. Many different combinations of Camber, Reverse Camber and Flat profiles exist, which all have slightly different characteristics.

4. Snowboard Sizes

Back in the day, traditional snowboard sizing meant you stand next to the snowboard and if the top hits your chin, great, it fits! While that may be a good place to start, weight is also a very important factor in determining the appropriate board length. And another important consideration is the type of riding you plan on doing. So, for example, if you are going to be mostly freeriding consider getting a slightly longer board for more stability and speed. If it's a freestyle tool you are looking for, consider smaller sizes that will be easier to spin and maneuver in the terrain park or half-pipe. Remember, the length is as much personal preference as anything, so don’t get too hung up if you like a longer board or a shorter board. Need a starting point? Use the Snowboard Size Chart below as a general guide. Use the values that are closest to your actual measurements...

Height (cm) Weight(kg) Snowboard Size (cm)
147 49 128-136
152 52 133-141
158 56 139-147
163 61 144-152
168 66 149-157
173 71 154-162
178 76 159-167
183 81 160+
188 86 160+
193+ 92+ 160+

REMEMBER

  • Riding primarily in the park or freestyle, pick a shorter board.
  • Riding all mountain, powder or freeriding, consider a snowboard on the longer side.
  • Above average weight consider a longer snowboard.
  • Beginner aim for a shorter board in your size range

5. Snowboard Flex

The amount a snowboard flexes varies significantly between boards. Snowboard flex ratings are not necessarily standardised across manufacturers, so the flex may vary from brand to brand. Many manufacturers will give a number rating ranging from 1-10, 1 being softest and 10 being stiffest.

Softer flexing snowboards (typically freestyle and some all mountain snowboards) are going to be very forgiving and easier to turn. A soft flex is good for beginners, riders with lower body weights and park riders. Soft snowboards tend to be a bit looser at higher speeds but can also provide a soft buttery feel at slower speeds.

Stiffer flexing snowboards are usually built for freeride or backcountry use. They provide better edge hold and are more stable at high speeds. Stiff boards can be great for riders laying down high speed turns but tough for lightweight riders to flex properly.

4. Brands

Do brands really matter? Well, not really. The mainstream manufacturers all use top quality materials and construction techniques. The choice of suit should be down to fit, stretch and suitability, not who made it. In general, you'll have to pay more for the surf brands than you will for a no-name brand from a discount store, but this is a reflection on the quality of the suit.

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