If you’re reading this it’s because you’re onto the fact that there is no such thing as “the season,” especially when it comes to surfing. If you want to improve your surfing at whatever level you’re at, you need to surf when there’s surf, and surf happens at various times in the week all year round, everywhere in the world. As with surf coaching, when people ask, “How many ________ (sessions, wetsuits, boards) do I need?” my answer is always the same: “More is more.” More coaching, more wetsuits, and more boards will make you a better surfer. Wetsuits and boards, however, as physical products, do have more of a limit in the sense that there is an ideal amount of gear you can reach and be covered for a year or two.
I have been a NY based surfer for over a decade now, and I grew up surfing the always-cold waters of Northern California, so my pursuit for ideal wetsuits has been persistent throughout my surfing career. I am obsessed with finding the lightest, warmest, and most flexible gear for every season. As I wrote in the 2016 post, NY water temps vary by about 30 degrees per year and some months have more fluctuation in them than others. These are the transitional times of year — mostly spring and fall, but summer can throw us a doozy sometimes if the wind goes NE or there’s upwelling from some all day SW winds, causing us to break out our 3/2 fullsuits in a season where we’re supposed to be in spring suits or trunks. Winter water temps — roughly December-May — are the most consistent and gear does not fluctuate. You need to have as many body parts covered in neoprene as you possibly can. The upshot of building the ideal year-round NY wetsuit quiver is that you’re covered to surf ANYWHERE else in the world, at any time of the year.
I am not sponsored by any brand. I simply look for the warmest and best gear because my m.o. is all about being comfortable and surfing a lot. I tend towards the more expensive end for personal gear because when you surf all of the time you do notice a huge difference between higher and lower end products. In general, when the water is warm you have a larger wiggle room for getting something on the cheap, as the stakes for hypothermia are pretty much nil. With winter gear I advise against budget products because frostbite hurts a lot.
I will say that over all the brands I have purchased over the years I’m in love with Still Blue Wetsuits New York and Tokyo. They have sourced a proprietary Japanese neoprene that is hands down the most flexible and warm product on the market. I think only a few other Japanese brands like Axxe and Rash have access to this stuff. All of their websites are difficult to navigate and there is a bit of “lost in translation” cultural barrier to ordering the suits. But! But! When you break through it and get your custom measurements in, you’re set. From Still Blue I own a 4mm hooded suit with chest zip for winter, a 3mm chest zip for fall, early winter, and late spring, and a 2mm back zip spring suit for late spring, summer, and early fall. These are hands down the warmest, most flexible, and durable suits I have yet to surf in. In some ways my 2mm spring suit can be too warm, and I opt for my 2mm Ripcurl if it’s borderline trunks territory.
The Still Blue 2mm spring suit. Photo: Juan Heredia
2mm Ripcurl spring for a cooking day in Rhode Island. Photo: Dan Lee
You will notice that many mainstream brands boast “Japanese neoprene.” It’s only partly true. They are blended with Japanese neoprene and as such they are better than suits that are not. But they are not as warm nor are they as flexible as suits made 100% in Japan with 100% Japanese neoprene. The 4mm Still Blue hooded chest zip winter suit, for example, lets very little water in and dries in less than an hour, so you can do multiple sessions in just the one suit. In a comparable Ripcurl, Xcel, Quiksilver, Patagonia, or Billabong you’ll feel warm, but ultimately they all get heavy, tiresome, and cold. It takes about 3 of those suits to last what the Still Blue will do in one day. I know this because when the waves are good in the winter I will still surf 4-8 hours in one day. The Still Blue suits ARE NOT CHEAP. They are a major investment, but one that I argue is ultimately better for your surfing because you can focus on the surfing more than your body or the cold. When doing custom measurements I recommend reporting 1-2cm less on each measurement than the tape suggests. This is because a wetsuit should always be slightly too small on you rather than just right. It’s a neoprene suit, not a wedding a suit. They create all of their suits with some leftover room in the shoulders for ease of entry and paddling. So in what follows I think that Still Blue (and probably Rash and Axxe) are the superior products in terms of pure surfing performance. In the warmer months it’s less crucial to have the absolute best, and then all other brands are viable. I will note some suits from other makers that I love and will continue to use. But for winter once you go Japanese you cannot go back. I’m getting away with a 4mm when other people are in 6mm — they are truly that good. Still Blue does offer a 5mm option. I fear being too warm, but make get one this year just to try it out.
A note about “ethical” products: Neoprene is nasty business. It’s getting better. I think the Japanese companies, being smaller and more expensive, are manufacturing the suits in the most ethical way possible by paying their tailors a handsome amount to construct the suits with care. Most all mainstream wetsuit companies are building their suits in two factories in Thailand. They pay the workers well in these factories. Each company develops its own proprietary silhouettes for each season, and works with different developers to figure out new neoprene blends. Most surf brands are trying to figure out how to make neoprene “cleaner” or from recycled plastics. Yulex is its own kind of neoprene, which is fully plant based. That’s what Patagonia uses but it’s not proprietary to Patagonia. Any wetsuit brand can work with Yulex to source the product. Patagonia’s suits are heavy and have a long way to go with R&D before they are competitive with the mainstream brands that have sponsored pros on the tour in terms of the flexibility and warmth combination. Also, they won’t make suits with color panels not because they can’t but because they refuse to. It’s a purity claim about the black wetsuit and I find it bunk. I surf a lot black suits, but love a flash of color if a maker will provide it. Patagonia will fix your suits for free, however, and that’s a nice perk. I just don’t think they have the greatest claim to being “the most ethical” wetsuit manufacturer. In terms of survival and performance in cold water, I’d say you are ultimately better off going with a suit that is light and warm rather than heavy and cold, regardless of how the brand markets its “ethical practices.” You also have your own body type and budget to consider. Obviously a custom suit is going to be the best for the widest variation in bodies. But then again some people find that a certain brand fits their body perfectly. For example, I’ve found that Ripcurl is a small person’s manufacturer — their suits fit me like I am their fit model for a Men’s S — and that Xcel and Oneill tend to run a bit larger and fit fuller bodies better. Women still have a bit of an uphill battle finding gear that is made as well as men’s gear for colder water, but it’s out there. Ripcurl, Xcel, Oneill, and Sisstrevolution are leading the charge. And of course, women can get suits custom made by any of the Japanese companies I’ve listed. With that all said, I’ll give a break down of the suits you want for the different seasons/months, geared towards NY surfing, but with notes for other regions.
Fall
September — 75-65 degree water/65-100+ degree air
The beginning of fall boasts the warmest water temps in NY in the entire year. We’re talking about 75 degrees. But also the air can start to cool down and we can get chilly winds from the N or NE that may make you rethink trunking it. A pair of shorts, or your favorite bikini, however, are still an option, especially in September heat waves. These obviously translate to all tropical locations in the world. You may want a 1-2mm wetsuit jacket or shirt to keep your chest warm and the sun off of your arms. Because the stakes are so low for this product buy according to your aesthetics. There’s a ton of stuff out there. I’m normally in one of my 2mm long sleeve spring suits. The first is the aforementioned back zip 2mm by Still Blue and the other is my 2mm zipper less by Ripcurl. Love both of them, but the Ripcurl is thinner and less warm, so it’s for those days that I could be in trunks, but want the protection and insulation of neoprene instead. I like having the two so that I can put on a dry suit if I’m doing multiple sessions and then of course one is warmer than the other. The Still Blue is in fact warmer than my Xcel Comp 3/2 full suit. I never wear anything with short sleeves in the water because I surf for too long and I hate the tan line. Ditto for vests. If you like vests or “farmer John/Jane” styles and short sleeves, go for it, as they are all options for this time of year. Many surfers love a short sleeve long legged suit throughout the warmer months. I used to, but don’t own one anymore. I prefer long sleeve with short legs.
I rarely will don a full suit in September unless it’s unseasonably cold. Then it’s time for a 3/2 full suit. Any old 3/2 will do for September. I have three: an Xcel chest zip Comp, a Ripcurl Zipperless Heat Seeker, and the Still Blue chest zip. The Xcel is a few seasons old and I got it on Evo.com for $100. It’s a cool teal green color. It has served me well in Southern California and Portugal. The Ripcurl is super warm for a 3/2 and I do love the zipper less technology even if it flushes a little. However the Heat Seeker suit’s seams are awful. They break within 3 months. It’s a great idea for a suit — and they make them for men and women — but it’s not sustainable. For the price you may as well get a custom. Your 3/2 (or 3/2s) will be your most used suit in NY and around the world. If you have it in your budget get a cheaper one with basic construction and a top of the line one that will keep you warmer and more flexible when the water gets into the mid-upper 50s. Australia, New Zealand, Basque Country, France, Chile — there are so many surfing destinations you can use your 3/2s. Since a 3/2 is the most widely produced suit you can get creative with aesthetics. I love suits that are color blocked so I’ll look for whatever brand is doing that. My Still Blue is black with a little yellow chevron. I like the touch. Like the 2mm spring it runs very warm, so I only break out it out when it starts getting really chilly. If you plan to surf over rocks or reef in September you may want a pair of reef booties/socks. The faint of foot swear by them. I can’t do it, I’ll take the cuts instead.
October — 70-60 degree water/45-100+ degree air
Still some warm days left in October and the 2mm springs aren’t unreasonable. As the month progresses cold snaps can set in and you’re considering wearing one of your 3/2s more often. If you run cold, you’re always in a 3/2, even in the middle of summer. Now is the time to break out the “squid lids” and hooded shirts. I no longer do hooded shirts and vests as I find them annoying and the squid lid technology is so good these days. Hoods are unisex, you just have to find your size. There are two main varieties: the chin strap lid and the one that covers your neck. I prefer the latter because it’s like a scarf. This will boost your warmth exponentially. I always find that having my head and neck covered keeps my extremities warmer even if they’re uncovered. Plus it’s easy to stash a spare hood in your bag and throw it on if you find yourself unseasonably cold. Another option is a thinner hooded fullsuit. This is only for the surfing obsessed I’d say. I have a 3mm zipper less hooded suit by Isurus that I absolutely love. Dries fast too. It’s an excellent suit year round in Northern California where I grew up, and it’s super awesome here in NY in the transitional months. I am used to wearing hoods because I have congenital ear problems and have been in hoods plus ear plugs since I was 6 years old. Towards later October my main kits are the 3mm hooded Isurus and the 3/2 Still Blue chest zip with a detachable hood. I try to stay out of booties for as long as I possibly can. I love to feel my feet in the wax. Some people find the lack of sound from wearing a hood very disorienting. If you’re one of these people you’ll want to start packing a pair of booties in your surf bag. 3mm and 5mm will do for early fall. I really like the Vans boots in both thicknesses. Xcel has always made excellent boots as well. Same for Oneill. With the thinner boots aesthetics come into play. You’re just putting a thin layer of neoprene over your feet to keep off a little frost or to help surf over rocks as in Santa Cruz, Chile, Portugal, Australia, and Rhode Island. If you are on a tighter budget forgo the 3mm boots and just skip straight to 5mm or 7mm. More on those next.
3/2 Still Blue full suit. Pic: Thomas Lagrega
November — 60-50 degree water/35-70 degree air
Bye bye spring suits for a long time, unless you’re going to Hawaii, then you may want to pack one. Water is warm there year round, but they get strong trade winds and cold snaps too, and it’s not unheard of for Hawaiian surfers to bust out a spring suit now and again. In NY November is a tricky month and super transitional. You can get away with the same hooded 3mm and 3/2 with a detachable hood combo for many days in November (that is if there is even surf here). Some people buy 4/3mm full suits for this time year, and wear them into December. I personally don’t own a 4/3mm suit. As soon as it is cold enough, and it can get this cold in November, I’ll be in my hooded 4mm winter suit without gloves or booties. This is the “San Francisco kit.” I’m from the Bay Area so I’m just used to surfing 50 degree water temps with a hood and no gloves and no boots. Water doesn’t drop below 49 out there, so there’s rarely a need to wear the boots. Here in NY if it snows I’ll wear booties, and probably put on my 7mm mittens too. So by November you should be ready for some very low temp days. This means you want to already own a pair of 7mm mittens and 7mm booties. For mittens, Xcel and Ripcurl are still the best. If you must buy 5 finger gloves, just get a thin pair for the transitional months. When it’s truly cold you do not want any digits separated. Trust me. It hurts. The lobster claw gloves seem like a good idea until your index fingers almost fall off from frost bite. They don’t dry. They should not even be manufactured. 5mm 5 finger gloves are worthless as well. You only need two kinds of hand coverings: thin 5 finger gloves in 1, 2, or 3mm and 7mm mittens. If it’s cold enough for 5mm, it’s cold enough for 7mm. Just get the 7mm. The thinner gloves are for wind chill and brusk water in the 45-49 degree range. Any brand is fine in those, cuz again, stakes are lower. For mittens, like I said, Ripcurl and Xcel are your jams. That is until the Japanese brands get on it, then I’ll convert immediately. They have gotten on the booty game though and there’s no turning back now! The Axxe 7mm “moon boot” is the best thing to hug your feet since water wicking socks. They have been available at Maine Surfer’s Union and at Glide in Asbury Park. They run VERY SMALL. I’m a men’s 8 shoe and wear a size M. So women and men with smaller feet should rejoice. Finally a winter suit product that is actually kinda catered to you! Only issue is that they have a lot of traction and get stuck in the wax, but that’s a small price to pay for such unexcelled warmth. Regardless of the booties you buy, you will want a pair of polypropylene socks from Sol Lite. Holy smokes they change the game getting in and out of suits and boots. The Vans booties are unwearable without them by the way. At about $10 these will be your most awesome budget upgrade to your kit since you purchased that squid lid in October.
Winter
December — 55-45 degree water/20-60 degree air
There are warmer and colder Decembers. Mostly you’re in a hooded suit already. Some people may be in 4/3s with boots and gloves. Those are the people that can’t stand to have neoprene over their domes. For warmer Decembers I’m in the hooded suit or the 3/2 with a squid lid, no boots or light boots, and no gloves or light gloves. Again, as soon as it’s snowing and air temps are 45 and below, I’m in a full kit: 4mm hooded, 7mm mittens, 7mm boots. Like I said, the Still Blue is so good I don’t need another winter suit. I used to require 2-3 Xcel or Ripcurl hooded 5/4s to get me through a day-long surf, but now I just need the one suit. If you’re just doing one session a day, one of those will do, but you may want a second if you plan to surf the next day. You don’t want to put on a wet winter suit in the cold. While I do not need to change suits any longer, I do switch out my mittens and boots. I have 3 pairs of 7mm mittens and 3 pairs of 7mm boots so that I can surf all day. Boots and gloves get saturated with water and thus get heavy and make your paddling slow. I recommend 2 pair minimum. Not everyone surfs as much as I do. It’s also time, if you live in a place with cold water, to buy a booty and glove dryer on Amazon. I swear by my Dry Guy. If you only own one pair of boots and gloves this thing will get em toasty by the next day!
January-April — 30-45 degree water/0-45 degree air
Full winter kits, no effing around. April is still cold. It’s not even a transitional month. If you’re using any of your lighter wetsuit gear it’s because you’re traveling or you don’t live in NY. If you don’t have a Japanese hooded 4mm, then you’re looking at a 5/4 hooded suit from a main brand. I think they’re all doing pretty good stuff, especially the top of the line stuff. Remember even the ones that boast Japanese neoprene are going to be warmer than the ones that do not. Whether you have one or two winter suits will depend on how much you really want to surf. I don’t slow down my surf game in the winter, so I’m prepared to surf as much as the surf will allow. I find the gear these days makes it just as pleasurable as surfing in the warmer months.
Catee Lalonde in April, still in her full winter kit. Pic: Dion Mattison
Spring
May — 50-60 degree water/30-70 degree air
It may as well be November! May and November are mirror months, going in the opposite directions. You’re in a full winter kit at the start and as it warms up you start peeling down the layers. Maybe the mittens downgrade to the light five finger gloves or come off entirely. Maybe you’re doing the 3mm hooded and 4/3 or 3/2 with a squid lid routine towards mid May. That seems to be the case for me. The hood is usually the last thing to go for me until it gets truly warm enough to duck dive without risking an ice cream headache. By the end of may you’re still in a full suit of one variety or another.
3mm hooded Isurus in May, no gloves, no boots. Photos: Emory Lee
June — 60-68 degree water/55-100+ degree air
3/2 season. June is 3/2, no gloves, no boots, most of the month. Towards the end you may start to transition back to the 2mm spring suits, if it’s warm enough. For the most part you’re in a 3/2 full suit for all of June. The super skinny cold bloods may even wear 4/3s.
Summer
July-August — 65-75+ degree water/60-100+ degree air
Same as for September basically. Trunks. Wetsuit jackets. A 3/2 fullsuit if you run cold. Spring suits of every manner. It’s a veritable surfing fashion show.
Summary of Potential Wetsuit Quivers
Hard Core Surfer (surfs over 3x a week and sometimes multiple times a day. Commits major resources to surfing gear investments for maximum performance and progress. Can be “hardcore” at every level. It describes commitment not skill level.)
1 wetsuit jacket or shirt
2 2mm spring suits
2 3/2mm full suits
1 squid lid
1 4/3 or 1 hooded 3mm suit
1-2 hooded 4mm or 5/4mm winter suits depending on brand
1 pair 3mm boots
2-3 pair 7mm boots
1 pair thin five finger gloves
2-3 pair 7mm mittens
1-2 pair poly pro socks
Optional: reef boots, hooded shirts, vests.
Medium Core Surfer (surfs up to 3x a week, rarely multiple times a day. Commits moderate resources to surfing gear investments.)
1 wetsuit jacket or shirt
1 2mm spring suit
1 3/2mm full suit
1 squid lid
1 hooded 4mm or 5/4mm suit
1 pair 3mm boots
1 pair thin 5 finger gloves
1 pair 7mm mittens
1 pair 7mm boots
1-2 pair poly pro socks
Optional: reef boots, hooded shirts, vests.
Surf Hobbyist or a Surfer Who Doesn’t Live in NY (surfs mostly in warmer months and waters)
1 3/2mm full suit
1 2mm spring suit
1 squid lid
1 pair of booties of any thickness
Notes on Wetsuit Care
Wetsuits hate salt water and direct sunlight. They also hate piss, but I’ll be damned if I am not gonna pee in my suit. Best way to rinse a suit is to put it in a bucket, fill the bucket with water and thoroughly dunk the suit. Then drip dry outside. Once it’s done dripping hang indoors in a well ventilated area. Fans help drying. So does a really hot, dry room. Always dry suits INSIDE OUT. The inside is what your skin touches, so it’s most important that part is dry! Once the inside is dry if you’re feeling neurotic you can dry the outside too. For long term wetsuit storage — like winter suits in summer and summer suits in winter — make sure suit is completely dry, INSIDE AND OUT, so that it doesn’t mildew. CSC Clubhouse members get wetsuit storage perks with their memberships. They also get changing perks here in winter, so that omits the whole stand outside your car in the snow thing. Booties and gloves dry best on a some kind of air blowing device, as mentioned above. Wetsuits die first in the seams. Always contact the manufacturer to see if they’ll fix the suit for you. Most do! Wetsuits usually don’t last more than 2-3 years. I recommend sending old gear to Suga Mats, a yoga mat company that recycles the neoprene!
Notes on Changing In and Out of Suits
Most surfers go buck under our suits. We find it weird to have stuff under there scrunching up. Some women wear bathing suits under. Some don’t. Most of us towel change at the beach. That is we wrap a towel around our waists, drop our drawers and head into our suits one foot at a time. In general you want to go one limb at a time with suits. Make sure the heel is all the way through the move to the next foot. Get the legs all up and synched before putting on the torso and arms. Beware of wrinkles! They create rashes. For taking off the suit make sure you go one limb at a time! Especially in winter suits. I recommend taking the left arm completely off first. Then use the free left arm to help get the suit off your right shoulder and arm. Make an elbow to create rigidity to pull the suit off of your shoulder. Once arms are free, pull down, towel around waist over suit, peel suit down, take one leg out at a time. Booties and gloves need to go on last and come off first! Both are meant to be tucked UNDER your wetsuit sleeves and cuffs so that water doesn’t go into them. The correct order to put on a winter suit is: suit, boots, then gloves last. The correct order to take it off is: gloves, then the shoulders/arms of the suit, then boots, then the rest of the suit.
Note On Stock
Many of the products I have linked to will be out of stock. Covid has wrecked the surfing supply chain. You’re going to have to do the leg work and check multiple sites, shops, and keep calling and refreshing your feeds to see when they’re next available. Once they are, jump on it. It is worth calling however.
Names of Brands to Explore
All of these brands make something worth covering your skin with.
Still Blue, Axxe, Rash, Quiksilver, Roxy, Ripcurl, Billabong, Feral, Isurus, Matuse, 7till8, Oneill, Hurley, Body Glove, Hyperflex, Nine Plus, Amsterdam, Sisstrevolution, Kassia Surf, Saturdays, Pilgrim Surf + Supply, Adelio, Patagonia, Vissla, Finesterre, Need Essentials, Imperial Motion, and there may be a few others.
