Lidl wetsuit for windsurfing/surfing

inigo

Hi all. I wanted to give mainly windsurfing a go. I think I'll book a course in Malahide before the end of the season. Will this suit be any good for a complete windsurfing/surfing beginner? I've never actually worn one and I didn't want to spend a lot and then find out it's not my thing or it's too cold for me (I'm Spanish... ). Cheers!

spaceHopper

No, do the course use thier gear and see what they reccomend but that's a dive suit and will be to bulkie for surfing and probably wind surfing. You'll end up buying a new one.

bigsurf.ie

Hi inigo,

Agree with spacehopper, use the hire centre gear as a first try and then look into getting a wind based wetsuit...that Lidl wetsuit is cheap and will likely "tear the b***s off you"! :eek:

For windsurfing, SUP & kiteboarding you need a smooth skin wetsuit to minimise wind chill. For surfing you need flexibility and a good fitting suit. A very good winter surf suit would be 6mm max...anything thicker will tire you out within minutes. 5mm is the norm for a winter suit.

Hope this helps!

Regards,
Pearse
bigsurf.ie

listermint

that is a 3 piece, full suit / shorty and hoody. prob has foot wear included but not sure.


Too be honest. its a cheap and cheerful full body suit. The full body is 5mm and I bought one 3 years ago. It does not pull the 'bollix' of you and personally found it very comfortable. I look after the suit will proper cleaning and drying. And it is still in great nick today. All be it i only get out in it maybe once a month.

As stated its cheap and cheerful and ive had no bad experience with it. The shorty part is ****e though bad fitment

eden_my_ass

I picked this suit up for 99 earlier this summer, admittedly I only used it once so far (surfing), it was well fitted and comfortable (I did buy two sizes to try and return one which they had no issue with)....bought the booties as well and one burst the zip first time on...grrrr

loctite

listermint wrote: »

that is a 3 piece, full suit / shorty and hoody. prob has foot wear included but not sure.


Too be honest. its a cheap and cheerful full body suit. The full body is 5mm and I bought one 3 years ago. It does not pull the 'bollix' of you and personally found it very comfortable. I look after the suit will proper cleaning and drying. And it is still in great nick today. All be it i only get out in it maybe once a month.

As stated its cheap and cheerful and ive had no bad experience with it. The shorty part is ****e though bad fitment

Its actually a 6.5 mm suit, had a read of the flyer. Its way too thick for any sort of watersports that requires movement.

I have to qualify that statement, it is not necessarily the thickness that is the problem but the fact that it is so thick and that it is made from a cheaper and less elastic type of neoprene. It is very good value for a dive suit but I am not at all surprised to hear that zips and sizings are off.......... you get what you pay for.......

Do the course and get the advice from the instructor........

ligertigon

To be honest I doubt you'd get your hands on one as they will probably be sold out before 9am.

I dont reckon they will be 6.5mm all round, but maybe so for the price. Most winter suits tend to be 5/4/3 etc, so 5mm torso and thinner(hence more flexible) around arms and legs where movement is crucial.

Perhaps check if the thickness is the same all over? Or maybe a current owner/ listermint could verify if the groin/armpits etc are thinner?

I will get one as a spare, and if no changing facilities maybe buy 2 and return 1 same day... to back up my oneill that I keep ripping:(

OldGuysRule

From the advert link posted, there is a zip down the front which would NOT be suitable for surfing, unless you have developed a new way to paddle. The zip will be uncomfortable and will make **** of the deck of a board

Japer

OldGuysRule wrote: »

From the advert link posted, there is a zip down the front which would NOT be suitable for surfing, unless you have developed a new way to paddle. The zip will be uncomfortable and will make **** of the deck of a board

+ the material is not stretchy / comfortable, and they are only available in a few sizes, so cannot hope to fit most people properly. Go to a wetsuit shop that allows you try on various makes of surfing suits, take their advice and get a proper wetsuit instead. Neither Mr. Lidl or the factory in China which makes their wetsuits know anything about surfing.

loctite

ligertigon wrote: »

To be honest I doubt you'd get your hands on one as they will probably be sold out before 9am.

I dont reckon they will be 6.5mm all round, but maybe so for the price. Most winter suits tend to be 5/4/3 etc, so 5mm torso and thinner(hence more flexible) around arms and legs where movement is crucial.

Perhaps check if the thickness is the same all over? Or maybe a current owner/ listermint could verify if the groin/armpits etc are thinner?

I will get one as a spare, and if no changing facilities maybe buy 2 and return 1 same day... to back up my oneill that I keep ripping:(

It is a 6.5 mm all round body with a 5mm over suit, just like a nearly every other DIVE SUIT. I see loads of divers use them and they are most definitely not suitable for surfing but hey, different strokes for different folks.....

Not a good buy for surfing IMO. Give me an O'Neill any day ripped or not.

inigo

Thanks for the replies lads. I think I'll pass on this one, follow your advice and go with the one provided at the course for now!