Anyone tried wearing wetsuit to work?

by Beginner77 » Sun Dec 24, 2017 10:39 am

BaNZ wrote:Would that work? Or wetsuit only keeps you warm when it is soaked with water so you have that layer of insulation?

That's a myth; water in your wetsuit cools you down, it doesn't insulate you. The insulation of a wetsuit it provided by the material itself; neoprene is full of tiny air bubbles, and this trapped air is a poor conductor of heat, thus insulating you. It's exactly how a jumper works, although of course unlike a jumper, when a wetsuit gets wet the trapped air doesn't disappear, because it's stuck inside waterproof rubber. This is why thicker wetsuits insulate better and it's also why innovations to keep you warm in a wetsuit mostly involve keeping water

out

.

With that in mind, I'd worry you'd actually get cold wearing your wet wetsuit after surfing. Surfing's quite a physical sport, so the wetsuit you're comfortable in constantly paddling, popping up and riding probably isn't the wetsuit you're comfortable in sat on a bus, train or in a car with the whole thing wet, conducting away your body heat. The problem is compounded by the fact that most surfing wetsuits are double lined with fabric for protection, which absorbs water - this evaporates off the surface of the suit and chills you out very quickly (this is why windsurfers often wear a different type of wetsuit without this fabric lining, esp in cold weather - you get this on the chest or back panels of some surfing suits). Surf schools in colder climates have this problem-on lunch breaks students and teachers sit or stand around in wet wetsuits, and getting cold is quite a serious problem at that stage.

I'd say what you're suggesting is sensible and worth a try, but make sure you wrap up very warm with a big thick coat over the top of the wetsuit otherwise you'll freeze.

That's a myth; water in your wetsuit cools you down, it doesn't insulate you. The insulation of a wetsuit it provided by the material itself; neoprene is full of tiny air bubbles, and this trapped air is a poor conductor of heat, thus insulating you. It's exactly how a jumper works, although of course unlike a jumper, when a wetsuit gets wet the trapped air doesn't disappear, because it's stuck inside waterproof rubber. This is why thicker wetsuits insulate better and it's also why innovations to keep you warm in a wetsuit mostly involve keeping waterWith that in mind, I'd worry you'd actually get cold wearing your wet wetsuit after surfing. Surfing's quite a physical sport, so the wetsuit you're comfortable in constantly paddling, popping up and riding probably isn't the wetsuit you're comfortable in sat on a bus, train or in a car with the whole thing wet, conducting away your body heat. The problem is compounded by the fact that most surfing wetsuits are double lined with fabric for protection, which absorbs water - this evaporates off the surface of the suit and chills you out very quickly (this is why windsurfers often wear a different type of wetsuit without this fabric lining, esp in cold weather - you get this on the chest or back panels of some surfing suits). Surf schools in colder climates have this problem-on lunch breaks students and teachers sit or stand around in wet wetsuits, and getting cold is quite a serious problem at that stage.I'd say what you're suggesting is sensible and worth a try, but make sure you wrap up very warm with a big thick coat over the top of the wetsuit otherwise you'll freeze.