4/3 yet in Jersrey?

I went out yesterday in WW with 3mm boots and gloves , no hood and a cheap 3/2 and I was out in 15 minutes after my eyelids started to stick

 

I definitely think it depends on age and individual tolerance. The older I get, the less tolerance I seem to have for the WIND. I'm OK with the water but those days with howling winter- like off shores are getting tough. I missed out yesterday, I was in PA playing paint ball. File that away under " the something to do when it's flat" category. That **** was intense! I captured the flag in one of the games. Not bad for an old guy.

 

the best winter surfwear accessory is body fat.believe it or not,it makes a huge difference.i have no bodyfat so I substitute with neoprene.if ur fat,ur warm and buoyant.skinny people sink and are cold.im not breaking out the 4/3 til the waters in the upper 40s,like 48degrees.a surfshop rented me a 4/3 in march a few years ago.i jumped in,and ran out.u cant play around with a cold sea

 

i was in yesterday for like 2 hrs in a patagonia r3 hoody. its a 3 mill with wool.

 

Sack up boyz. I'm out in board shorts and a rashy last few swells.

 

Couldn't have said it better. I always use a wetsuit even in 80 degree water due to buoyancy. I SINK like a ROCK. I can't float without a wetsuit. I have to extend a ton of energy swimming. Common sense would say what that means as far as safety in big waves goes. Put on a wetsuit and I can tread water for hours. I have this guy at work that sweats like a sweaty pig when it gets above 60. He's obese. I'm in a jacket in the same weather. lol

 

Pube wool?

 

I've thought until now of a wetty being necessary, yet added weight to your body weight, and that this extra weight needed floatation support via more foam in a slightly bigger board for winter. How buoyant is neoprene in actuality? I'm asking in seriousness, not saying it isn't.

So you're wearing a 2/2 in 80 degree water? News to me that anyone wears a full suit (even SS) in that temp. Not trolling bro, so don't pull that card. You're talking about expending much energy staying afloat while swimming, but who's actually swimming if you're surfing or sponging aside from when you fall off your board? If you're talking about wetty usage in the ocean outside of board sports, that's a whole different convo.

I won't begin to say body fat doesn't insulate the individual. I will say that I aspire personally for a net-net of safety and efficacy in surfing via the ergonomic advantage for movement from less body weight with lower body fat. Yes, fat insulates. However, muscle mass is a metabolic powerhouse and heat is a direct byproduct of caloric expenditure and metabolic processes. If you told me I could trade 2 pounds of fat for 2 pounds of muscle and stay at the same bodyweight, I'd say sign me up. Whatever I "lose" through less insulation is offset or exceeded in gain of thermogenesis through the added lean muscle.

I'm pretty lean and my body gives off lots of heat all the time, and I'm not going to say that is average. You seem to be more of an outlier than I though with your circulatory issues and such. With big wave riding I would think that restriction of movement through thicker and heavier rubber would cause energy expenditure concerns as well as more issues for someone in the act of self-preservation being thrown off a big wave and in the drink and soup than someone in lighter, more ergonomic rubber that's still keeping them warm enough. Aren't there very thin and lightweight PFDs including the pull-string ones to account for buoyancy concerns?

We are talking about numerous factors that have pros and cons for each so it all seems to be on a sliding scale. You want a reasonable amount of temperature protection for conditions yet also maximizing ergonomics as much as possible. This whole mummification through excess rubber sounds as outlandish to me as trunking it in the 50s.

 

Truth. Can't wait to go with 2mil topper and trunks and boots in EMass in early to mid June (doesn't look like late May this year) and then just trunks thereafter.

Yesterday was 48 degree air at sunset with 18mph offshores and 38-40 degree water. I charged for 90 mins in a 5/4 with 5mm claws and 7mm boots and only got out of the water because the sun went down and the tide went out, and in no way because of any chill. I could've gone without the hot shower post-sesh, that's how warm I still was. It was a constantly active sesh for sure, my best and funnest ever, but look at those temps boys. My right boot even has a tear at the high ankle that I need to patch and glue. Some of you bros are like geriatrics and could use a lil niacin in the veins!

I'm not even getting my buzz from going slightly hypo anymore and that's a problem because nothing beats that feeling. Maybe I'll go to the 3/2 with 3mm and 3mm and feel it out by the minute next sesh just to chase that cold buzz...

 

I've been in a 4/3 all year in nj. Mostly due to a teenagers budget

 

Just don't lose your board right?
Man, are you serious with that question. Well why even learn to swim then....just rely on your board. This really makes me question you sanity lol The fact why you would question the need to be able to float in the ocean if something goes wrong(losing a board is common in big waves, not a fluke) really makes me wonder about your common sense. One of the most basic things you have to be able to do is swim back to shore if you lose your board. BASIC WATER SAFETY. Being able to float is so important to not panicking if caught in impact zone currents and using less energy, therefore drown proofing yourself. People drown trying to fight to stay afloat. Usually exhaustion then drowning.

A pfd is totally useless and dangerous in waves. You can't duckdive or get under the water properly to avoid a wave. A wetsuit gives a perfect amount of buoyancy. Just enough to float someone who is naturally negatively buoyant. (Forget big wave surifng. That something entirely different. Their using that to pop back up in 50 foot waves that will keep them under so long that they'll drown. Their doing a risk calculation. It has nothing to do with normal waves. They have jet skis to come get them. It's a different game and an extremely dangerous one at that. Their risking their lives)

If I lie on my back, I sink. I can't float. With a wetsuit I float. It was a pretty simply experiment. Neoprene is VERY buoyant. It traps air. That's why it's an excellent insulator. If you were a diver, you'd be very familiar with how buoyant neoprene is. Divers need to calculate the need for extra weight based on the thickness . At the same time, the weuitsuit loses buoyancy and thermal protection as the bubbles in the neoprene are compressed at depth.(some diving suits have special made neoprene to survive the crushing at depth)

 

Def better off with the 6mm. My cold water tolerance is crazy high and I wouldn't touch a 4/3 until it hits at least 48. Plus its seems like its gunna be pretty nice size and barreling so you should be expecting to get thrown around.

 

I could see if the 4/3 was the only suit you had, cuz you're making it sound like you only have a 4/3. Why risk it and with such a small difference, does it really matter?

 

well, the water's pushing 45° around here now, so i decided to pack away the 5/4 this morning. committed to the 4/3 (an o'neill mutant, so still have the attached hood) next session, & sticking w/ 3mil gloves & 5mil boots. we'll see how it goes. comfort could be dependent on air temp & wind. maybe i'll just have to stay busy & catch a lot of waves. oh darn...

 

It's all mental. It makes no difference in performance as far as movement goes especially since he's layering anyway. Just silly. If anything you'd have better movement with one suit than trying to layerr a vest underneath

 

I rocked a 4/3, 5 mil boots, gloves, and a hood and was totally fine this weekend

 

I've been wearing a good 4/3 with hood since mid March here in RI.. Water has been hovering around 37. but air has been warm. Wear a vest underneath and it'll still be way more maneuverable than the 6mil...

 

I've been trunking it in Jersey since February 11th. Feels like bath water.

 

had an afternoon shred in the 4/3 w/ hood, 3mil gloves, & 5mil boots today & was toasty. actually had to push the hood back for a bit during a lull to let some heat escape. a guy did paddle out on a longboard w/out a hood, but he didn't last long.

 

Bro. Deep breath. Chill. Exhale. Repeat. You often sound like a TV preacher so exasperated, he's about to choke on his words.

Different situations call for different preparation and measures. So what situation(s) are we talking about here? Yes, I know very well that you can lose your board in a sesh. My leash snapped and I had the pleasure of saving my hide by swimming to the rock jetty in mid-February. I know all about it.

For that swim, would I have rather had the next thickness up (6/5 over a 5/4) for the increased buoyancy at the expense of more compromised movement and therefore greater energy expenditure for less propulsion? Hell no. It may be a fact wettys are buoyant, I don't know enough of that to comment either way. The air pockets you speak of are detrimental for warmth if we aren't talking about a dry suit. Everything is a tradeoff. You want X amount more thickness for a Y increase in buoyancy, well that comes at the expense of Z decrease in movement and energy economy. Plug those variables in and see how they correlate to the final product of survival and then select where you'd like your volume controls.

If I'm having to swim for my life, I want complete strokes and movements over world's best buoyancy that still only keeps my head and mouth just above water level where I can still swallow water accidentally if I'm (at this point) inspiring air in at an increased rate. In these conditions, the soup and swell is slapping you in the face repeatedly and covering your head intermittently in water no matter how buoyant your apparatus is. Are we trying to swim to safety or are we waiting for a chopper or boat to whisk us to dry land? The former is the answer since it takes much longer for the latter to get there than you want to be in such volatile water.

Bro, I tried disclaiming the statements as to not be inflammatory and really did try to have a legit discussion of this. But it's all over the place on your end, a smattering of five different scenarios that have five different correct answers and ways of looking at this topic. That and it's really more important to you so here brah, you can have it. I know what wetty I'm wearing in each set of conditions I charge in and that selection is made with high practicality. However, I opt not to join the rubberized-to-tha-gills club you and MVsurfer (where the Gruvi has that dude been lately?!?!) so endorse.

FLY A BANNER FOR LIBERAL MOVEMENT IN YOUR WETTY OF REASONABLE THICKNESS