Wetsuits/September

[aredrosegrewup]

Hi, looking for advice re: wetsuits and cold water swimming.

Well, I say swimming. It will be more like waist/chest height wading about with dogs. There will always be two of us and we won't be swimming far out on paddle boards or anything.

We're off to the outer hebrides the first 2 weeks of September and from a bit of research it looks like water temp may be about 14 degrees as well as air temp - air temp maybe cooler depending on forecast.

We're totally new to wetsuits etc... I've read that a good quality spring wetsuit should suffice?

Any suggestions? Do's and dont's? Recommendations of brands etc...

Thank you!

A lot depends on how used you are to cold water already.

lots of people find that their hands and feet get cold first, so they wear neoprene gloves and socks or shoes.

i buy wetsuits by how many mm of neoprene. 5mm is generally ok for winter (down to about 5 degrees c in the uk) and you can also get 2mm or 3mm.

5mm you might actually be too warm - so probably 2 or 3 mm.

watch out for movement - some wetsuits allow much more movement than others.

Following with interest as I want to buy a long sleeve/leg wetsuit, probably 3 or 5 mm for cold (winter) water sports. What do I need to spend for a good one, one that’s easy ish to get on/off and move in? I know they can cost £££s, but I haven’t got £££s!

Mountain Warehouse have a lot of wetsuits at less than half price at the moment