Which neoprene suit is the best for transition periods?

May is the month when everybody who is at least a little bit involved in windsurfing already start thinking about it and preparing the equipment. Those of you who were planning to replace the sail and board or buy a more expensive piece of equipment, have already done so, but now it's time to decide if you need one extra sail, a meter of downhaul rope, a new extension or a maseplate and a new neoprene suit, as the old is stitched together only with memories. Below we will try to explain which neoprene suit is the best for transient times.

 

May is a transitional month in all aspects. The biggest dilemmas arise with neoprene - what to wear to keep you from getting cold and from getting hot. Warm days invite everyone into the water. All of you who have already spent an hour or two in the water have found out that the water is not even about as cold as you thought. For those who have not yet jumped on the board, we strongly recommend to take a visit to the sea!

 

Neoprene underwear, gloves, hood and other accessories for more extreme conditions can now be washed, dried and stored until late autumn. You certainly won’t need them anymore now.

 

Winter neoprene suits (we are talking about thicknesses of 6/5, 5/4 mm) are already too warm and we recommend a millimetre less. If you go to sail in a stronger and colder north wind in the coming days, a 5/3 mm suit will be enough. You will not be too hot in it, and in all other conditions and winds and under a few rays of the sun, you will quickly start cooking in the same outfit.

                                                                  

 

Those who also windsurf in spring and autumn have mostly shorty (2/2 mm thick) and 5/3 mm thick neoprene in their closet. For warm water and summer, shorty is a great choice, as is a 5/3 mm neoprene suit for April and November. In May, the beginning of June, the end of September and October, you are either too hot (if you have a 5/3 mm suit) or too cold (in a 2/2 mm shorty). Of course, there are also neoprene suits for transitional periods, the purpose of which is precisely that you are neither cold nor hot in May and October. To most, such a suit seems like an unnecessary expense, as you can only windsurf in it during transition periods.

 

But if we look and calculate the numbers a bit, you will find out that these transition periods together last for almost 3 months in one calendar year! Now I ask you: How many months of the year do you wear shorty neoprene 2/2 mm? Or how many months of the year do you wear neoprene 5/3 mm? I’m sure you also summed it up correctly and came to the conclusion that transitional neoprene is equivalent in importance and time of use to both a 5/3 mm suit and a 2/2 mm shorty! Of course, there are many of you who spend a few more days in the water on holiday in the summer than in the colder months. However, assuming that we would be optimally dressed even in the transitional months, we are confident that we would be in the water a few more days a year. Surely, we all agree that no one would defend themselves on extra days on the water, right? :) With the right equipment, this is definitely a lot easier.

 

When we think of neoprene suits for the transition period, we first think about the price. Compared to shortys and winter suits, the price of neoprene suits for the transition period is also "transitional". If we can say that we pay around € 85 for an average good shorty, and around € 180 for an average good 5/3 mm dress, we get somewhere around € 140 for the price of an average good 3/2 mm transition neoprene suit.

 

The price of the neoprene suit itself depends on the materials and those little details that make it even a bit warmer so you can use it a week or two earlier. The details that make the neoprene suit more comfortable and flexible.

 

The next dilemma that arises is which thickness to choose - either 4/3 or 3/2 mm. If you are a more frozen type of person who also likes wearing long suit in the summer or is still surfing with a hood during spring holidays, we recommend 4/3 mm thick neoprene suit. However, if you are a slightly warmer variety, we recommend suit which is 3/2 mm thick.

 

With 3/2 mm neoprene suits, you have a choice of long or short sleeves. We definitely recommend long sleeves, as the arms are constantly exposed to the wind and can quickly "chill" us. There are also 3/2 mm thick suits on the market that have detachable long sleeves. Based on experience, we can say that these suits are a great compromise, as you can use them in May with long sleeves. In early June or when the water and atmosphere warm up a bit more, you can take sleeves down. Or you use them when sailing in a colder wind and take them off when you sail in warm winds and sunny weather. It is true that with this type of suit you can easier get some water inside the suit, but a drop of water that comes under the dress in May will definitely not bother you. If necessary, you can even remove the sleeves or add them back on after few minutes if you find that you (don't) need them. This is much more convenient than changing the whole suit and wasting limited time in the water by changing suits.

                                                                               
                                                  Long sleeves                                                             Shorty sleeves                                           Detachable long sleeves

 

It is really difficult to give an exact answer, because it all depends on what winter was like and the beginning of spring - how much air and water are heated up. It also depends of whether we windsurf in the cold or warm wind in the warm sun. If we could set a rough limit, we would say that in April we usually still windsurf in a 5/3 mm suit, and then replace it with 4/3 or 3/2 mm. Those of you who have a 4/3 mm suit will probably wear it as early as the first week of May, while you will wear a 3/2 mm one or two weeks later. The right time for a shorty then follows sometime in the first half of June. The 3/2 mm dress is then usually re-worn in the second half of September and used there until early November. Of course, this also depends on how fast the water and air cool down and in what wind we surf.

 

So there is no rule when it is time to change neoprene suits. We need to take into account ourselves and our well-being and the situation in which we find ourselves. It’s definitely better to be a little warmer than colder. However, if we feel hot as soon as we get dressed, this usually means that in the case of warm and sunny weather and with an increased heart rate, we will quickly get (too) hot.