Spring Suits have short legs that fall just above the knee, and either short or long sleeves. They were apparently named in some warmer climate, since here in the northeast you would almost never wear a spring suit in the spring. For us it's more like a summer or early fall suit (if you're lucky, maybe it's a winter suit for you). But anyway, spring suits are usually made with thinner neoprene (often 2 mm), and on the right day they can be just the thing to keep you comfortable for those extended sessions.

Full Suits are the standard wetsuit with long sleeves and long pants. These cover a wide range of warmth, depending on such factors as thickness of neoprene, types of seams, types of closures, etc.

Farmer Johns are a sleeveless suit with long legs. They're sometimes called Long Johns. They're a good choice for cold water when the air is warm. Combined with a wetsuit jacket or top they can offer some versatility in warmth, but you will lose a little in flexibility and comfort going that route as compared to a fullsuit. Although, a farmer john with a long sleeve rash guard can sometimes be a good call.

Short Johns or Shorties are a sleeveless suit with short legs. They're a really comfortable choice for when you just need a little extra warmth.

Shorts, Long Sleeve Tops and Vests - these are some of the other usefull wetsuit styles. They're sometimes constructed with a combination of neoprene panels and lyrca panels for added comfort and flexibility.

Boots, Gloves, Hoods and Caps - When things get really cold, these accessories are super important. They come in a variety of thicknesses and styles depending on just how cold it is.

Neoprene Thickness - The basic material that wetsuits are made out of is neoprene. The thickness of the neoprene is a major factor in how warm a suit will be. The common neoprene thicknesses are 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 all measured in millemeters. The thicker the neoprene, the warmer the suit. However, "thicker" also means heavier and less flexible. So, you don't want more thickness than you really need. Many suits will use several thicknesses of neoprene in different parts of the suit. For example, a 3/2 fullsuit will have 3mm neoprene in the upper body and legs, and 2mm in the arms where more flexibility is needed. A 5/4/3 suit will have 5mm in the upper body, 4mm in the legs and 3 mm in the arms.

Smoothskin or Nylon 2 - Neoprene is usually covered with a thin nylon material either on one side (smoothskin) or both sides (nylon 2). The nylon material on the inside of the suit makes it much more comfortable. A suit that has smoothskin neoprene will have nylon on the inside of the suit and the smooth surface on the outside. Because the smooth surface absorbs less water, it will be warmer. However, over the long run a smoothskin surface will be slighlty less durable than nylon. Smoothskin neoprene is usually only used on thicker (4mm, 5mm or 6mm) winter fullsuits, and then sometimes only in certain parts of the suit like the upper body.

Overlock  - This is the most basic wetsuit stitch. Two pieces of neoprene are held together with the two outside surfaces facing each other and then sewn along the edge. This results in a raised seam on the inside of the suit, with no stitching visible on the outside. The advantages of this type of seam are that it is quite strong and it is the least expensive to produce. This is the seam that you'll find most often on lower priced suits. The main disadvantage is that the raised bead of the seam running on the inside of the suit can sometimes be irritating, particularly in your armpit and crotch areas. Another disadvantage is that the overlock seam is not as water-tight as some of the other types of seam. This can be a real factor particulalry in colder water, when you want to keep the water flow into and out of the suit to a minimum.

Flatlock  - With this seam, the two pieces of neoprene are butted against each other, edge to edge. The stitching then goes back and forth across the seam, creating a very flat stitch. Compared to the overlock stitch, the flatlock will be more comfortable because it is a much flatter stitch, without the raised bead on the inside of the suit. Strength and durability of the flatlock seam may be slightly decreased compared to the overlock seam, because of the way in which the stitch makes multiple needle holes in the neoprene on both sides of the actual seam. These needle holes tend to weaken the material and eventually may lead to problems as adjacent holes spread into one another. Compared to suits with overlock seams, suits with flatlock seams are often slightly more expensive. If you don't mind the slight decrease in durability, the extra cost is well worth it in terms of the added comfort.

Blindstitch  -  This is the stitch that really makes winter surfing happen (at least up here in the northeast). Like the flatlock stitch, the two pieces of neoprene are butted against each other edge to edge, but with the blindstitch, the needle only goes half way through the neoprene before then going back out. Also, the edges are usually glued when they are butted up against each other before stitching. The glue and the fact that the needle never goes all the way through the neoprene, makes the blindstitch an essentially waterproof seam, and thus the only way to go for a real winter suit. Often the blindstitch is done from both sides of the suit, inside and out, in the so-called double-blindstitched construction, adding extra strength. On thicker winter suits, heat welded tape is sometimes applied over the bindstitched seams on the inside to further strengthen and waterproof the suit in key stress areas. Blindstitched, glued and taped wetsuits are very warm, but because it is a much more invovled construction process they are significantly more expensive, sometimes nearly twice the cost of a more basic overlock suit.

Equally as important as all of the other factors which we've mentioned, the fit of your wetsuit plays a major role in how warm you will be. A wetsuit allows some water to enter the suit, with this water then being warmed by your body. This warming process works particulalry well when the insulating neoprene of the suit fits closely against your body. Then other important factor here is how much water flows in and out of the suit. A close fit will keeps that flow to a minimum allowing the water inside a chance to warm up. If the suit does not fit closely, particulalry around the openings (the feet, hands and neck) then there will be a steady flow of cold water into and out of the suit, without the water inside getting a chance to warm up.

So, a good close fit is very important. How close is close? Well, in general you want the suit to be as tight as possible while still being comfortable. This can be a little tricky to gauge, especially when trying on a dry wetsuit on a warm day. The comfort level uusally goes up a few notches once you get in the water. Two common questions are 'will the suit shrink?' and 'will the suit stretch out?' For conventional neoprene the answer to both is bascially no. Wetsuits will stay pretty close to their original size. One major exception to this is the new Elasto Series from Rip Curl. These suits have an unprecendented amount of stretch, which you will recognize as a whole new level of comfort the moment you try one on.

More info coming soon!