Wetsuit hood = sensory deprivation

[tomthetreeman]

Hi all-

I tried surfing with a separate 5mm hood recently, and wow, I didn't realize how much I relied on my hearing! I found it extremely claustrophobic and weird...

What's your experience with the hoods?

Should I just try to get used to it? Would a thinner one allow me to hear a little better?Should I cut some ear holes in mine lol?

I have a thicker suit for later into the winter with an attached hood, and I figure I'll just pull it off as needed once I get to that suit, but it's not cold enough for that one yet. TIA,

Tom

[BoMan]

Would a thinner one allow me to hear a little better?Should I cut some ear holes in mine lol?

I rarely wear a hood. The water at my break is not that cold (50 to 57°F) and I stay warm enough as long as I'm paddling. The hood pinches my ears, gets in the way of talking with other surfers and doesn't protect my face from the sun. I ride with a surf hat like the one below. That said, if I lived in your area I'd definitely get a suit with the built in hood!

[BaNZ]

The hood sucks, I have to wear it during winter months. You do get used to it eventually. Takes a couple of session. Throws me off balance at the beginning and I don't enjoy surfing as much with the hood on.

[RobSF]

I had the same experience you did, Tom. And because I'm in Bo's neck of the woods, I've found that even in the winter I can generally get away without a hood at all. On the colder days I now wear a 2 mm cap.

On the other hand, after a three-week bout of water on the ear, I'm starting to occasionally wear earplugs, which I find as disorienting as a thick hood. But I'm getting used to them, and it's probably better for my ears.

[LostAtSea]

Where I surf it's windy and cold in the winter, so a hood is necessary on many days. In those cases, I'm thankful for it. Yes, I prefer to hear. Sometimes I see a friend in the lineup and I can't hear a word they say unless I peel it back.

If you have to wear one, an attached hood is way better. Assuming your wearing it because it's really cold in the water, having an attached hood eliminates chilly flushes and ice cream headaches when pushing through oncoming waves.

When the sun comes out you can Pull it back like a hoodie, and it's no bother.

Sometimes you just need it.

[Oldie]

Same here. It impacts me massively, but at 10degrees celsius water and air and below, with wind most of the time, I need it. I hate it though.

[tomthetreeman]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I think I'll skip the hood until I need my 6/5/4 hoodie, and then just use it as needed... water is in the 50s now and I'm still ok without it, so hopefully I'll be good for a few more weeks. If I have to, I'll go for the 2mm cap.

On another note, I'm definitely planning on getting a brimmed hat like yours, BoMan! Thanks, all!

Tom

[RinkyDink]

I don't really like hoods, but I do like full hooded wetsuits. I like them mainly because the hood acts like a wind shield on the back of my shoulders. It has the added advantage that you can actually wear it on your head when it gets really cold.