Hi
I can't stand not being able to go out in the winter due to only having a 3mm steamer. I am thinking of splashing out big time and purchasing the Spartan 3D suit. I have been on their website and it sounds as though this suit will keep me warm on the coldest of winter days. Has anyone any experience of these suits who can give advice as its a lot of dosh (£370.00!!!) and I don't want to make a big mistake!

All I want is to be able to go out in winter no matter what the weather is like and be WARM! or is this an impossibility???!

Any advice would be most welcome.

Hi cj,

The Spartan suits are certainly warm and cosy, as many here will testify. They are also pretty expensive as you have pointed out. For a cheaper alternative that will keep you warm throughout the winter, take a look at the Sola semi-dry suits (The one with a 'dry' horizontal zip across the back.) They used to be called 'Concept' but may have chagned their name. They are very similar to the spartan (without the extra undersuit), but you can always buy a 2mm vest/hood, or even wear a shorty under it if you wanted. you shouldn't need to though as the suit itself is warm enough throughout the winter. Although you will probably want a hood as well.

the Sola suits are much cheaper as well..They retail at around £250, but I got mine for £149...shop around and see what deals you can find.

Al.

CJ,

I have a Spartan - the one down from the 3D (cant remember the name but go for about £280). Very, very warm.

As Al suggested you will find sola or similar, good alternatives. A guy use to advertise on ebay - something like wetsuit warehouse???? Good deals on branded wetsuits.

One recommendation is to wear a thin neoprene vest underneath your current suit. Its like a surfers rash vest but thicker - it basically keeps your body nice and toasty. You can also wear it in the summer as they give UV protection. Retail at about £30.

I find comfortable winter sailing is all about being warm b4 you start. Since buying my new suit it has improved my sailing to another level as im not apprehensive about falling in and getting cold (almost the opposite now). It makes you go for things and you learn from the mistakes.

what size are you? i got a medium sola, extreme titanium for sale, brand new, with dry zip across the back,
let me know
cheers
tim

One of the most important things (if not THE most important) factor when buying any wetsuit is the fit. If it doesn't fit properly, then no matter how good it is, it just won't keep you warm.

Everyone is different and all manufacturers suits are different. Their sizes vary, as do the cut, so try lots on before you buy and find the ones that fit you best. they should be snugg everywhere, but not restrictive.

The guy on ebay is wesuit outlet i posted a link on iwindsurf yesterday the prices seem to be ok

I just added the link to the links section of Forces of nature hope this helps

Al

Sorry to me thick - but what exactly is the difference between a dry suit and a semi-dry suit ?

Alex

A drv suit is worn over thermals, and actually keeps you totally dry. A Wet suit, steamer, lets the water in slowly, which then heats up due to your body heat, and although you are a tad wet, you are still really warm.

Ive always had custom made SNUGG wetsuits, which are great, but this year I tried a BODY GLOVE, thermulator pro, and its awesome. As I teach Im in the water for up to 5 hours at a time, and still warm.

If you are interested, try craig at the beach house on 01654767979.

I've never actually seen anyone wearing a dry-suit for windsurfing / kitesurfing etc. But I think the Americans do... They wouldn't wouldn't they!!

There is a company called Ocean Rodeo that makes dry-suits in this country specificially for kite-surfing... At least i saw them advertising in a kite-surf magazine. As Shem says dry suits keep you completely dry and are therefore useful for secret agents as you can swim into the evil arch-enemies secret underwater hideout and still look swanky in your tuxedo and bow-tie that you were wearing under your drysuit!!

If you do use a dry suite for kiting/windsurfing make sure you expell all the air trapped in it before going onto the water. Otherwise you'll float like a cork and won't be able to swim... Worse still you'll probably float face down and drown! You can expell the air by crouching down whislt holding the neck seal open. I guess that they would be OK for kite-surfing and windsurfing, and as they are less tight fitting than wetsuits, kiters wouldn't need to wear overtrousers to look cool.

The other thing is, as with most things there are lots of different types. The best are made from breathable materials such as goretex, and obviously cost quite a bit. You'll end up pretty wet in a cheaper model as you'll sweat like mad and theres no where for it to go....

Finally, don't pee in your drysuit!!!!

Al.

Oh....Just had a look at the wetsuit outlet site posted further up by Scotty, and the front page has a breathable drysuit for £279, could have saved myself some typing if I'd looked at that first.

While I'm at it, heres the link for the Ocean Rodeo drysuit...


Al.

hi just a quick note asking for advise on the drysuit option instead of 6mm neoprene as i need a new suit to carry on windsurfing now for winter (10 degrees or less)

Hi Steve... Good to see you here. Have you been out lately, I haven't seen you at Borth, and haven't seen any diary entries.

As I said earlier I haven't seen anyone wearing drysuits in this country, and that alone probably means that they aren't ideal. Theres lots of things to be aware of. First up, it just isn't necessary in the temperatures we get here. I go out in all temperatures (I think the coldest including wind chill was minus 16¬?C), with just a 5/3mm wetsuit on a hooded vest and boots. My Semi-Dry Sola suit is warmer than my 5/3mm suit, but if its soaking wet and the 5/3mm is dry I'd reather climb into that one and let the other one dry out. I also always use the 5/3mm for surfing, which is a much colder sport than windsurfing.

Drysuits are more restrictive. The material isn't stetchy like neoprene, so the suits are big and baggy meaning that you get material bunching up in places you probably don't want it to, and they make you feel big and bulky.

You'll need a new harness as well... Because you have to wear several layers of clothing underneath the drysuit, you;ll probably have to invest in a bigger harness as well as the suit.

I also don't know how effective they are in wave environments. I'm sure if you are getting rinsed around in a monster washing machine that some water must get in through the seals.

If I were you I'd just go for a good winter wetsuit, they are plenty warm enough, cheaper and probably more practical... Besides, wheres the fun if you're not getting wet!!!


Someone out there may of course use a drysuit and have a completely different opinion to me???
Al.

In the Centre I used to work most of the instructors had one- they're probably more comfortable for if you spend half the time sat in a rescue boat getting cold and half in the water. But I've also never seen anyone wear one in the last decade - although in my Dad's book from the early 80's they all had'em (along with wooden booms and some radical black and white 'head dip' photos - still the old boy's favourite trick)
My Snugg suit is a surfing one but has lasted 5 years including 9 months solid (daily) use while I was instructing, so I can vouch for them.

I've had a Second Skin 5/3 suit in the past which along with a hood and boots did a very good job of keeping me warm. However it's become quite inflexible now that it's about 3/4 years old so I've replaced it with the Spartan 3D Dry which I got for £100 off from Bray watersports a couple of months ago.

The Spartan really is superb and has completely taken away the "fear" factor of falling in wintery UK seas. I'm usually pretty dry underneath even when I've been out for a few hours and had plenty of catapulted dunkings.

Look on the rec.windsurfing newsgroup for the drysuit stuff. They all seem to swear by the "Kokatat" goretex suit made for kayakers & I think they may be stocked at the watersports shop down on the Embankment (if you're in London sometime). However v.expensive compared to even a full-price Spartan.

P.S. Another quick and easy way to "upgrade" your wetsuit is to get some velcro straps to lash round your ankles thus sealing in the wetsuit-over-boot join. Possibly worth it for wrists as well as long as this doesn't lead to forearm cramp. it's the ingress of cold water that is the worst thing (and which the semi-dries with a brass zip are particularly good at stopping.)

[Edited on 13-1-2004 by markh]

Here I am... The crazy one who windsurfs in a drysuit in the UK. How do they fair in waves - well I can only speak of my Typhoon Hypercurve (curved back zip) but absolutely no problems or water ingress even in a force 8. Yes drysuits used to be sweaty, bulky, and generally impractical for windsurfing... but times have changed and now there is no need to freeze your t*@ts off whilst struggling out of a tight and streatchy semi exposing your wet rash vest to the beloved wind, which then seems to cool you to the core faster than a dunk in liquid nitrogen - we all know the feeling! The new generation of suits are tailored for a better fit... even in sub-zero temps the act of windsurfing itself is surprisingly warm in a drysuit and a thermal base layer vest together with tracksuit bottoms / thermal longjohns are plenty warm enough. Yes you'll need extra layers if you sit around all day in a safety boat etc, but for active windsurfing it simply isn't necessary. Hence no bulk, no new harness, and as for restricted movement... Here's a question for you: Do you feel like you have restricted movement walking around in jeans and T-shirt. Seriously, wearing a drysuit is like wearing clothes - I find it much less restrictive than steamers/semis - Again older suits were restrictive, the zip either prevented you from crossing your arms if it wasa rear zip, or bunched up in front of you if it was a front zip - Now they have moved the zips higher and can build in shape to them so that you have full range of motion. simply awesome. Of course there is one small point that is still an issue... no urination allowed - although I have seen some suits that have a "relief flap"! Price wise - much the same as a semi, I paid £210 for mine and have used it for windsurfing, sailing and kayaking. In all honesty, semis are great on the water, but they are a pain to get on and off and you get cold unless you have changing rooms/van when they are half on, half off. Drysuits are warm on and off the water, you never have to expose naked flesh to the elements, and they are easy to get on and off, and you just shake them off and they are virtually dry... no need to ever put on a wet wetsuit... but then again, you can't pee in them. Both have pro's & cons, but whereas a few years back the semi was the only contender for winter windsurfing, I think times have changed and the main reason people don't use them in the UK is simply "no one uses them in the UK" and not many people are prepared to fork out a couple of hundred squid on something that may not work. (I run the RYA courses at Southampton University, kayak and sail, so for me it was a worthwhile purchase even if it had turned out to be a flop for windsurfing, but it wasn't).

aha! on my third /fourth season ikitesurfing in drysuits now and on my second suit; (fault in the first) loads of us where them here at borth. they are superb!! Steve Bus bought one last year and loves it on his windsurfer too.

Ha Ha

Drysuits for Windsurfing lol they have there limitations as for Kitesurfing.

I do wear one for teaching Windsurfing as I do for teaching Dinghy sailing and for sitting in a Rescue boat.

But I think they suck, bet Steve Bus hasn't had to swim after his kit in a big squall while its tumbling over the water, bet he wouldn't catch up with it in a loose fitting dry suit! I also tried one many years ago too for slalom watersking, the extra drag on your arms was amazing.

I had an interesting experience last year, after listening to all your hype, I thought I'd give it another go. I opted to wear my wetty underneath just in case. After sailing for a while I popped my zip! The result, a drysuit full of water. It weighed a ton, luckily I hadn't dropped my kite to, so I could pull myself in. Without the wetty underneath, I think I could of been in deep sh!t.

Like I said in my other post, they do have there uses,Its horses for courses, each to there own.

Dunks

Forgot to add, my Snugg wetsuit is the best suit I've ever owned.

Made to measure and made in the UK for £275

Check out, www.snuggwetsuits.co.uk

just a scientific reply to your dry suit weighing a ton when full of water Dunks: specific gravity of water is 1. water weighs the same inside the suit as it does outside the suit so if you are still in the water it balances out and equals nothing. no weight gain or loss only the weight of the suit and will not drag you under. if you get out of the water however it will weigh 1 Kg or abouts per litre of water trapped inside.
tiss the same with a wellington boot full of water if you fall in the river etc, it weighs no more than the weight of the boot and will not drag you under; but if you get out of the river it will weight 1Kg/litre of water trapped inside the boot.
maybe see you saturday evening as i am coming down for sunday.

Lol I know that Neil,

Ok Then, its like towing a big bucket! the water gets inside and causes loads of drag if your zip goes...

Trust me......... been there.

I'll have left by the time you arrive mate,I'm leaving after I've sailed. I've got to run the second part of a Safetyboat course Saturday.

Dunk

[Edited on 20-11-2008 by dunk]

Being a water lover, as many as on here, Ill ask one question " whats the problem with getting wet when you go in the sea"? Yes its cold at times, but even when u ware a dry suit you end up wet inside it anyway, if not from leaks from sweat. Each to there own I geuss, and I totally understand the camper van guys and drying problems, etc, but personally I wear a wet suit, chuck it in a tub, leave it in the tub then put it back on next time I go out, bit nippy at times, but hey ho, If I wanted to stay compleatly dry, and 100% warm, Id play darts or indoor football. LOL. A good steamer keeps youy massively warm, I quite often come in from kite surfing with totally dry patches inside my wet suit. A big issue is having a well fitting wet suit, like dunk was mentioning Snugg wetsuits are the best out there, especially as they offer a custom service. From a safety point of view a wet suit is always better. Surfers have survived over night in wetsuits when stuck in British seas, a faulty dry suit could be a death sentence.

yep Shem my Spartan fits like a skin and is fantastic for warmth and for short durations but i needs to peeeeeeeeeee; too much beer i guess, so the dry suit allows me to come in after a few hours on the water, take it off have a peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, a coffee and some snack then put it back on and go out for another few hours.
i think because i only get the chance to go out on the water after driving 3 hours and usually only at the weekends i want the luxury of spending as much time on it as poss.......ok for you local guessers who can just pop down the road , or even over the road for a quick sail.
when its warmer i do wear my shortie all the time or even just my shorts. sometimes.
LOL Dunk have a good day at the course and will pop in to see you next weekend?

I fully understand your needs Neil, except for the pee one, love peeing in my suit I do, especially when its bone dry and Im not planning on going in the water for a good half hour, ooeerrrr, loverly! Im going to use my now nackered dry suit over a shortie for paddle boarding, as Im not planning on getting very wet, Ill find a use ofr it yet!