Wetsuit Reviews

[JohnR]

What is your feeling on the buoyancy of each? The rule of thumb being the thicker the suit the better it floats?

[chefchris401]

Originally Posted by JohnR

What is your feeling on the buoyancy of each? The rule of thumb being the thicker the suit the better it floats?

well being a fat guy i float pretty well anyway.

but the thicker the suit the more float it has, and also the better the seal and fit the more buoyancy its going to add.

In the 3mm your legs will natural float up, it adds a lot of float but the 5mm or 7mm has a lot more overall. youll float like a cork in a 5 or 7mm.

Ive always felt that it would hard to drown in a 3mm wetsuit unless you were knocked out or got caught in some rope or something. Really helps when your bobbing around to distance rocksto have that extra float makes climbing and getting up the rocks that much easier.

[WackinEm]

i have a 5mm neosport xpan, love the suit, barely know youre wearing it. for the colder months i have a 3mm hooded neosport xspan vest to put under the suit and a dry top over it to cut the wind.

as far as floating around, it keeps my head above water when i'm floating in a sitting position, but at 5'11 175, i dont have a lot of natural flotation, add to that the gear hanging off of my belt and i can see why i'm not floating any higher. with the vest on, my shoulders clear the water when im in a sitting position

[GattaFish]

Originally Posted by JohnR

What is your feeling on the buoyancy of each? The rule of thumb being the thicker the suit the better it floats?

I don't care what anyone says,,, nothing less than 5 mil for me. the buoyancy is key and the warmth is important too,,,

I had some squirly water pull me down and hold me under in June was not fun and I am a good swimmer. I wear a 5 mil. No way I would chance a 3 mil to float me around. I rather deal with jumping in to cool off.

Hate to say it you could drown VERY easily in a wetsuit.

As far as warmth. Even if the air is blistering hot I still get the 4 am chill. I regularly fish all night and being in the water for long periods of time drains the heat from your body.

It is easy to cool off and actually refreshing to let a little water in. Definitely not easy to warm up.


The key to any wetsuit is that it fits you properly and does not bunch up and chafe. The new stretchy neoprene is the way to go.