How to Buy Neoprene Wet-Suit Shorts
Neoprene wet-suit shorts are bathing accessories worn to deliver extra warmth for avid swimmers and scuba divers. Neoprene offers swimmers who dive into cooler waters both insulation and flexibility. To buy the right pair of wet-suit shorts, you'll need to know the temperature of the water you'll be swimming in and how to distinguish the various thickness specifications.
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Instructions
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Learn about the unique method manufacturers of neoprene wet suits use to deliver thickness specifications. A wet suit's thickness is expressed in mm and assigned two values: one for the thickness at the item's thickest point and one for the thickness at the item's thinnest point (i.e., the extremities). Thus a rating of 3/2 means that the wet-suit shorts have a thickness of 3 mm at their thickest point and 2 mm at their thinnest.
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Buy neoprene wet-suit shorts that are made for the temperature of the water in which you plan to swim. The minimum water temperature that a pair of 3/2 mm wet-suit shorts will protect against is 60 degrees F. Add 1 mm of thickness for every 5 degrees F cooler the water is, choosing, for example, a 4/3 thickness for water that is 55 degree F and 5/4 thickness for water that is 50 degree F.
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Compare well-known brands and prices using a website that offers consumer reviews so you can make an educated choice. Well-known neoprene wet-suit brands include O'Neill, Quiksilver, Jet Pilot, Quintana and NRS, as well as others. You can read consumer reviews and get an idea of price ranges on a site like NexTag (see Resources below).
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Buy online if you're sure about the correct size you need, or visit a specialty store in your area to try on various products and test the comfort and feel. To shop online, try a site like Wetsuit Warehouse or Dick's Sporting Goods (see Resources below).
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Ask an in-store sales associate for help in selecting a pair of neoprene wet-suit shorts that are suited for the aquatic activity in which you'll be participating. Remember that they offer more than warmth, since neoprene wet-suit shorts also provide your skin with an important and durable protective layer.
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Tips & Warnings
If you're going to be swimming in water that's colder than about 50 degrees F, you'll need a complete wet suit, not just shorts. Ideally it should be in the 6/5/4 thickness range.
