that wetsuit discussion...

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[steve shearer]

I use modern wetsuits.

I have a 5 wetsuit quiver that spans every price point, apart from custom Japanese Yamamoto neoprene.

The physics of heat loss, evaporative cooling etc etc don’t change between Lennox Head and Alaska.

[channels]

Newton's law of cooling might disagree.

The rate of heat loss in a body is directly proportional to the difference in temperature between the body and its environment. I reckon Alaska and Lennox are marginally different.

[steve shearer]

Correct.

That’s the rate of heat loss.

So a wet bald head or upper body in 3 degree with wind chill will lose heat at the same rate in Lennox as it does in Alaska.

Physics mate, it’s amazing how it works everywhere.

[steve shearer]

And even weirder ; the way wetsuits work also works everywhere.

[channels]

The same way internet experts comment on the properties of modern wetsuits in cold water despite not having seen properly cold water in two decades.

[Beanpole]

This is going well. 3 degrees at Lennox?
Water temp is about 22 degrees in Winter isn’t it.

[godsavetheking]

It’s an interesting question steve. I always buy from at or close to the top of the range, discounted in the ‘off’ season. At that price point, anecdotally I’d say that there’s been a steady improvement in warmth, flex and fit. I never buy the likes of the dawn patrol or omega, so can’t comment on those although like everything else that’s built down to a price, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if performance has been sacrificed on the altar of affordability

[Beanpole]

GST always strikes me as a top of the range type of guy. A bit like Loof in that regard. When only the best will do.
At least you have the excuse of cold water GST.

[steve shearer]

It’s an interesting question steve. I always buy from at or close to the top of the range, discounted in the ‘off’ season. At that price point, anecdotally I’d say that there’s been a steady improvement in warmth, flex and fit. I never buy the likes of the dawn patrol or omega, so can’t comment on those although like everything else that’s built down to a price, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if performance has been sacrificed on the altar of affordability

Possibly.

Although now I have a premium Yamamoto Isurus to compare with the mid-rangers I'm still not convinced that improvements in warmth have accompanied the undoubted improvements in weight and flexibility.

The Volcom I bought off Buddy is a mid-ranger and it's a cold suit, definitely colder than my Dawn Patrol.

[godsavetheking]

Well I guess the big jump in warmth came when they ditched overlock as the go-to for 3/2 seams, but that was 30 years ago I suppose. Everything since probably falls under the marginal gains category - different linings, fewer seams, better zips etc. I have also read speculation that some manufacturers take advantage of the extra flex to sneak a bit of extra thickness in there to claim a warmth premium.

[steve shearer]

Thanks for steering the conversation back to facts and science.

Be interesting to talk to a materials scientist about advances in neoprene and whether the structure has changed materially.

[Beanpole]

Yeah, thanks GST. Steve was going off on one of his tangents.

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[godsavetheking]

What was the usp leej? Noble gas infused neoprene?

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[steve shearer]

Junk science.

“The data showed that the average surfer didn’t need the extra millimeters around their core (unless perhaps they were riding waves near the Arctic Circle). Instead, they needed the thickest neoprene over the lower half of their body— the calves, thighs, stomach, and lower back. Those were the regions submerged in water for the most amount of time and consequently the areas that lost the most heat. Those regions also received the least exposure to the sun and weren’t utilized as much as the upper body’s paddling muscles.”


Meaningless.

It's like Robodebt with it's income averaging.

What is needed are solutions to specific circumstance, not averages.