Summer + autumn UK wetsuit for water 10-14 C

[iriejohn]

One thing which I should have mentioned is that West of Scotland is very wet and cold in the summer.,i.e. 13-15C average daily temps probably. Even East Scotland 120km to the east is much drier and warmer in the sun because of that. I. E. I do not expect any sunny days with wind really
This might be different in Denmark or many other places - would this make a lot of difference?
I guess warm fleeced 4/3 would still be good choice even without sun in 10-14 C water and mainly 8-16 C air with dark clouds most of the time?

I'm on the south coast (Solent) which has the benefit of the Gulf Stream and as said before I have O'Neill 5/4 and a 3/2 but then I do feel the cold (I'm not a fat f*cker ). I know the west of Scotland air and water temperatures are a lot lower so if it's one suit then 4/3 is best or perhaps even a 5/4 - depends on how you feel the cold. But if you can stretch to 2 suits then a 6 or 5/x and 3/2 would be better, with the main money spent on the thicker suit.

[nixmatters]

One thing which I should have mentioned is that West of Scotland is very wet and cold in the summer.,i.e. 13-15C average daily temps probably. Even East Scotland 120km to the east is much drier and warmer in the sun because of that. I. E. I do not expect any sunny days with wind really
This might be different in Denmark or many other places - would this make a lot of difference?
I guess warm fleeced 4/3 would still be good choice even without sun in 10-14 C water and mainly 8-16 C air with dark clouds most of the time?

For surfing in these conditions a warm fleeced 4/3 could be just fine, but when you add the windchill, a 5/4 or 5/4/3 is maybe a safer call.
The actual thickness of a wetsuit (watch out, some measure thickness of neoprene foam only, others foam+jersey) comes always second to fit and the possible flush as a result of poor fit.

Another option which I love is a windbreaker top to effectively make a wetsuit perform as at least 1mm thicker. You can find some examples in this thread, where I've gone into details: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2402603.

Or just reach out to Skymonster and get Jake's opinion. Jake-Skymonster here in this forum.

[Beardytello]

I kite on the IOM year round and pretty much stick to a 5/3 steamer all the time. There was one single day last summer when I went out in shorts and an impact vest and it was magical

Thanks, Berdytello. Isle of man is probably very similar to West of Central Scotland!
Is your 5/3 a front entry (warmer? ) or back entry (cooler?) and does it have internal lining(warmer?) ?
A lot of people say 4/3 could be warm enough but I guess the wet cool weather with rare sun and heavy clouds might mean 5/3 is a better choice for here? What is your view as for 4/3?
Are you ever hot in 5/3 on the I of Man?
Thanks!

Yeah I imagine it's probably similar, we might get slightly warmer temps depending how high up you are!

I have a mystic front zip, not sure about a liner, I don't think it has anything special.

Just ordered a 2mm long sleeve shorty for a trip to Majorca...going to see how it copes with summer over here lol!

I'm never too hot in a 5/3, it's pretty perfect for me I think.

[IainMacaskill]

If you want to ride into the winter you could try an electrically heated rash vest - https://www.heatedwetsuits.com/product/ ... eries-70m/

[TomW]

Sergei,

A suit like flashbomb had full fleece inside Makes a huge difference.
Front entry is actually better and more comfortable. Takes a few times to get the technique to put on and take off, but once you get it it's better than rear zip.
You can wear an edge shirt under or over. Both ways work well.

[iriejohn]

Sergei,

A suit like flashbomb had full fleece inside Makes a huge difference.
Front entry is actually better and more comfortable. Takes a few times to get the technique to put on and take off, but once you get it it's better than rear zip.
You can wear an edge shirt under or over. Both ways work well.

I'm curious, how is a front entry wetsuit better than a rear entry wetsuit that does not leak at the back, and why is it more comfortable?

[Beardytello]

Sergei,

A suit like flashbomb had full fleece inside Makes a huge difference.
Front entry is actually better and more comfortable. Takes a few times to get the technique to put on and take off, but once you get it it's better than rear zip.
You can wear an edge shirt under or over. Both ways work well.

I'm curious, how is a front entry wetsuit better than a rear entry wetsuit that does not leak at the back, and why is it more comfortable?

I reckon it's just personal preference.

I hate back zips because I'm a big inflexible oaf that struggles to do them up by myself

I also thing chest zips look much cooler. And we all know that's the most important thing.

[iriejohn]

Sergei,

A suit like flashbomb had full fleece inside Makes a huge difference.
Front entry is actually better and more comfortable. Takes a few times to get the technique to put on and take off, but once you get it it's better than rear zip.
You can wear an edge shirt under or over. Both ways work well.

I'm curious, how is a front entry wetsuit better than a rear entry wetsuit that does not leak at the back, and why is it more comfortable?

I reckon it's just personal preference.

I hate back zips because I'm a big inflexible oaf that struggles to do them up by myself

I also thing chest zips look much cooler. And we all know that's the most important thing.

Agree with that.

[TomW]

I find the zipper on my back and neck uncomfortable. Granted , I'm comparing a backup wetsuit that had been used 5-7 years with the new frontzip I bought.

[Exal]

I went 5/3 ripcurl flashbomb front zip and 3/2 mystic majestic zippless. I tried backzips aswell and for me, they were more restrictive than front zip. Didn't even knew I had a wetsuit on most of the time with the flashbomb. Well I should say hat I get cold more easily and was 77ish kg back then and used the flashbomb in cape town (february). As much as I appreciate peters input ... if you were his level of cold tolerance, you would not be asking if you need a thick wetsuit