Gearing up for colder UK water?

[LittleSkink]

Myself, my 11yo and 13yo daughters all have full 4/3 wetsuits and 3mm boots of various brands which have been fine in UK "summer" weather / temperatures - to date we have mostly been summer surfers but plan to keep going as long as we can in to Autumn this year. Scarborough is our nearest beach, currently 12 / 13 C but going to cool more

I am not sure if its worth spending money now on some gloves, or even hoods to use with the current wetsuits - or whether we need to save our money and go for warmer 5mm suits all round - not much cash available and the kids are both growing silly fast right now so I am a little reluctant on new wetsuits, but there cant me much more miserable than a long drive to quickly get cold surfing

thoughts?

[jaffa1949]

It's a hard call as they sprout every which way, often just after you bought a new wetsuit or pair of shoes , , if you have surf community available to you, often a swap me down or up in gear twitch other parents may work!

Local eBay or whatever your equivalent is may help,!
Freezing the kids may help if they are only summer enthusiastic. Then a new season suit and an outgrown one handed down 13 to 11. Or sold on eBay!
For your own sake and if you can go the necessity route rather than the fashion call!
Good lucky but most of all make it fun

[BaNZ]

I wear 5mm wetsuit with hood, gloves and boots. The coldest part is getting out of the wetsuit. Gloves, boots and hood is very cheap when you get it from surfdome, I just buy their brand. It doesn't really matter as they are warm enough. But honestly, you should take them once during the winter and they will most likely not want to go surf again. The water is too cold. I tend to surf a couple of times in UK during the winter season. Maybe like once a month or less.

[pmcaero]

do you have craigslist in your area?

probably your best bet as parents unload when kids grow older.

alternative - you can get by for a while with an under-layer, like a 1mm rashguard or hooded vest. This would make paddling a little harder than a 5mm wetsuit, but if you don't plan to go out when air temps are sub-freezing might be enough.

Definitely invest in 5-7mm boots and gloves though.

[saltydog]

A cap or hood helps stay warmer, more so than I ever imagined. I’d personally wear a hood before the gloves. Meanwhile my kids definitely remark about how cold their hands feel during the first 10 min even though our water is a lot warmer than UK. But like BaNZ said, changing out of the wetsuit is pretty cold especially if it’s breezy.

[Lebowski]

Nothing ruins a session quicker than being utterly freezing, which I certainly would be in a 4/3 in UK winter.

[LittleSkink]

thanks folks, really helpful - to clarify, the plan isnt to surf in "proper" UK winter weather, but to extend our season a bit

From comments and reflection we have decided (i) we will get some thermal rashies, hoods and gloves, which are all fairly cheap items and will probably last longer than new wetsuits (which arent really needed yet anyhow) (ii) when the kids grow to the point of needing new wetsuits we will get 5/4/3, I cant imagine them ever complaining of being too hot in the UK summer and if they do I can open the zip . . .

I guess there is a second question of how cold will the sea get before we stop going in our 4/3 wetsuits with thermal rashies, boots, gloves and hoods - my guess is maybe 10C, thoughts on that?

[BaNZ]

I only surf when there is no wind during winter or else it is way too cold. Yes, I think you can get by with 4/3 but fully covered up in 10C water. I've even went to 5C with my 4/3 but I only managed to stay in the water for about 45 minutes.

[Silvery]

I surfed last couple end of Octobers with just 3mm suit and it's been fine, admittedly woolacombe not Yorkshire.

[pmcaero]

here in New England - not ole' England I was getting by with my 4/3 , hood and 5mm boots / 7mm gloves till mid January.

[dtc]

Here in Australia i complain when water hits 16C...

Don’t forget that not all wetsuits are equal. The warmest suits have therma coatings in the inside (that slightly fluffy/mesh stuff) and the best have it in the arms and legs as well. Blind stitching with tape/welded seams is essential. Many top of the line suits are actually focused on flex/performance rather than warmth; usually the second from top suit is the warm one (taped seams reduces flex/stretch). But it varies between brands

In any case, a 4/3 built for warmth will be better than a 5/4 that isn’t.

[oldmansurfer]

It gets down to close to 22 C here and that's cold but my blubber layer seems to keep me warm. That's my excuse for not losing weight

[Doolie]

You should be able to pick up new suits reasonably priced as long as they are not the latest top spec models. Look for last season's suits and you will often find them on sale with all the major retailers. Once they have out grown then they can be sold and used to offset the price of a new suit.

PS please ensure both you and your kids are using earplugs ! If your spending anytime in the water. To prevent surfers ear. If you haven't heard of it just Google it you do not want this happening to either you or the kids it's totally preventable with ear plugs.

[TDreamer]

I only surf when there is no wind during winter or else it is way too cold.

Yeah the weather makes a huge difference - I've been toasty and warm in Feb when the sea is about 8 deg, because it happened to be a sunny day with minimal wind. And I'm always cold!

If you do end up going when the weather is a bit harsher, a wetsuit with a built-in hood makes a big difference, but a separate hood is definitely better than nothing (and gives some protection against surfers ear too).

[Oldie]

If you intend to surf regulalry during early winter, it definitely is worth the investment. Nothing ruins a day of surfing as much as freezing. I was out last year on a day in December with 10°C water, wearing my 4/3 (including gloves, hood & boots), but the windchill killed the fun quickly.