Wetsuit/dry suit?
 

I have a oniell psycho 2, 3/4 thick. Wore it twice since I bought it. But this year and the rest if my years gonna do a lot of winter riding. So wondering the biggest difference between the dry suits and wetsuits. I'm in california btw.

Well, the biggest difference for me is that when I get out of the water, I'm DRY and that's awesome. Our water temps get into the 40's and 50's. we've ridden on New Years day when the water was 42 and the air was 46. In a drysuit it was comfy and it was great when I was done because I took off the drysuit and my fleece I was wearing underneath was warm and dry.

I didn't have to strip to my shorts in the boat. Also, if you're taking more than one set, it's awesome to have a drysuit because I personally hate being in the boat in a wet wetsuit with cold air blowing on it. Yeah, I know the newest wetsuits are a lot better than my older neoprene; but since getting a drysuit, I have no regrets.

The biggest difference I found between wet and dry suits is keeping warm between sets. With a wetsuit, you get back in the boat wet and the wind from the boat pulling other riders evaporates all that water and gives you a good cold soak. With a dry suit, you are almost completely dry, so it's much easier to stay warm in between sets. I find dry suits better in every respect other than cost and reliability. They cost more to purchase, require maybe $80/yr in maintenance for new seals, and there is a risk of tearing a seal at any given time.

Really so you have to constantly replace seals? How much do you have spend on a dry suit? I see them from $300-1000. What's the actual difference?

Oneil Boost dry suit $395 ish.
Ive owned my for 7 years & replaced the seals once.
Gets used on the delta probably Late Oct, Nov, March & April.
No way would I ever go back to a wetsuit. Sweats & T-shirt & fleece under the drysuit. Super cozy.

Having ridden when a seal tears (and then being done for the day), I'd suggest always having a wet suit on the boat just in case. If a seal tears, you can use the wetsuit for the second or third set.

Really? ****! Spent 350$ on this wetsuit 2 years ago. Might have been a waste of $$.

Migs hopefully the weather holds and I'll trunk it the whole year!

Ha I dare you! The water is horribly cold Dec-March. Best riding though. I like drysuits except for the fact that I have a 17" neck and the neck collar makes me want to pass out in a dry suit.

Dry suits are life savers in MN; however, Michael ImObersteg (Michael) is spot on that if you have 16.5+ neck breathing is overrated!

FML! 17.25 neck!! C'mon Michael be a man!! Trunk it!

But looks like I'm in the market for a dry suit.

The go to drysuit seems to be the Oneill Boost. That's what I have. Wakemakers has them for under $400 and they seem to be the least expensive. I got mine when they had their 20% off black Friday sale...

I ride the Delta year round and actually prefer my wetsuit. I have an ONeill Psycho 3 that is only 3/2 and that is all I use all winter. The newer neo stuff keeps you plenty warm (last year new year's day hurt a bit though haha) and drys pretty quick. I take just the top off between sets and put a dry sweatshirt on, bottom stays toasty with some towels around (and a heated driver's seat in boat) until ready for 2nd, 3rd, 4th sets. ;)

The dry suit to me is just too bulky and as others have said I hate how tight it feels around my neck and wrists.

^^hell ya Matt! I'm a high tolerance type person. So getting a lil cold probably won't affect me much.

The Psycho 2 will be great all winter in California.

Ha I will watch. I had a suit and we cut the neck down a bit, worked pretty good except when you fell you would get a slight drissle of water in it. . but a new one seams to grab my adams apple and choke the crap out of me till i cant breath.

Just out of curiosity, how cold is that California water Red?

Depending if we get snow in the sierra's I know its in the 40s, could be lower during snow melt.

I don't think it gets in the 40's. But I could be wrong. It rarely gets into the 40's at night so how's the water gonna be colder then the air temp.

I prefer to go straight from heater top/shorts to the drysuit! But one thing is for sure the drysuits do allow alittle water in the neck and sleeves when u crash. They also eventually leak and need seal and seam maint. but oneall is pretty good about fixing stuff and getting it back to u.

The seals do have to be replaced, but my $80/yr might be a bit high. Seals cost about $20 per seal if you send it to O'Neill (assuming you would get the O'Neill Boost). The latex on the seals eventually dries out leading to cracks and small leaks. The other big risk is the latex isn't particularly strong and you can rip the latex getting the suit on or off if you're not careful, especially as the latex ages. Absent rips, I would think most people could get 2 years out of seals - easily more if you are good about storing the suit indoors, treating the seals with silicon to keep them from drying over the summer, etc. You could spend $80 every 3-4 years on new seals if you treat the suit well or you could send $80/year if you are rough getting the suit on or store it inappropriately.

Same here. Once the water is too cold for the heater top, I wear the dry suit with little or no insulation. As it continues getting colder, I add layers. I find it far more comfortable that a constrictive wetsuit.

I read it on some delta website.. probably wrong.

I don't even care! Lol #boutthatlife

Seals are easy to replace. Dive shops can be helpful with parts and maybe service, too.

A trick for legs and sleeves is to use a bottle when gluing the new seal on. Slide the bottle into the sleeve/leg so the seal & glue make full contact all the way around. Wait for it to dry.

The delta definitely gets into the 40s during January/February

I've seen it done on videos but haven't tried it yet. The biggest advantage I see to the do it yourself repair isn't so much cost as time. It takes about 4 weeks to get your suit back from O'Neill if you send it to them... big problem if you rip a seal early in your cold season. The 4 weeks is fine if you send the suit in after the season is done for preventative maintenance.

Use food grade silicone on your seals and they will last close too 10 years, well mine has anyway....

I wore drysuits for years and switched to a Psycho 2 and have never looked back. I understand that for extremely cold conditions it might be nice to have a drysuit but for AZ a wetsuit is all I need/want (Actually on very cold days I do wear .5 shorts and a .5 top)

Josh why is that? Why have never looked back?

Wetsuits are more flexible, and they are more durable especially if you go to the cable parks. Velocity is open all winter and I rode every weekend there last winter. It was great. They would bring the big screen TV down to the dock with some heaters and we would watch football and take some laps.

Word! Football and some skating sounds awesome! I haven't made it there yet.

You wakeskate too? You need to ride with us this winter at Velocity. There is a fun skate crew that goes out all winter. You will definitely prefer a wetsuit over a drysuit when wakeskating. Drysuits are a pain with a skate because you need to be able to move your legs more. Also it's harder to see your feet in a drysuit.

Ya kinda far since I have my boat in the back yard. Lol

I think it boils down to how big a wimp you are. I'm in AZ and I used to go wetsuit, but got tired of taking it on and off and frequently shivering in the boat in between sets. I wussed out and went dry suit and refuse to go back. It's just SO comfortable being in the boat in dry sweatpants, a hoody, and slippers in between sets. More and more of the guys I ride with are doing likewise - they brave the heater top into probably early November, then switch to the dry suit until maybe late April. Without a doubt wetsuits are more cost effective and keep you plenty warm in the water. They just take more effort to stay warm once you're out of the water... and then there's the fun of putting on a cold, damp wetsuit for set #2.

Drysuits used to be alot better but wetsuit technology has come a long way in the last few years. They keep you warmer and are much more flexible than old wetsuits.

What about the hybrid drysuit?

http://www.pleasuresports.com/oneill...FQtqfgodrOEB_g

A few reasons why I prefer a wetsuit to a drysuit in no particular order:

1: Flexibility.
2: I have my own wetsuit that I don't have to share with anyone. I'm all for sharing wake equipment but swapping multiple people between the same suit can get the suit gross, imo. (I likely got a lymph node infection from a drysuit once).
3: High end modern wetsuits still keep you plenty dry.
4: High end modern wetsuits still keep you plenty warm.

Also, a number of people have complained about getting cold if you stay in your wetsuit after your set. If you are going to take a second set then the simple solution is to wait for the outside of your suit to to dry off for a bit and then throw a hoody on.

There is a point that it is simply too cold to have any fun while riding for me. This has to do with windchill on my ears. I have a scuba diver wetsuit snoopy cap but it still is not particularly fun. A drysuit would not help with this as the issue is not my body/core temperature.

Last Christmas it hit 25 degrees every night for a week...coldest I've seen it is 40 degrees...ask the fishermen they always know the temps. No wetsuit will ever be better than a drysuit. Never.

I agree with all reasons, prefer a wetsuit as well. The new wetsuits keep you so dry (when fitted properly), you almost have to let water in the upper body to cool off.

I live in Canada and last spring bought a Billabong 4/3 full wetsuit while in California on vacation. I looked at a lot of suits and if money was no object I would probably buy a Ripcurl flash bomb wetsuit. The sales pitch was they dry super quick in like 30 mins. I am very happy with the suit I bought and it makes a world of difference for me but it takes a full day to dry. I had an 15 year old skiwarm suit I used before I bought the billabong and I said the Billabong was money well spent.

Try doing this in a wetsuit! http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09...a411e011cf.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09...f52a09d120.jpg


That's last Jan in WI after done with sets had to jump in the water to push out the giant ice sheets that flowed in and blocked the ramp!

The OP is in California. A good wetsuit is great all winter at the lakes or delta.

In WI and other colder states you definitely need a drysuit.

But what us who are pro-wetsuit are saying is that if you can get away with using a wetsuit, do it because it is more comfortable and better for riding.

^one thing to add....wetsuits don't make you look like you're wearing garbage bags. Look good=feel good=ride gooder

This really is only applicable to girls! I'd rather the dudes on my boat wear garbage bags!

The hyper flex team AMP 5/4/3 suit is on blowout at wetsuit warehouse right now. With an additional 20% off coupon I got it for about $168. Super warm and dry in cold water and it makes you look like a super hero to boot. I bought 3 of them.

Also, the Jet Pilot neoprene jackets over a wet wetsuit eliminate a lot of the wind chill from evaporation.

That's what I find interesting. Most of the locals around here in AZ that I know have experienced drysuits all clearly prefer dry suits because they find them more comfortable and less binding - won't go back to wetsuits. Everyone really should try both if they have a chance and see which they prefer. I think everyone would agree drysuits are more comfortable in between sets. While riding it seems some prefer the loose, non-binding feel of a drysuit while others prefer the close fit of a wetsuit and find drysuits baggy and uncomfortable. I'm sure a big part of anyone's preference is the quality of the wetsuit and how well it fits. The modern and high end wetsuits have certainly come a long way in comfort - more stretch and less leaks in the seams so you can get away with thinner neoprene. Wetsuits clearly have drysuits beat for durability and cost.

You never seem to complain when I'm on your boat in my wetsuit. You know you like it.

March 18th a couple years ago in MN :D

I've ridden in drysuits before, usually october and march/april in MN but I'm with everybody saying they don't like the bulky/baggy feel.

Now I ride year round in an Oniell Reactor 3:2 in AZ, if it's reeeeally chilly out I'll bring a thermos of hot water to the lake and pour it down my back before I get in!

So new high end wetsuits keep you dry? Really? When can a mfgr call their wetsuit a drysuit?...howzabout when it actually keeps you dry.

Had my first dry suit fail on Tuesday. Attempted a toe side front roll resulting in my cork screwing the wake... the neck around drysuits dont have the same water resistance as the feet/hands. Thus, it let in half the lake on an impact like that. Point of the story is dont try dumb things in a dry suit as you will exit the water with a wet suit!

^ ya, no matter what you can take on some water with a good bail. I've taken it through the wrists as well on a really good bail.

Sure you get wet in a drysuit...but you dont get cold

Still trunkin it!

You can tell by the position of the shadows, the copyright, and other things that the above picture was taken in mid August.

Also, Tyler, slight suggestion that won't cure but will help is be sure to fold over and tuck in the extra material around the neck. The rubbery part should be against your skin.

This is from this past Sunday on the delta.. No wetsuit needed and all wakeskating on our boat! 75* water and high 70 to low 80 air temps, bright sun and zero wind. I <3 the Delta

Also, when you can get away with it, wetsuit beats dry suit all. day. long.



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lol! I didn't have any of myself lately just wanted to get a awesome pic on the interwebs! But still shredding every evening no top or anything. It's amazing! Tues /Wednesday 95 degrees in mid October!

^^^I have to admit I dry suited it this past weekend ! hahahahaha.
But then took off the dry suit after my session & went swimming. :)

Scuba - Grant line?

^^^ lmao why!! I ghink I saw you Sunday morning white and grey nautique?

yup - thats my SAN210
Lol !!!!! Didnt feel like getting wet when it was time to ride. hahah.
Comedy cause then i was in the water the rest of the day swimming.

A couple sea lions were out & about already too by us when we were anchored at the cove by the end of vics.

Since the warm 89 degree Halloween it's been mighty cold out on the Calif Delta....wetsuit or drysuit now?

Wetsuit! 4/3 does work

We're still rolling out, 3/2 wetsuit here. Water and air were 52 yesterday but it was glass.


http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11...5747017ba3.jpg

Mmmmm

And colder...wetsuit? Drysuit😄

Almost went out today in my wetsuit.....but then stepped outside and decided to go skating instead. Lol