Standup Zone Forum
Stand Up Paddle => SUP General => Topic started by: Beasho on October 08, 2018, 07:08:33 AM
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I was watching one of my daughters gymnastics events years ago when I heard two guys in the audience next to me talking about surfing. They were going on about spots and boards and then one of them said “You can tell how good a guy is by how many surfboards he has.” Then the first guy says ‘Yeah how many do you have?’ Two was the response. Second guy says “I have Three.” At this point I chimed in and asked what they were talking about. They regaled the story and then asked me “How many do you have?”
My response: “I don’t know.” They looked at eachother sideways.
Yesterday I decided to do an inventory check on my wetsuits. I still don’t know how many I have :o
PS: I think I have the same number of boards as wetsuits.
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Nah, I think that just makes us pack rats...I still have a wetsuit from the early 90's that hasn't been used since, well, the early 90's... ;D
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That's a whole lotta rubber. Here in NJ you need a full compliment of different thicknesses to keep on keeping on. I have about half that by estimate. Recently unload a few at a yard sale. "All Wetsuits $5ea"!
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I get through the entire year with five suits.
I rarely surf without neoprene. I didn't trunk it once this year, but I never surf mid day when it's hot. Too many people. Dawn and dusk patrols in the summer.
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I do most of my surfing in Maui and even when the water temp is 50 and the air isn't much warmer, wearing rubber on a downwinder makes my head feel like the blood is boiling. But I still have a giant wad of wetsuits and drysuits. The stuff just accretes, like a coral reef.
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The number of wet/dry suits I have is "zero" (0) .
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The number of wet/dry suits I have is "zero" (0) .
Show off! ;D
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most ppl I know have about 3 to 5 suits though back in the day I use to have just one suit for the whole season ;D
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For me, wetsuits are like spare tires. The rubber doesn't get used it just gets old. My 3-2 fullsuit gets worn maybe 3 to 4 times a year. I'm like Pono, I hate being hot. I usually wear an impact vest under a rashguard, and that gets me through our high 60's to low 70 deg winter water temps. If I prone surf in winter (which is rare) I'll wear my 3-2 fullsuit. It's actually not warm enough if the water hits the mid to lower 60's. I just can't justify spending money on rubber I'll hardly ever use. I used to wear my spring suit all the time, but now I prefer the vest and rashguard only.
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My winter suit is a 6/5. That keeps me comfortable between 25 and 40 degrees air temps. I know, I'm a wuss. A lot of the guys I surf with only need a 5/4 for those temps.
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I was watching one of my daughters gymnastics events years ago when I heard two guys in the audience next to me talking about surfing. They were going on about spots and boards and then one of them said “You can tell how good a guy is by how many surfboards he has.” Then the first guy says ‘Yeah how many do you have?’ Two was the response. Second guy says “I have Three.” At this point I chimed in and asked what they were talking about. They regaled the story and then asked me “How many do you have?”
My response: “I don’t know.” They looked at eachother sideways.
Yesterday I decided to do an inventory check on my wetsuits. I still don’t know how many I have :o
PS: I think I have the same number of boards as wetsuits.
Thanks Beasho!
Have started negotiations with my wife about a foil board........I am in it for the long haul. Your photo of the wetsuits will be part of my negotiation strategy as I only have only four wetsuits (and two drysuits for kayaking), four Standup boards and one surfboard. I plan on keeping the foil board at our cabin in the interior and learn behind a little inflatable zodiac with a 10 hp motor. Guess who the driver needs to be?........ yes my wife! The ice won’t be off the lake until April so lots of time. Perhaps Not long enoughfor my wife to warm to the idea.
Bob
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most ppl I know have about 3 to 5 suits though back in the day I use to have just one suit for the whole season ;D
My daughter looked at the wetsuits and said "Dad your not going to throw any of those away are you? They all look good to me!" ???
As I scan through them there are 2 hooded suits which I haven't bought since I started SUP'ing 9 years ago. 1 was, still is, brand new that I purchased with Christmas gift credit. 3 junior suits that I keep around for my kids and guests and one for my wife that we had custom made in the Gorge 19 years ago. However I have a couple more in the attic and have retired some older suits to the East Coast.
I typically wait to buy SUPREME or Hyperflex wetsuits on Amazon when they hit $100 to $150. I too have found that I can get through the Winter in Northern California with a 3/2 when I layer with a 1.5 mm undershirt and float vest with a hood. This way I keep the suits cheap(er) and the undergarments last for years.
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Hahaha...I can't remember the last time I wore a full wetsuit (5 years?)...that's the nice this about surf SUPing SoCal. On occasion I'll wear a vest or sleeves, and that's if it's really "cold" out there (60isho?). :o :)
Earlier this year I wore a spring suit for a false sense of security from impacts when learning to foil. Once I got to a point where I felt that I had enough experience/expertise that I knew what the board was doing or going to do that I could bail off in advance of any "board meeting" out there, the uncomfortable spring suit stayed in the van.
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I keep 3 wetsuits...2/3, 2/3/4, and a 5/6. Couple those with a hooded vest and I'm good for anything. I'm usually in rubber by mid October...early this year a couple days. Sweat my ass of the other day in a 3/2...should have gone boardshorts. I'm not replacing the 5/6...I've found the 4/3 with the hooded vest is enough and the thick 5/6 feels like a straightjacket.
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One hooded wetsuit, 7/5 flex, used for SCUBA and cold water activities including surfing Lake Superior in the winter.
Special booties and gloves for subfreezing temps but still working on an ultimate cure for 'cold feet' in ice and snow...
One 3mm fullsuit on permanent loan from a dive buddy for summer use.
Two homemade surfboards and one homemade SUP and paddle.
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I have 2.5 farmer john which I pair with a 1.5 jacket when things get pretty cold. When it's close to freezing I use my 4/5, but I hate wearing it. Like Stoney said, it's like wearing a straight jacket. I also wear 7mm booties when the water is really cold. 5mm just isn't enough when the water is in the 30s.
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If I am no longer using a wet suit, I give it away to some fishermen in Baja.
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As a first year surfer, I have 3. And it seemed excessive, especially to my significant other, until I read this post. A shortie, a spring suit, and a winter suit. But it gets damn cold up here on the northeast.
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As a first year surfer, I have 3. And it seemed excessive, especially to my significant other, until I read this post. A shortie, a spring suit, and a winter suit. But it gets damn cold up here on the northeast.
How thick is your winter suit and what part of the north east? That's a big jump from spring suit to winter suit. How do you get through the in between months? My 6/5 winter suit would be too hot above 40 degrees. My spring suit would be too cold below 65. Don't you need a 4/3 for spring and fall?
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Beasho. That picture made me laugh out loud! I’ve never thought what the collective pronoun for a collection of wetsuits is are until now.. A flock? A gaggle? A sheath?
In Hong Kong I had one 3mm farmer John and two 2mm tops. One zippered and one not. That was all that was needed for the winter.
Here in the US North East coast I still have that but also a 7mm hooded suit. I use 3mm, 5mm and 8mm booties and 3mm palmless mitts and 7mm full mitts when it gets cold. I also find a windproof lightweight jacket over the top of any wetsuit is really good at keeping in the heat in downwind conditions...
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I’m adding a 3/2 for this winter. I keep about 3.5 as my summer/spring is a jacket with long john and shorts so I can sort of make whatever I feel like in the transition seasons. I keep a 4/3 in SoCal because I have no body fat and hate being cold.
Hate taking off suits but I love a nice wetsuit. Being comfortable in cool water makes me feel like I’m getting away with something.
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Yeah, I'm basically in trunks 6-7 months/year, and then jump to a 1 mil top, 3/2, 4/3.
That's generally speaking all we need, occasionally water will dip into the upper 40's/low 50's, but typically 52-55 is as cold as it gets.
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I’ve never thought what the collective pronoun for a collection of wetsuits is are until now.. A flock? A gaggle? A sheath?
lmao! A "Pile" of rubber?!
(https://freelocalnews.com.au/surfcoasttimes/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/Rip-Curl-Torquay-rubber-recycling.jpg)
While searching for images of old wetsuits piled up I stumbled on this cool wetsuit recycle program by Rip Curl. It was there that I learned a new term.
bi·tu·men- a black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons obtained naturally or as a residue from petroleum distillation. It is used for road surfacing and roofing.
https://freelocalnews.com.au/surfcoasttimes/news/old-wetsuits-bounce-back-with-rip-curl-recycling-program/
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nothing better than a brand new high quality wetsuit--i am old and spoiled and dont like discomfort--especially when there are nice waves to enjoy
shorty-3/2-4/3-5.5/4
some years i barely use one of em as the seasons can move quickly some years
hot in my 3/2 now--go figure
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Surfercook
Thanks for the posting that article:
bi·tu·men- a black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons obtained naturally or as a residue from petroleum distillation. It is used for road surfacing and roofing.
I work in the surf industry and have been trying to find a good way to recycle wetsuits. this gives me something to think about. Know of any crumbing facilities in the US?
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Someone once said a good indicator of work life balance is number of wetsuits owned divided by number of business suits. 3 or higher is about right. Any lower, not good, unless you live somewhere hot that is. :)
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I have that nailed. I have one nice italian sportjacket--getting a little baggy, one blazer, one tuxedo (I do rock a tux). Probably fifty pairs of boardshorts, a hundred or more event T-shirts, ten or fifteen wetsuits--all fairly light, one diving drysuit, one paddling drysuit.
So I score at least a five.
I'd think Neoprene could be recycled as neoprene, or maybe just shredded and burned in a calciner.
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Geez, according to that indicator my work life balance is on a tight rope...
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The number of wet/dry suits I have is "zero" (0) .
#Metoo
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Welcome back Head.
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I've never owned a business suit. I've never even worn a suit in my life. I wonder where that puts me on the work life balance. :P
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I have that nailed. I have one nice italian sportjacket--getting a little baggy, one blazer, one tuxedo (I do rock a tux). Probably fifty pairs of boardshorts, a hundred or more event T-shirts, ten or fifteen wetsuits--all fairly light, one diving drysuit, one paddling drysuit.
Interesting - I have ONE (1) pair of boardshorts. So my RATIO of Wetsuits:Boardshorts is:
+15 : 1
I wonder if this is how Cold Water Dolphins feel vs. Warm Water dolphins. Do the coldwater Dolphins say to themselves:
"Sure I could live in those warm waters but I would have to work harder to catch all those fish. And all that clear water would probably give me skin cancer. Yes its fun on vacation but you can't possibly live like that all the time."
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I have that nailed. I have one nice italian sportjacket--getting a little baggy, one blazer, one tuxedo (I do rock a tux). Probably fifty pairs of boardshorts, a hundred or more event T-shirts, ten or fifteen wetsuits--all fairly light, one diving drysuit, one paddling drysuit.
Interesting - I have ONE (1) pair of boardshorts. So my RATIO of Wetsuits:Boardshorts is:
+15 : 1
I wonder if this is how Cold Water Dolphins feel vs. Warm Water dolphins. Do the coldwater Dolphins say to themselves:
"Sure I could live in those warm waters but I would have to work harder to catch all those fish. And all that clear water would probably give me skin cancer. Yes its fun on vacation but you can't possibly live like that all the time."
LOL, love it! +1
I can beat your boardshorts by 100%, I've got two pair!
I'm a bit south of you, north SLO county, but very similar conditions. Quite often while at the beach somebody will say "this place is beautiful, the only thing it needs is some palm trees" to which I always say "no way, no palm trees, with palm trees you get hordes of people both in and out of the water".
I also like flannel shirts, long sleeve tee shirts, and fire places. What's a business suit?