Winter Suit Hood Issues

Have you tried using a thinner suit? Do you get the same issues?

Where are you from? You don't really need more then a 5/4/3 in most of the Northeast, it might be easier on the neck.

 

Have you tried using a thinner suit? Do you get the same issues?

Where are you from? You don't really need more then a 5/4/3 in most of the Northeast, it might be easier on the neck.

 

Seconding the claim that no more than a 5/4 is needed anywhere unless you are a circulatory patient and you probably shouldn't be charging winter waves anyway.

How strong are your neck, shoulders, and upper back? Mine are on the higher end and I know that helps me so I won't take for granted what it's like for someone who's more ectomorph than I am. The cold itself is causing all muscles to contract more than normal and that will result in greater tension, burn, etc. Also, if you're only charging every so often then your paddle muscles will be shocked on and after the days you charge. Keep in mind that restriction of suits makes for less efficient biomechanics which is actually more work and tension than skilled movements. It takes me a day of "practice" to get my quality movement patterns back if I haven't paddled in the 5/4 in a couple weeks or first time in a season.

The consensus on an unattached hood is that washout is way increased so rule that out. They even make 5/4mm suits without hoods? That blows me away, both that I didn't know that (my wetty quiver is as excessive as board and Carver quivers) and that to be in water where your legs or other parts need 5/4 coverage but not your head, you definitely have a circulatory issue.

Custom made wetty solves ALL such fitment issues. The more you're in the cold gnarl the more it perplexes you how anyone could go out in this in anything that's not like a second skin.

 

You can get away with a 5/4 anywhere as long as it's a high-end, sealed suit. The advances in seam sealing are what allows us to go 1 mil thinner (5mil instead of 6mil). At this point I believe the 6mils are low-end suits.

That said, I'd try a hooded 5/4 or 5.5/4.5, and maybe try a size bigger than you currently have. Try different brands too...they all vary a bit. Most surf shops will let you take them home, try them on and return them if they don't fit. I agree with Emass...the separate hood will likely flush horribly.

 

imo they should make wetsuits with the following options:

1. giraffe neck extension
2. xtra monkey long arm extensions
3. etc

 

I'm a circulatory patient. I need a 6mm in november.
Definitely get removable hood if the ones with attached ones aren't comfy for you. That way you can find a hood that fits perfectly

 

Get a custom made suit. It might cost a bit more than a regular suit that's very good in quality, if even more at all. If you spend hundreds on a suit that doesn't fit in one or more areas, it's costing you enjoyment and safety, not just money. People's' bodies are so disproportionate on many occasions, but comfort and safety and efficacy of a suit comes from an ideal fit. Wettys are made for a proportionate frame relative to regular, tall, and short frames. A wider shoulder girdle, longer or shorter trunk, long neck and many other singular irregularities aren't accounted for. Get a custom suit.

 

They make hoods w/ attached vests too, minimize the flushing.

 

Safety First.

 

Bingo. Cervical pain and distress isn't a great thing for your skeletal-muscular systems if you're charging on the reg in a less than fitting suit with muscles that could use an increase in flexibility and balanced strength.

Chiropractic issues aside, look up the effects of hypothermia and watch a YouTube video or three showing what people look like when hypo. We are going out in EXTREME conditions people, if we are charging winter waves. Preparation is needed then more than ever. That includes any additional training your specific body needs for function as well as proper equipment.

Would you buy a pair of running shoes that don't fit because of narrow feet if you ran long distances (extreme conditions analogy) or would you get something that's modified to fit you as best as possible? Get a custom wetty if those on the market aren't fitting you properly. Or don't charge waves in extreme conditions with questionable equipment relative to your body. Would you hike K2 with a sleeping bag that wasn't tight enough to be warm and expect to be comfortable and safe?

 

Where do you get a custom suit?

 

Not true.
The hands are getting cold because the body is freezing and drawing in blood from the extremities.

Wetsuits are basically designed for california where water temps are 50 degrees or more. These large companies don't look at the ec at all. They market 6mm and 5mm suits to people in California for winter all the time. A 6mm is nothing for an ec winter. Truth is, a 14mm core would be more appropriate when air temps are in teens. Just look at what divers wear. Hard to move obviously in that

 

Bro. I surfed for 3 hours yesterday. The air was 18 and water 35. I did have to duck dive half a dozen to a dozen waves at least although I avoided it when possible. Add in getting tossed on a few botched takeoffs and plenty of spray in the face from paddling into waves and my form-fitting suit definitely had some liquid in it. Was wearing a 5/4 Drylock and at the end of 3hrs, I'm not shivering in the least. Feet cold? Damn right. But they had a pint of seawater in them. Hands cold? Thumbs, yeah.

Oh and forgot that the offshore wind was low to mid 20s for half the sesh then high teens the other half with gusts double that. NW wind. Not warm wind. Am I thermogenic? Yeah. Was I paddling the whole sesh due to beachbreak placement and battling the wind pulling me? Yeah. Was it still 3hrs in 18/35/25? Yeah. Wasn't even slightly hypo at the end bro. Probably going to a 4/3 Drylock for next winter season since this thing makes me even sweat on those days.

6/5/4 for even NorCal? 14mm for ANYTHING? Man, you must have some strange form Raynaud's Syndrome for the whole body, not just extremities. At which point, no, charging nor'easter swell is NOT advised.

 

I won't claim any firsthand knowledge of them either hearing it anecdotally or researching them much to any extent but I have come across numerous sites in the past while trying to find wetty deals. They are out there and seems to be a competitive market. Carapacewetsuits.com is one and they seem to have a 5/4 that's the same retail price as most of the name brands. As much as I love XCEL, would I tell you to wear one that didn't fit your unique proportions if you couldn't find a good fit for your body? Heck no. Water pockets anywhere spell trouble in cold, especially in regulatory areas.

Would love to know more about custom wettys over time and hear any personal accounts. Can't see how it wouldn't be great if the seams were taped properly and good stock was used. A simple Lougle search will give you a bunch of competing manufacturers.

I'm nearly done wearing clothes that aren't custom made because nothing out there seems to be made for certain athletic frames and I've had enough of too baggy here, too tight there. And these are dry clothes, not a protective layer for charging lethal temperatures in without said covering. Only makes perfect intuitive sense to me. Then again, I'm sweating in 18 F air in a top of the line wetty I got at half price off-season on closeout so I'm good with that.

 

If the custom suit is made well, you'll never get a better fit than that. That's for sure.

 

LOL....No I think being cold when it's in the teens for air and water in 30's is actually normal and not a syndrome.
Dude, do you understand how cold our water/air in new england is compared to anywhere else in the surfing world? Do you really think they design wetsuits for our relatively tiny new england winter surf population. Plenty of people in Cali with 5mm and 6mm suits on. PLENTY. That's what they were designed for.
Divers use 14mm(core) all the time in colder waters.

Remember when you first came on here, I told you about the importance of a hood in 40 degree water? The ears? You're a polar bear dude. LOL

 

I was actually thinking of etting this http://www.wetsuitwearhouse.com/page/WW/MS976XH3
xcel 9mm suit, but they don't have it in my size. That would extend me into mid/late november. Right now, I don't go out if it's less than 50 degree air temp and I'm cold when it's below 55.

 

I use a 5/3 with a 2 mil hood all winter and I'm fine.