Hi,

I struggle with the cold water in Perth and get cold quickly, yes even the summer! (having grown up in Cairns).

Would appreciate any recs on wet/dry suits - brands, styles that suit kiting.. looking at a s/s wettie for summer, and possibly drysuit for winter.. or recs for good steamers for maximum warmth in water/wind.

What thickness wetsuit would begin to restrict movement for kiting?

thanks heaps!

Hi Seyis ,
About a year ago I had the same dilemma and ended up doing some research into it all (all online as there are no kite shops on the island!). I thought I’d write down what I’ve found as there was very limited info on the forums. It’s a thesis, but I hope it’s helpful

Drysuit Vs Wetsuit

Wetsuit
I would think a good wettie would be fine in the WA winter. Different brands seem to suit different body shapes - eg my friend only fits ripcurl (rounder curvier cut) and I seem to fit O'neil (longer legs, smaller hips). Fit, seams, quality fabric and flexibility are all important and my preference is the o’neil psycho 2 Zen for a kickass winter steamer.

I’d just find a good brand that suits your figure (see the sizing chart or try one on in a shop) and go for the model with the best seams, flex and heat retention you can get. I would also ask some of the local girls what thickness they recommend.

On the restriction issue: I used to kite in a 5mm diving wetsuit in the winter. It was kitable but not ideal eg: made surface handle passes pretty tricky. 4:3 will give you some restriction. I don’t notice a 3:2 much at all.

Glideskin top
A great tip a mate discovered to minimise windchill is to chuck a ‘glide skin’ or ‘shark skin’ top over a wettie. It acts as a barrier over the wetsuit to stop evaporation. There are several types on the market and the guys use them too (mine is an NRS Mystery shirt).


Drysuits
Drysuits totally illuminate windchill and in cold climates you need to heat up the water in your wettie, so you end up losing heaps of body heat before you start. While drysuits are brilliant for Tassie’s 5 degree air temp/ 12 degree water temp days, when the weather gets warmer, they can get uncomfortable if you are working hard on the water - abit like your own personal kite sauna. Also, if you are big into waves, I would stick with a wettie (or a surf specific drysuit).

Saffer's drysuit suggestion looks good. Drysuit fit is important – check the sizing chart for your hip, bust , inseam and waist if you can’t try it on. I own an NRS ladies kayak inversion suit (I have reviewed it in the gear section). I bought it because it looked like the best fit and even though it’s not kite specific, it’s been great.. with the exception of the pee zipper which just looks weird. OR, NPX, Mystic and Ion all make kiting drysuits but, after trying the OR on, there is def something to be said for women’s sizing!

Good luck!

I kite august all the time and its EFING cold down there. i use a ripcurl stretch wetsuit in the winter and it works a treat. The main thing is it stops the wind from giving you the extra chill factor. I would suggest go in to a nice big surf shop in perth and get the best advice, then jump on the net and get a price and go back in and barter with them. it amazing how much you can save on a name brand wetty. also make sure you buy a named brand. it sounds stupid but i have had lots of cheap one but when you get a named one they last for years.