Getting ready for winter kiting?

[OliverG]

Cheap wetsuits don't last very long. They're good for a season of heavy use then they fall apart. A quality wetsuit lasts for many years and stays warmer.

I usually buy cheap 3mm's because they get used in the summer when a small leak isn't a big deal.

For winter, consider a real quality $$ suit, they're much warmer after a dozen sessions than the cheap stuff. You'll really notice that freezing water leaking in.

Not always - I started the season off with a new O'Neill that wasn't necessarily cheap and the cuff on one leg blew out within a month and it is now always loose and flapping. The 5mm I ordered is from an Austrian company, so I thought I'd give it a try for the winter. I'm bound to be warmer than what I was in last winter.

[OliverG]

I mean other than blackberry bushes and rocks...

Then the wetuit might be the least of your worries!

[dewey]

Hmmm. My philosophy was this: I think I'd rather spend more money on a summer wetsuit than a winter one, because I sure as hell hope to put in alot more kite miles in the summer...

The sun is what's going to damage a wetsuit the most, isn't it. I mean other than blackberry bushes and rocks...

Why the wetsuit in the summer?? I spend my money on board shorts!! I think I need to get a wetsuit for spring. I tore my last one across the torso last spring on the submerged rocks in Alameda. I'm thinking of going with a solid 3m or 3/4. I think I'd over heat with a 5m.

[Pablito]

Dewey, a couple of days when you were in boardshorts I was in my full 3/2 suit!

Yeah, unfortunately I seem to have done alot of bushwacking at SI this year -- one time when my kite exploded in the lake and another when my bar went deep into the blackberries by the beach during an emergency landing(note to self: fix stopper ball this winter). Too bad my harness/shorts aren't as tough as my wetsuit.

[OliverG]

The wetsuit I originally ordered from Sierra Trading Post was too small (damn European sizing!) as was the rashie w/hood so I ended up sending them back. I did, however, order a neoprene long sleeve top with built-in sleeve and collar.

I used for the first time today at OB and when worn under or over your normal suit, very warm. Not bad for $25 bucks.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq/asp ... roduct.htm

You can a Google search to try and find free shipping coupon codes for STP.