Wet Suite Advice?

[ncskier]

Hey ballers, I am about to enter my first full season of skiing and I need to get a full wet suit. Does anybody have any advice as to which suits seem to work well and which do not? Right now I am leaning towards the Body Glove Siroko 4/3mm. Can a wet suit keep me warm all year long? I will be skiing in South Carolina. I am trying to stay away from dry suits since they cost so much.

[Horton]

camaro /camaro /camaro /camaro /camaro

[TallSkinnyGuy]

The most important things about a wetsuit is that it fits well and is flexible enough to not be restricting. It needs to fit well so that there are no large air pockets inside that can be filled with cold water. It needs to be flexible for obvious reasons.

 

You can buy a full suit for $100 or for $400 and the full range in between. Buy a cheap one and you will likely get cold because it will let water in through the seams or into those pockets where it is not fitting tightly. The higher end wetsuits usually have watertight seams and use very stretchy material so you can get a snug fit. You can go with thinner (and therefore more flexible) neoprene with a high end wetsuit and be warmer than in a thicker low end wetsuit.

[supergadget]

Camaro are just simply warmer .

They are sensitive to handling(putting on/off) but warmer. and that's the point, right?

 

[Wish]

Camaro.

[Horton]

@supergadget yes. Camaro are not what I would call rugged but they are so darn warm. You will get more years out of other brands but you will freeze your ass off.

[ncskier]

where do you buy one of these camaro wet suits? I am having a hard time finding them.

[Youd270]

I bought an Oneill Pyrotech 4/3mm for winter and love it. I have skied in 42F water which pushed the friendship, mainly because of my feet and hands, however anything above 50F it is awesome (warmth and flexibility). My brother has a Quiksilver Fuseflex 4/3mm and my mate has a Ripcurl Flashbomb 4/3mm and they both have the same opinion in regard to the temperature and both are very happy with the flexibility. All 3 wetsuits are chest entry. On a side note my brother does have to perform some sort of houdini act to get out of his. All the top surf brands put a lot of $$ and time into R&D and you would struggle to go wrong with any of their higher end products.

[colo_skier]

@ncskier @waterskigirl at Robbis is where to get them. Once in a Camaro no desire to try anything else. You will be hard pressed to find anybody on BOS who has tried a camaro from Robbies and has changed to another brand of wet suit afterwards.

[TallSkinnyGuy]

@ncskier If you don't find the specific model you want at Robbie's or other ski shop of your choice, SierraTradingPost.com has a pretty big selection of closeout Camaro items right now. I know lots of people on this forum love Camaro (and with good reason -- I have one, too, and love it), but I spent many years surfing and working in the surf industry and know that you can get very good wetsuits from brands like Rip Curl, O'Neill and Xcel. However, those companies make entry level wetsuits as well as high end wetsuits. I recommend getting a high end wetsuit with an entry style you like. Back Zip is usually the easiest entry and exit but there are pros and cons to each type of entry style.

[rockdog]

The original and the best - Rip Curl. Skiers stay in the water for 2mins, surfers might stay in for 2 hours.

[Horton]

http://robbysskishop.com/ and http://www.perfski.com/ sell Camaro

[colo_skier]

@rockdog Exactly the point. :)

:)

[Orlando76]

I've had numerous wetsuits from nearly every brand. My latest suit is a Camaro.... that's all I'll ever buy from now on. And Performance Ski can count on my business.

[DefectiveDave]

Camaro is far and away the best wetsuit I have ever owned. My 2mm is comfortable down to 55F water, maybe more, beyond that my feet get really cold. It has proven to be a little more high maintenance than I would like, but totally worth it. In the fall and winter it is my favorite piece of equipment.

 

Also, it's really comfortable and non-restricting. Almost like a second skin.

[rayn]

Still skiing in my Black-tec Camaro long suit in New England. If that is not an endorsement nothing is. Everyone else is in dry suits.

[JayG80]

Camaro XXL is 42" chest. Eagle XXL is 47" chest. So Camaro isn't an option for me.

 

Eagle quality is very good and they are made in USA. My wife's Eagle Shorty is several years old and is very durable. Mine arrived today.

 

 

[smalor]

Camaro Blacktec 5.0 = AWESOME!!!!! This is from a Canadian skier......what more can be said?

[OldboyII]

What do you think about neoprene suits for triatlon?

Looks like second skin and very hi-tech.

Unfortunately here cannot see and touch it "in the flesh"

[Chef23]

@smalor how flexible is the Blacktec 5? @Oldboyll I had a tri suit for a little while and it was pretty good. Very flexible and pretty warm for what it was. I don't have a Camaro but one of my friends who wore my tri suit and has a Camaro says it is much better.

[oldjeep]

Question for the OP - what is winter like where you live and what do you consider cold weather/water? All I've ever had is a shortie Overtons wetsuit, which is good enough for late oct in MN (Air 55-60, water 55-60)

[Wish]

purchased a never used but used full length tri suit for my daughter. All sealed glued seams and very very stretchy much like Camaro and equally in need of much care putting on and taking off. It does act like a dry suit. 5mm in the torso and front of legs and 2-3mm everywhere else in order for the tri swimmer to maintain a flat attitude to the water. That extra mm's up front keeps the chill down.

[smalor]

@chef23 Camaro is extremely soft material.....doesn't hinder movement whatsoever....even at 5mm

[rq0013]

How does everyone using Camaro compare it to Oneill wetsuits and heater tops? Ive only used Oneill in WI.

[Wish]

@rg0013 I would say that Camaro is the next generation of '"wet" suit and would rather have a different classification for it. Semi dry suit would be better way to classify it as little to no water gets to your skin do to the skin like fit it has to your body. It's just different. It's not a "wet" suit. I think there are some attempts by others to copy but betting they are not close to the performance of Camaro in terms of warmth and flexibility.

[Fast351]

I have an older O'Neill 4/3 full length wetsuit. It allows me to ski in Minnesota whenever the lakes are not frozen.

 

I usually ski without a wetsuit down to about 62 degree water temp, then pull out the wetsuit, and usually catch a day or two that the water is 40. Never a problem with being warm enough inside the suit, just hands and feet. As a skier you spend so little time in the water it doesn't really matter. Fully enclosed boots make a big difference though!

 

I got this from a friend of mine, not sure how widespread the rule is. Rule of 100. Air + Water > 100 degrees to ski. I added my own addendum that the air temp has to be at least 60.

[colo_skier]

Camaro 2.0 black tec full suit, Neoprene beanie, Radar boots, Chatoes duck hunting neoprene gloves, lake 40 air 51. I set, 6 passes. Had to stop because face was cold. Till I tried it I to wouldn't have believed it either. Each to his own and I think it's safe to say those that have tried Camaro are converts.

[TallSkinnyGuy]

@Fast351 -- My rule is set closer to 130, but it depends heavily on the sun and wind. If no wind and full sun I can handle much colder air and water temps.

[oldjeep]

130 wouldn't get you much of a ski season here.

[TallSkinnyGuy]

I am in Northern California (Sacramento area foothills). I skied this morning and air started at around 60 and was about 70 when we left. Water was also probably around 70. Our skiing is pretty comfortable from April to October, so the 130 rule provides a decently long season.

[Edbrazil]

What happens when your company's office gets flooded?

You get a wet suite.

[MarkM]

I use Matuse. Awesome suits. I think Camaro copied them but I can't prove that.

[perfski]

Lots of options out there...Camaro's definately seem to be the skiers choice for flexibility. But durability wise we tend to sell more of the higher end Oneill / Rip Curl fullsuits. A big consideration when you buy one....warmth is created buy the thickness of the suit, materials and the construction. Meant to say that typically you pay for what you get. That said, you can get a great suit that will meat your needs for less than $300. Ask other skiers in your area what they use. We see two schools of thought...high end fullsuits 3/2 mainly some 4/3 for skiers wanting warmth / flexibilty....or others who just shift to Drysuits. Their tips on sealed gloves, neoprene beanies, and even titanium waterproof boot liners are all viable. Call us if you have questions. As for me (Bill), Anthony or Danielle. We'll help give you additional info if you need it.