Your Favorite Wet Suit - Dry Suit style

[Horton]

your one favorite.... just one

[Horton]

Does any one use a rubber base layer under a wet suit or dry suit?

[ALPJr]

Yes @Horton polyprop short sleeve and compression shorts. Seems to give a little more insulation with no restriction. When it gets cold-below 60 I go with a long sleeve wool blend shirt, long compression pants and dry fit socks. Btw I prefer a taped and glued shorty above 60 and save the dry suit for below 60.

[Marco]

With a full Camaro 2mm Blacktech, thats all I need. Warm enough in water into the low to mid 50's, and comfortable enough to replace a shorty when one is needed.

[Than_Bogan]

I still haven't recovered from the Sahara being discontinued. I found drysuits roughly as comfortable but they didn't last, and drysuits roughly as durable but they are uncomfortable.

[ALPJr]

My O'Neill Assault Dry (not hybrid) is going into it's 21st season. I use it a handful of sets per year - a couple in the spring and a couple in the fall. Warm, comfortable and no problems yet. My O'Neill Assault BLP shorty (3/4 legs just below the knees) is going into its 23rd season and could use a re-taping but the rubber is fine. Use it 10 to 15 sets a year. May call O'Neill to ask about getting it retaped.

[gregy]

I have a dry suit but have used since I got this wetsuit. Neil Pryde npx assassin 4/3 rear entry. Dry suit is a Barefoot International.

[dchristman]

I wear a sleeveless Camaro 2mm top under my 2mm Titanium L/S shorty to block zipper seepage against the back if it's really cold. I also just got a pair of 3/4 length compression shorts to wear over the shorty to keep the legs from filling per @Ed_Johnson 's excellent tip. I'm ready to go as soon as the ice melts!

[The_MS]

O'Neill Throttle but like @Than they quit making them and mine is on its last legs. By far the best dry suit ever made.

[disland]

Once I got a Camaro blacktec I will never wear a drysuit again

[The_MS]

@disland Bring the Blacktec up to my place in 2-3 weeks and test it out in some actual cold water.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

The Ronnie dry top ( while it lasted) and a pair of wetsuit shorts is the best setup I've used. Very much like scotchipmans 2/3 suit

[6balls]

Oneill shorty unless it's cold...then Oneill Boost drysuit. Trying a camaro long suit upcoming should be interesting.

[jipster43]

Last spring my Barefoot Int'l dry suit blew out at the neck and I had to ski in my 2/3 Blacktec wetsuit with snow on the ground. It was remarkably warm. I still would have preferred my drysuit, but the Balcktec kept me skiing.

 

We get about a week of shorts weather per season here, so drysuits are pretty mandatory. The only problems I have with them is the inability to pee mid-set and it's a little harder to see some of my bad habits on the video. I love the Barefoot Int'l suit. In fact I just ordered another one today.

[Than_Bogan]

@scotchipman That is cool. I would probably buy one.

[jmvana1]

Once I got the Camoro 2.0 black tec no need for Drysuit!

[rayn]

I get more more use out of my Camaro hot top. But for extending the season in New England nothing beats a full Camaro.

[mikegile]

Camaro monkey suit although stuck in baggy drysuit this time of year

[chris55]

I have a ONeill superfreak 4/3 and it is not the best choice. Entry is okay but taking it of is not easy (front zip) espacially after skiing in 50° water and tired. I sould have bought the Camaro Blacktec for sure. Always smarter after......

[MISkier]

I actually ski better in a baggy dry suit than anything else. I have much more warmth and flexibility. Only when the water is 90 and the air is 90 does it begin to equal out with just a heater top and shorts. Those combined temperatures are rare here. I never ski without at least a heater top.

[disland]

@MS I would love to come visit.

 

In August!! LOL

[The_MS]

@JD showed up in August and it almost snowed that weekend.

[thager]

O'neil Psycho works for me!

[gregy]

@chris55 I have a front zip also, 5/4/3. I don't use it much because its so hard to get in and out of. Really need a helper to get out of it. Last time I used it was working at the lake on a cold day where I was in and out the water during the day. It was overcast, 50s water even colder and never got cold, very impressive. Its made for surfing where you in it for hours at a time so being able to get in out is not as important. I ended up finding some youtube videos on getting the front zip on and off.

[fu_man]

Full wet suit or nothing. If its too cold for a wet suit its not worth skiing. If its too warm for a full wet suit, just jump in and get over it. You'll be warm in 1 pass.

[RazorRoss3]

Time of year dependent. Heater top most of the summer because I ski on a cold lake early in the morning, baggy top dry suit at the beginning and end.

[Chef23]

I am not a dry suit fan as I have a big neck and they tend to choke me. I have had that problem with some full suits also. I don't have a Camaro but I may spring for one this year.

[GOODESkier]

On a normal winter/summer cycle, I LIVE in my Assault Hybrid from O'Neil. The Columbia River is a COLD body of water and skiing at 6 am in the morning makes a dry suit a necessity for me.

 

My suit is currently getting arm cuffs replaced........... Hoping O'Neil gets it back to me sooner than later.

[Bill22]

I had to vote hot top because it is the one I enjoy using the most. Early summer mornings when the water is warm, the air is cool and the water is glass! Those are the best ski days.

[chris55]

@gregy Thank's for the tip I'llcheck youtube

[Wish]

So I tried something new this yr that so far is working well. I purchased the 2m Camaro heater top and a short leg Camaro jon. It is the "base layer" as @Horton puts it. I own the Silver Tech Camaro long sleeve short leg that I've used for yrs, and LOVED but it has seen better days. This combo set up seems to a bit wormer as my chest and back have 2 layers and is thicker. I do wear a back brace/weight belt so water intrusion I think is stopped from getting between layers at my waste but could be the two just seal against each other as the silver seems to stick to other materials. So this set up has 0 and I mean 0 water intrusion unlike the back ziper of the Silver tech. This base layer is basically just like the Silver tech in construction and performance both in crazy warmth and lack of duability. But, being under the heater top, it sees 0 wear. There is also a long leg jon that could be paired and I feel would be as good as the Black Tech full suit. I've got prob 2 dozen sets in my combo and so far so great!!! Base layers my just be what the doctor ordered. The only mod was a velco strap on each leg to keep water from stretching open the base layer leg. Did the same for my Silver Tech so not much differance there either. They also have base layer shorts for under you bathing suit. NICE...

[dchristman]

@wish I haven't seen a short leg Camaro jon... where did you find that? That sounds like the perfect combination with a long sleeve top and @Ed_Johnson 's suggestion of the 3/4 compression shorts.

[JackQ]

scotchipman, does your 3/4 suit have a zipper in back of top? I have a old but hardly used Bare top like yours that was part of a two piece drysuit. The bottoms leaked so bad it was unusable. I have thought about make mating with a pair of short but never came up with a good solution.

[Texas6]

The Camaro is great when t comes to flexibility and mobility, but with small ankles and wrists, and a severe hatred for cold water, I prefer the Camaro in the spring and the O'Neill 2.5mm in the colder temps as it acts more like a dry suit in that I never feel the water..

[acmx]

Has anyone tried the O'neill hyperfreak spring suit? Looks like is's a shorty dry suit, not sure if the zipper would be uncomfortable though.

[david_ski]

@Horton Camaro top until it too cold for just a top. Then O'Neil hybrid dry suit. When water gets colder then the Camaro top underneath the O'Neil dry suit. Comfy warm without any surprise cold leaks.

[Zman]

Have a full wet suit, but hate skiing in it. Also use my sleeveless barefoot suit. Preference is hot top and neo shorts or 2/3 suit. As little as I need to not be chilled.

[Zman]

And, being in deep south, would never own dry suit. If it is that cold, time to catch up on other things.

[lpskier]

Actually, my favorite is no rubber at all. Once the water is mid sixties, I'm skinning it.

[Steven_Haines]

Bare! No neoprene for me!

[prettig]

best I ever had...... Matuse yamamoto limestone geoprene.....47 degrees (2/3mm suit) and not cold. Does not get wet ! Stays warm when out of the water. Incredible suit.

[Deke]

I own an Eagle baggy drysuit which is great for those conditions, but honestly there are better things to do when it's that cold :) That said, I pretty much need the 3/2 shorty all summer. If we're lucky enough to have "warm" conditions I wear a hot top, no less.