source for little kids' cold water gear?
 

Hi Gang,
I know lots of folks on here are knowledgeable about the best and most affordable sources for equipment, so hoping to get some leads.

My friend is looking for either neoprene heater shirts or shorty wetsuits for his girls. They are ages 3 and 5, so I guess we would be looking for sizes 4 and 6.

Anybody got leads? I found some little kids shorties on tactics.com, and there are deals on fullsuits in those sizes on swell.com and evo.com, but we are hoping to identify some additional hopefully better options.

I don't know if I've ever seen neoprene shirts in kids sizes, do they even make them that small?

Anywho, thanks for your ideas.

If anybody has nearly-new used gear in these sizes that you might think about parting with, send me a PM and maybe we can work a trade or something.

Thanks!!

I think Overton's has wetsuits in pretty small sizes, Gladiator brand if I remember right. But I'm going back to the old Overton's catalogs from a long time ago, don't shop there much now.

I've got 3 and 5 year old girls, so I've thought about this also... they're not exactly asking to get in the cold lake yet but maybe in a year or two.

I think the challenge with any kids wetsuit will be getting the right fit. Wetsuits gotta be skin tight to work properly. When I remember seeing the kids modeling the suits in the old Overton's catalog they always looked really baggy. I don't think there is any way you're cramming a kid into a wetsuit (at least one that fits tight enough to work right).

It can be a bit of work for an adult to shimmy into one, let alone a little kid who can't hold their limbs stiff enough yet. If you buy it big (for either ease of entry/exit, or hoping they'll get more seasons out of it and grow into it), I think the result would be a cold kid that doesn't want to go out in the fall anymore.

Just my (possibly ignorant) $.02. Hope to get educated here too...

Good points, especially about the fit. My friend seems to want shorties or heater shirts for his girls. Good idea about Overtons, will look there. I found some nice Bare shorties at half price for $30 bucks online, so that might be the way he goes with it.

My 7-year old has an O'Neil 4/3 full suit, size 8, and that thing works awesome for him! I got lucky and scored it for 40 bucks at a yard sale, only had been worn a couple times. He needs help getting it on and off, but it's not too hard, and January sets on the delta make it worth the effort.

Thanks, Dustin. Any more ideas from others appreciated!

Wetsuitwearhouse.com has a ton of kid stuff.

Try Pleasure Sports: www.pleasuresports.com
They have about the best wetsuit selection I have ever seen, not sure about kids though. Great product videos, great selection, great prices, and great customer service.
I buy all my rubber from there and recommend them to everyone.
They have a shop in Melbourne, FL, but do a lot online as well.

Thanks guys! Wetsuitwearhouse is where I found those Bare shorties. And good call on overtons - kids shorties on sale for $40 with an additional 10% off right now. I will for sure check out pleasuresports.com - didn't know about that one.

Don't think you'll beat that Overton's price at Pleasure Sports. They carry the higher end brands. I did check and they have kid's Oneill stuff though

I got a buddy in Wisco selling his kids old gear (including wetsuits & heater shirts). let me know if you are still looking & I can get you his name/number.

Wetsuit warehouse