I agree with the 65+ temps unless the air temps are a bit chilly. I got a pair of hurley phantoms that barely give me any chaf***e, are very stretchy, and dry really fast.
So YOU were not wearing rubber. I get it. Thanks for clarifying =) Im just playing with you. If you think 68 is warm, yes we disagree. Im not insulting your manhood by saying that if you surfed irene in Central Jersey and didn't wear a wetsuit, that you are "not" a charger... whatever. Thats not what I meant. Im just saying if you were paddling around in mid 60 degree, post hurricane surf in a speedo cause you "LONG" for it, than that is just you... Im just saying, ive seen dozens of shots of the pros that showed up for that swell, and they were primarily wearing wetsuits. It could be cold. It could be heavy. It could be heavy wind. You could be getting sucked up in big as$ closeout barrels.... So, unless these guys were just trying to get sponsor money from their wetsuit companies, they were all out there for one reason. Getting good waves and being out as long as its good... Since you are so keen on the subject, why dont you go through all the Quik Pro footage from day 1-2 in New York and point out all the "chargers" out there in trunks and jerseys... ohh thats right... They are not. They are wearing wetsuits. Cause its cold.... Just saying... stop hating on other people opinions. I just feel like most people i know that share your views are the "soul surfer" non conformist, I just want to be free guys. But if you are going to NOT wear a wetsuit, cause you think its cooler not too, or that you are so obstructed by the suit, then you in fact are conforming.... charger or no charger. I dont see how a lack of a wetsuit leads to anything positive. Less time in the water.... More shivering, less surfing. Suits provide Protection from elements. Less jelly fish stings. whatever... I cant think of one good reason why you are NOT wearing a wetsuit below 70 degrees. Call me the kook or whatever, but it just doesn't add up to me... P.S. The "I wear a 4 mil and no hood in the winter in A/C".... that was priceless man... I guess my message was loud and clear. Thank you.
I surfed the last two weekends in Central NJ in baggies and a rashguard. I too am no fan of the chafe from the boardshorts. It is not a macho thing, I just find, as a bit of a weekend warrior, I get gassed a lot quicker paddling in the lineup wearing a wetsuit.
really? Dude, I think you've missed the point completely. I'm not knocking anyone for wearing a suit regardless of the temperature. You wear what makes you happy and keeps you out surfing. I, for one, hate wetsuits, as i stated before. I don't like the confined feeling, i don't like the shoulder tug, i don't like the feeling of having a midget on my back slowly choking me out. I just do not like wetsuits. As soon as the water is bearable to be out in a pair of trunks, then that's what I wear. And I wear them until I have to put the dreaded full suit back on. I do wear rash guards when I need to, but until I am basically forced by the ocean to put a wetsuit on, then I'm not wearing one. Once again, you've missed the point completely. I could care LESS what anyone else out is wearing, especially the 'pros'. I could care less if they wore monkey suits, thongs, speedos, or whatever else they want to wear. But if you are wearing something because of what others are wearing, then you my friend are a follower. Try leading for a change. Conforming? Soul surfer? Dude, give me a break. I surf because I love it. Not for any other reason. My reasons for not wearing a wetsuit should be clearly stated above. And if you are cold, then wear the damn wetsuit. I don't get cold easily. I have surfed ALL summer long in shorts (some days w/ rashguard). The water, the ENTIRE summer, has been warm enough for ME to wear shorts. I don't care what you or the next guy wears. Wear what makes YOU comfortable and what keeps YOU in the water the longest. I've already got myself in check. Your message, however, is YOUR own feeling(s), not mine. Keep your preaching and rhetoric to a minimum here. I'll see you out there. I'll look for the guy wearing full rubber in July.
I understand completely where you are coming from. We each have our own opinions about it. I was just slightly alarmed at how angry you were initially about the wetsuit and the charger comment. Like I said, many good friends of mine side with you and they are trunking it as soon as possible. I just only choose to do so if its ideal conditions. Perfect warm summer weather.... etc... I love trunking it as much as the next guy, my as$ just gets cold. That's all. If cold water was tolerable to me, I would be right there with you....
If you took my initial post as 'angry', then my fault. It's hard to read feelings through posts on blogs. I was initially just disagreeing with you. No harm, no foul. Now let me get back to praying for something decent to come out of Katia. So far, we're getting skunked.
hey i know u aint bashin. I wear one pretty much year round cause while everyone else out there is all happy go lucky in trunks, I'm sititn on my board shiverin like a pig pink vibrator. I pretty much always need at least a spring suit. But hey, thats me, I almost never sweat and i'm almost always cold the hotter the better
i go by the 65+ water temperature rule of trunking it like many others have said. out in the water though i notice i'm sometimes the only guy trunking it lately. the water feels real warm to me still. warm by northeast standards. this water is real chilly compared to florida, the carribean, and hawaii. i'm a big guy weighing in well over 200 pounds, and boardshorts to me are comfortable so anything over 65 i'm in them. now if it's a crummy day, and the weather out is chilly, and only 65 degrees or cooler, but the water is over 65 i aint going out in boardshorts. i'm getting some rubber on if it's in the lower 60s, and overcast, and windy, but the water is 65 or over. sometimes if i do an early morning dp, or anytime in the morning, and the air is still cool i'll trunk it, because it will warm up within a couple hours. last year i forgot when i needed to start using rubber. i can probably find a post i made about it if i look. usually at least until the first of october unless the air starts cooling down fast. last year i might have been out in shorts in mid october. most years i'm good in mid october. one year i remember the last week in october it was real warm one day. in october i'll sometimes find myself putting a suit on one day, and then shedding it again the next day if the air warms up, and the sun is out. i go through that in late may early june also. one year i couldn't lose the rubber until last week of june, and that was probably in 09. the year we didn't have a spring, and the average temperature between april, and june were highs of 60 degrees. usually i'm good to shed it around memorial day weekend. shorts are more comfortable to me period though. not even just in the water. i'll wear some shorts in 55 degree weather in the winter when we get those rare temperatures we haven't gotten in january in a while. another good thing about working for myself is i don't have to go out wearing pants, and work boots. i can go to the jobs in a pair of camo shorts, and vans.
cold as ice...or hot blooded? hahha...man, this is a recurring thread as regular as the hating on spongers, sup-ers, long boarders and tourists. who gives a crap who wears what? understand just a little human physiology and one would never make a "kook " comment concerning someone else's cold or heat tolerance. i never hear anyone complain about being hot or cold unless the forecast they saw or read was wrong. otherwise, when you see 65 degrees posted, you wear what suits ya, 5/4, 2/2, or buck nekkid. jeesus christ, are you that bored...or that insecure about your own image? anyway, gotta run. i have another consistent swell to surf in the morning. i will be comfortable.
cause i'm free.....freeballin' i agree. a well made wetsuit does the job. it doesn't chafe, ride up or bind. if someone suffers from bad fit, they need a suit that matches their physique. it's why quality (and expensive) brands like O'Neill have WIDE range of sizes for both height and weight combinations. stay toasty, my friend
i hate wetsuits.when everybody's all riding the same board design and wearing the same suit in relatively warm water i am the freak.no leash no wetsuit equals the ultimate feeling of freedom. zach writes really long posts,knows everything,lives in cal,is never wrong,and is on the mid-lantic forum. i'm really sick of it.
Everybody is different. I'm usually fine in the lower 60s in just a pair of trunks. As far as chafing goes, buy some TYR shorts or something like that and wear them under the trunks. And for the nipples, they make these things called rashies.
He's all knowing in the surfing realm. It's alright, I tend to disagree with most of the people on here. Everyone is a know it all. All the aggro surfers from the water that everyone talks about tend to come on here.
If you're one of those I hate wetsuit types you should try out a long sleeve spring suit. Now they do look a little goofy and you won't see many people out wearing them BUT they take half as long as a suit with legs to put on and you don't get that tight suction feeling in your mid section that you occasionally do in a full. As long as the waters low 60s or above, i'm sold on the thing.
yea, i put my boardies on in early June and haven't taken them off since. 68 is not cold at allll. There were some days when i was chilly paddling out, but none where i was still cold after 10 minutes in the water. I find it hard to believe that you wear a fullsuit in 68 degree water and are not sweating your balls off
this "bathtub" water has given me a minor ear infection over the past week. give me ice cold winter clean water, thanks.
Anyone that was surfing the OBX this weekend in a full suit, I'm just going to go ahead and tell you that you had a big "I'M FROM OUT OF TOWN" sign hanging over your head. The water has been perfect for the past week (mid 70s) there was definitely no need for a full suit; a top I can understand for maybe the mornings but come on guys a full suit, really!? Not yet!
