Missing summer, but surf all year round?

Yeah, if you have been surfing a while now, it is probably about time that you move on to the next level, which is decent surf in the fall and winter. You will need a really thick suit for. Most guys go 5/4 with hood and gloves on here. I hate being cold, so in Jersey/OC MD, I need a 6 mil. Depends on your body type. If you are skinny/chubby etc.

But you will need a 5mil minimum once it gets to late december. The fall, you can get away with a 3 and 4 mil.

If you are as young as you sound, and dont have a lot of money to spend, you may want to try and find a suit that will accomodate the most conditions possible. So, your overall wetsuit that will be good for most of the year is a 4 mil. In OC MD, I wear a 4 mil usually all the way until its trunkable in July... Then in october, im back in the 4 mil.

So, for the average surfer, a 4 mil will be good for about 8 months of the year. Jan/Feb/Beginning of March, a 4 mil wont cut it. Not at all.

Good luck. And dont worry, once you graduate from school and are going out into the job field, or looking for schools, you will end up by the ocean. Ages 18-25 were the best surfing eyar of my life. You can move where you want. Surf where you want. Dedicate your whole existance to it. For now, just study and make sure you will have a job that can pay for your surf habit and the expensive coastal real estate that will plague you like the rest of us in the future. Pricey habit we all have. Its a struggle to stay right next to the sea. A constant battle.

 

I think mikeb2056 should be un-banned, so he can answer this inquiry...

 

its a kid that doesnt live near a beach but loves to surf. i was in the same position once too

 

Understood. Not picking on the kid, gotta like his stoke. Just miss mikeb's take on life and surfing in general and his intelligent arguments...

 

true that. such an interesting man

 

are you ppl serious?

the dude bashed 1. east coast surfing 2. winter surfing 3. east coast snowboarding

i'm sure everyone in this forum does at least 2 if not 3 of the above

his arguments were always just contradictory. arguing for the sake of arguing, not to prove a point

 

we were joking?

 

Sarcasm doesn't come across well on the internet. Yes, he was a kook, tool bag. Sorry to throw the thread off course.

 

i like zach's recommendation of a 4mil to cover as broad a base of water temps as possible...& depending on how tough/dedicated you are, you can push a good 4mil year-round. go to your local shop, try on a couple different brands. you want the fit to be kinda like a 2nd skin...no loose folds, not so tight you can't breath, no baggy areas, etc...if you've got a good local shop, the sales folk can work w/ you on fit & price & such. each brand is cut a little differently, so that's why it's important to try on a few different suits when you're figuring it all out.
good luck!

 

I agree try a cpl brands and see what fits you best you can also get deals on Suits , Boots and Gloves on sites like Backcountry Outlet, Whiskey Milita, Wetsuit Warehouse too and get last years run of suits for really cheap . Also since you said you were 16 you can always buy a 4/3 5 mil boots and 7 mil gloves and have your folks get you a 5/4/3 for christmas

 

I feel your pain NJ swell I live an hour from the water but I try to surf every week at least once. Some people can get away with wearing a good 4/3 with a hood all winter for about an hours sesh, but as far as spring and fall a 4/3 is a happy medium.

 

A good 3/2, and maybe boots/gloves, will get you into mid Octobe and maybe later if the weathers nice. Buy that for yourself ASAP and do what I did 20 some years ago. Wear your spring suit under the 3/2 with boots, gloves and a cheapo hood. Then BEG for a 5/4 (possibly a hyperflex) with 7 mil boots and lobster claw gloves for christmas.

 

If you are looking for a suit the surf in the Fall/Spring a 4/3 will do. Just make sure that it has a hood(don't buy one without a hood) and isn't the cheapest one out there.

I have friends who buy the cheaper wetsuits between 100-200 and they only last 1- 1/2 years even if they wash them regularly before rips start to allow water in. I still fit in my wet suit I purchased 4 years ago, it costed around 300-350 and is a oneill but it only has a small tear on the stomach(but that was from skegg) that doesn't even allow water in.

As for a 4/3 not being sufficent, I find it good for most conditions, I wear one towards the beginning of fall/end of spring and throughout winter. The only times I am cold before 1-2 hours of surfing is in the middle of winter in January/Feb when the wind is blowing hard.

Other than that a 4/3 is great, even with a hood you can choose to not wear it and allow it to dangle off the back if it is warm out with cold water. If you buy a 5/4 or 6 mil wet suit you'll find yourself either to hot or to cold on the fringe seasons while a 4/3 covers all the seasons around the New Jersey area except summer.

 

Depends on your body type. Like I said, i get COLD. Its 62 in the water in SD right now with 70 degree air and Im rocking a 4 mil already. So, if this kid is 16 and skinny, he will die in a 4/3 in the winter. I would. The technology of wetsuits are so sick now, that my 4 mil feels like a 2 mil while I have it on, so why not be comfortable. Any water temp Below 60 and im definately in a 4 mil.

And if I tried to get away with my 4/3 when its 40 degree water in February, I would turn into a locked up ice cycle in the lineup. I would just float out to sea.

So, its all a matter of preference. I know guys who trunk it all summer when im freezing in my 3 mil. I have like 2% body fat, which is great for my surfing, but not so great for my internal temperature guage.

When it comes to comfort and warmth, I always play the safe side...

But if you are only surfing a couple times a month in the winter, fu** it, charge it in a a 4/3, gloves, hood and boots. Im sure it is tolerable for an hour or so.

I just always play it safe. I hate when my joints get tight and my performance deteriorates due to internal heat.

 

I have seen 300-400 dollar suits fall apart in one seaosn too . Big price tag and quality dont go hand and hand. In my younger days I would go the whole winter in a 4/3 7mil boots and 5 mil mits with a squid lid . Now in my Older days if I wanna stay out for 4 hours I better be in a 5/4/3 or I wont last more than 2 hours

 

also, i'd definitely go for 5mm boots and gloves. i live at the beach and surf all months of the year and i dont own 3mm boots/gloves. there is a small time window where they are applicable and i will usually suck up the cold water without them (5mms) or just rock them and let them flush here and there to make sure i dont get too hot in them. as soon a the colder water rolls in i wear the boots and gloves til mid spring (i think) so i get much more use out of a 5mm boot/glove than a 3mm would.

just some more tips

 

I used to do that from time to time in my younger days and remember being able to barely move. Wetsuits have come a long way in the last 25 years. I remember my older bro's 1st wetsuit, it was 1 flat front panel and and 1 identical flat back panel with a zipper in the back. And it felt like water would completely flush through it every time you went under a wave. But hey, we were in the water. Makes me laugh. Now I'm older and have a wetsuit for every temp, but not enough time to use them. One of life's many ironies...

 

I get through fall, winter, and spring with my 3/2 and 6/5/4. If you're looking to get out past November, even the 3/2 with thermals won't be enough. Try to get at the 5/4 with 5mm boots/gloves and you should be good almost all year. The key is to be active as much as possible. If you're waiting 10-15 minutes in between sets, you will get cold much quicker. As Zach mentioned, it also depends on your body fat and metabolism. I have low body fat with an average to slightly slow metabolism so I tend to be colder than my friends. Don't restrict yourself to summer surfing only though. It is the worst time of year if you're serious about surfing.