Wetsuit types

What are the differences between wetsuits

There are a huge variety of wetsuit styles, thicknesses and brands, so it gets confusing for a first time purchaser.

Thickness/weight/warmth

0.5mm, 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 3/2mm, 4/3mm, 5/4/3mm, 5/4mm, 6/4mm, 6/5mm; FL, QL, GBS, Welded/liquid, taped

That's a nice collection of numbers just made to confuse the unwary. The two main thicknesses are 3/2mm and 5/4/3mm, also known as Summer or Winter suits here in Ireland.

The first number is the thickness of the main body of the wetsuit and usually the legs as well, the last number is the thickness of the arms and shoulders, when there is a middle number this usually refers to the lower leg thickness.

0.5 - 1.5mm generally applies to neoprene separates: leggings, shorts, vests, etc.

2mm tends to apply to some lighter summer wetsuits 

Anything lighter than 3mm usually has either FL or QL seams. FL = Flatlock, basic stitched only seam, QL = quicklock, stitching only but a little more water resistant

3/2mm Standard summer weight in Ireland, 

3/2mm wetsuits tend to have either FL or GBS seams, FL=flatlock as above; GBS = Glued and blindstitched, stitching only goes through part of the thickness of the wetsuit while the remaining thickness is glued making the seam more water resistant.

4/3mm Spring weight for surfers or winter for west coast sea swimmers 

GBS, taped, welded seams are seen on wetstuits 4mm or heavier. GBS is the same as above, welded means sealing on the outside of the seam and taped means an additional layer on the inside of the seams both increasing the water resistance of the seams.

5/4 or 5/4/3 Standard winter weight and generally the first wetsuit purchased by most surfers as this is what is used in most Irish surf schools. 
6/4 or 6/5 extra warm winter wetsuits usually with a balaclava attached, popular with surf instructors and tow-in surfers.

7mm+ typically for divers or those surfing closer to the artic circle, we do not stock this thickness as standard.

Entry system

BZ, FZ, CZ, ZL, Hood/HD

BZ = Back zip, traditional style and easiest to put on and take off, also cheapest style

FZ = Vertical front zip, typically only on jackets, long johns/janes or some shorti styles.

CZ = Chest Zip, warmer and more flexible than most back zip but requires some practise to get in and out of. (May sometimes be referred to as a front zip but it is horizontal under your collarbone rather than vertical) There are 2 main styles of chest zip: mini-zip or fixed. Mini-zip means the zip comes apart fully on the front which makes it easier to get in/out of the wetsuit but is not quite as warm as the fixed chest zip style. Fixed chest zip means the zip only opens at the left shoulder and is tied closed on the right, this is a warmer style but can be more challenging to get in/out of the wetsuit until you figure out a technique that works for you.

 

ZL = Zipperless, no zip whatsoever, you enter through the left shoulder, this is the most flexible style of suit but again needs some flexibility and patience to master the technique for getting in and out. We do not stock Zipperless as a standard style but we usually have a couple so you can see what they're like.

Hood/HD = Hooded chest zip, like a chest zip wetsuit but with a balaclava attached to the neckpiece for maximum winter warmth. Some people may find these a little too warm in the summer, this is the only style of wetsuit we stock in a 6mm variant. 
 

 

Wetsuit style

Shorti, steamer, spring, hooded, separates 

Shorti = Short arms & short legs, the arm of the suit ends above the elbow and the leg ends above the knee, these are usually 3/2 or 2mm.

Steamer = Long arms and long legs, the arm of the suit goes to the wrist and the leg goes to the ankle

Spring = Long sleeve Shorti.... yep I've just used a term that applies to a wetsuit thickness but it means something entirely different when talking about the style. Our wetsuit suppliers call their Long sleeve Shorti wetsuits spring suits. We use L/S Shorti in our product listings to make it clear. These suits may be 2mm or 3/2mm and the ladies versions can have shorter legs than the standard shorties. Some ladies versions have a boy short leg or even a swimsuit leg. 

Leggings/shorts = thin separates for those who don't want to wear a wetsuit or just want protection from the wind and sun for watersports like sailing, kayaking and SUP as you're not in the water so much. We stock leggings for the ladies 1mm or 1.5mm, and 2mm mens shorts.

vest/top/jacket = thin neoprene top, the ladies versions have long sleeves whilst the men's are either sleeveless or long-sleeved. The ladies are either full zip or zipless, the men's sleeveless have no zip, the long sleeve are either zipperless or have a 1/4zip at the back waist.

Brands

Alder, Billabong, C-Skins, Rip Curl, etc

Our 3 core brands are Alder, C-Skins and Billabong, all 3 use the same factory for the majority of their wetsuit range.

Each brand fits differently and suits different body types, this does vary in style and range. 
Alder's junior wetsuits are the widest fit of the junior wetsuits but are the narrowest in the men's wetsuits, they were the smallest fitting of the ladies wetsuits but changed their sizing in 2022 so they are now quite large on the chest

C-Skins are the narrowest fit in the junior wetsuits but quite long, their men's suits are the opposite whilst they've introduced "short" variants for some of their ladies wetsuits.

Billabong sit between the other 2 brands in their fit style and in particular are the most true to size of the ladies wetsuits. 

We added Roxy to our women's and girls range in 2022 as they have a smaller waist than our existing brands, they use the same wetsuit manufacturer as Alder, Billabong and C-Skins.

We stock some Saltrock styles in the women's shorties and long sleeved shorties for the summer as they are a little more budget friendly than the other brands, their wetsuits are manufactured in China.
Rip Curl is no longer a core brand for us but we do order some of their separates and occasionally wetsuits on request by customers. We still have a limited stock on-hand.

Xcel - these are very highly rated but just got too expensive, our friends in The Green Room now stock their wetsuits. C-Skins are a similar fit in the men's wetsuits and a lot easier to get in and out of.

O'Neill- we no longer stock this brand but they are a very similar fit to C-Skins particularly in the men's wetsuits

Patagonia - similar fit to Alder, we have not stocked this brand for a long time but The Green Room have added them to their range.

Gul - we switched from Gul to C-skins when gul's original head of wetsuits left to setup his own company, Gul has since closed down.