A Wetsuit Thickness Guide for Surfing: Which Wetsuit Works Best for Which Water Temperature?

What is Yulex®? Patagonia’s Neoprene-Free Wetsuit Alternative

All our wetsuits use neoprene-free rubber, which comes from the sap of rubber (Hevea) trees. Using it helps lessen our dependence on extractive materials such as petrochemical- or limestone-based neoprene. You can read about our journey with neoprene-free wetsuit alternatives in this Yulex® natural rubber article.

Wetsuit Thickness and Water Temperatures at a Glance

Patagonia wetsuits, except for our wetsuit tops and spring suits, follow a different thickness system from the wetsuit status quo. Here’s a quick overview of the suggested water temperatures each rating calls for and the corresponding wetsuit thicknesses.

Patagonia Lite Wetsuits

Wetsuit thickness: 1.5 mm (tops ) | 2 mm (spring suits). Recommended water temperatures: 18°-23°C – 1.5 and 2 mm wetsuit ideal for warm water temperatures.

The Yulex® Regulator® Lite series includes our wetsuit tops and spring suits. These are for those days when the water and weather are the type of warm you can get a little chilly in. You could wear them in many different locations – from the warm waters of the Canary Islands to southwest France in summer, or even Portugal’s southern coast during Levante swells. They come in many shapes and cuts and are versatile for when the water and weather call for just a little bit of rubber. Patagonia Oceans Ambassador and Pipeline tube-hound, Eala Stewart, likes to pair his short spring suits with boardshorts. “This winter (2024 into 2025) I surfed in a spring suit every session at Pipe and with my Hydrolock Boardshorts over the top,” he told us.

The 1.5 to 2 millimetres (mm) of neoprene-free Yulex® rubber offers warmth, but sometimes you’ll wear Regulator® Lite gear to protect yourself from the sun and wind. If you’ve ever been wetsuit-less in 27-degree water with overcast skies and gusts at a steady 15+ knots, you know that wind can have a significant effect on your body temp. The light layer of rubber also protects skin when you’re bouncing off the reef (if you’re into those sorts of waves). They come in many different shapes and sizes. But typically, surfers’ go-to spring suits, especially when you get into the various styles of arms and legs, are a mix of what the day’s conditions call for and personal preference.

Lite Vest: Sleeveless Wetsuit Tops for Warm-Water Surfing

The Yulex® Regulator® Lite Vest is a sleeveless 1.5 mm wetsuit top. This is the vest you grab for long sessions in warm water. While it’s recommended for water up to 23 degrees, it’s not uncommon to wear a vest when the water is hovering in the 27-degree range. It provides warmth in the torso and allows your paddling arms to meet zero resistance. The 1.5 mm rubber also offers padding in your chest area and protects skin from both the sun and rashing up on the wax. Plus, it comes with a pretty radical tan line free of charge.

Lite Long-Sleeved Top: Long-Sleeve Wetsuit Tops for Sun and Wind Protection

The 1.5 mm Yulex® Regulator® Lite Long-Sleeved Top is like the vest but, well, with sleeves. The long sleeves offer protection from the wind and sun, and the top pairs well with boardshorts and swimsuit bottoms. Like the vest, this wetsuit top offers some of the creature comforts of a standard wetsuit but lets the water flow freely from the waist down. You’ll want to wear it on warm sunny days or on overcast days in warm water. These tops come in both pullover and zipped varieties for ease of entry.

Lite John/Jane: Sleeveless Wetsuits for Maximum Paddling Freedom

The 2 mm Yulex® Regulator® Lite Short/Long John (men’s) and Spring/Long Jane (women’s) are the mullet of shorty wetsuits: business down low, party up top. They’re oddly stylish yet surprisingly functional. Both the John/Jane styles come without sleeves (women’s are also available with long sleeves) and in either short or long lengths. They feature 2 mm thick Yulex® natural rubber throughout, providing enough warmth to get you through marathon sessions on temperate days, and the sleeveless design allows your arms to paddle without any restrictions. They pair great with single-fin longboards and can be seen on Fuerteventura’s north coast, the summer lineups of southwest France and northern Spain, or warm-water breaks farther afield.

Lite Spring Suit: Short Wetsuits for Mild Water Temperatures

This is our standard 2 mm shorty wetsuit: short arms and legs, and made with 2 mm Yulex® neoprene-free rubber all the way through. It’s a no-fuss spring suit, built for temperate water (18°-23°C) and wearable in all conditions: sunny, cloudy, windy and even a little rain, as long as the water isn’t going to cool you down.

Lite Long-Sleeved Spring Suit and Short-Sleeved Full Suit

There’s a longstanding debate over the long-sleeved spring suit versus the short-sleeved full suit. We tapped our wetsuit developers, testers and surf ambassadors for their take on the two and unsurprisingly, the pot was split. Some feel the short-sleeved full suit lends itself to a more high-performance vibe – they enjoy freeing up the arms when paddling while keeping the warmth down below. Others like the extra protection you get from the long-sleeved spring suit on cooler summer mornings before the marine layer clears. Or, as our product developer and resident mad-scientist, Andrew Reinhart, described, “the long-sleeved spring is great for sun and wind protection, that’s why it’s a North Shore staple for me.”

Mackenzie Warner, our wetsuit material specialist and devoted surfer, provided a more conditional approach in her answer. “Depends on the wind and water temp,” she said. “I prefer the long-sleeved spring suit in warm water with wind, or if I’m doing more sitting. Then I prefer the short-arm long-leg spring (Long Jane) when the air is warm and I’m doing more paddling.”

R1® Wetsuits: Wetsuits for Mild Water Temperatures

Water temperatures: 16°-18°C – 3 mm wetsuit ideal for mild water temperatures.
3/2.5 mm thickness: 3 mm at the neck, chest, torso and back; 2.5 mm at the arms and legs.

R1® wetsuits are designed for conditions that call for an industry-standard 3/2 mm full suit. This means the body of the wetsuit (neck, chest, torso and back) is 3 mm thick, while the arms and legs are 2 mm thick. We use a similar construction for all our R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 wetsuits to improve mobility, so there’s thinner rubber where more range of movement is needed most: in the arm areas for paddling and the legs for surfing. The Men’s R1 wetsuits come in both front-zip and back-zip styles, and the zip placement is not about performance but personal preference. Women’s styles are available in front-zip only.

R2® Wetsuits: Wetsuits for Cooler Water Conditions

Water temperatures: 13°-16°C.
3.5/3 mm thickness: 3.5 mm at the torso and thighs; 3 mm at the arms and lower legs.

The R2® is designed for conditions where an industry-standard 4/3 mm wetsuit might be slightly too warm or restrictive. The torso and thighs of the wetsuit are 3.5 mm thick, and the arms and lower legs are 3 mm thick. R2 wetsuits are available in both front- and back-zip styles for men and a front-zip version for women. There’s also a hooded wetsuit for men that allows you to use it in colder water and avoid brain freeze during those first few duck dives on frosty winter mornings. This is the wetsuit for autumn sessions in France and northern Spain, winter swells in southwest Portugal or comparable conditions around the world.

R3® Wetsuits: Cold-Water Wetsuits for Winter Surfing

Water temperatures: 9°-13°C.
4.5/3.5 mm thickness: 4.5 mm at the torso and thighs; 3.5 mm at the arms and lower legs.

9°C: Now the water is getting chilly. The R3® is built for conditions that require an industry-standard 4/3 mm wetsuit, but with added warmth, making it one of the best wetsuits for cold water. If the water is this cold, you might consider pairing this suit with 3 mm wetsuit boots to keep your feet from turning to stone (see wetsuit accessories below to learn more). This cold-water wetsuit comes in front-zip for men and women, and back-zip and hooded varieties for men. For surfers in Galicia or Portugal’s Silver or Green Coast, this is your go-to winter wetsuit. Whether you choose the hooded version depends on your need for a little extra protection from the cold. These also pair well with our detachable hoods, allowing you to choose whether or not to free the neck and ears.

R4® Hooded Wetsuits: Wetsuits for Very Cold Water

Water temperatures: 3°–9°C.
5.5/4 mm thickness: 5.5 mm at the torso and thighs; 4 mm at the arms and lower legs.

If the water is almost freezing, you need a hood, you’re likely wearing boots, and you might be considering a pair of gloves as well. The R4® only comes in the hooded front-zip variety because, without a hood, each consecutive duck dive and consequent brain freeze will likely cut your session short. This is your winter wetsuit for the coldest winter sessions in Brittany, the Netherlands and Ireland, or anywhere winter water temps hover just above freezing.

R5® Hooded Wetsuit: Wetsuits for Extreme Cold-Water Surfing

Water temperatures: 0°–3°C.
6.5/5 mm thickness: 6.5 mm at the torso and thighs; 5 mm at the arms and lower legs.

The water temps you’re grabbing this suit for are not for the faint of heart, and they demand a thick wetsuit built for the cold. We’re talking Iceland, northern Norway and maybe even Sweden or Poland in deep winter; snow on the beach; icebergs in the lineup and icicles-in-the-eyebrows sort of thing. You need the hood and, also, you’re wearing some thick gloves and boots. The water is near freezing, the outside temp might even be below freezing, but the waves are firing. You’re not gonna not surf, are you?

Wetsuit Accessories for Cold-Water Surfing

During the winter of ’24/’25, we sent Patagonia Surf Ambassador Kyle Thiermann to a remote area of British Columbia for a wetsuit- and gear-testing surf venture. He had this to say about how gloves impact your overall warmth: “One thing I experimented with on this trip was wearing different thicknesses of gloves with the wetsuits and noticing how it impacted my temperature for two-hour-plus sessions,” he said. “I wore my R4® lobster claw gloves with a hooded R2® one day, and it kept me warmer than wearing my R3® with no gloves. It feels to me like keeping your hands warm determines how the rest of your body feels.”

Consistent with most aspects of wetsuits, how you accessorise booties, hoods and gloves with your full winter wetsuit is all a matter of what keeps you warm and works for your body.

Wetsuit Cap: Extra Warmth Without a Hooded Wetsuit

Water temperatures: 9°–13°C.
Thickness: 3 mm.

The wetsuit cap is something worth keeping in your trunk for days that are a little colder than you’d like. It’s got a chin strap, sits snug on your head and provides additional warmth without having to step up to a hooded wetsuit.

Insertable Wetsuit Hood for Cold-Water Sessions

Water temperatures: 9°–13°C.
Thickness: 3 mm.

Similar to the wetsuit cap, but slides seamlessly under your wetsuit collar to keep your neck warm and to protect against water entry.

R2® Wetsuit Boots (Split-Toe & Hybrid)

Wetsuit boots are great: They keep your feet warm and give some extra grip on your surfboard. Some people love them, some prefer to feel their bare feet in the wax, but depending on where you live and how cold the water is, you might need them. We make two R2® booties. Both versions are 2 mm thick – ideal for cooler water in the shoulder seasons across the Atlantic-facing coasts of Europe, where a little extra cold protection may be all you need to maximise your session.

The R2® Split-Toe Booties are standard, with a sturdier bottom and an internal split-toe design for increased control and grip. The R2® Hybrid Booties feature a grippy soft bottom – these are for the surfer who prefers a more natural underfoot feel on their board.

R3®, R4®, R5® Wetsuit Boots for Colder Water

Increasing cold calls for increasing boot thickness. The R3® (3 mm) comes in the split-toe variety, while the R4® (5 mm) and R5® (7 mm) come in the round-toe variety, because when the water is that cold, you’ll want those little piggies to band together.

R2®, R3®, R4®, R5® Wetsuit Gloves & Mitts

When it’s really cold, you might opt for some gloves. The R2® (2 mm) and R3® (3 mm) gloves come in the five-fingered variety, the R4® (5 mm) are three-fingered mitts, and the R5® (7 mm) are straight-up mittens. The colder the water, the more you want your fingers to huddle together and create warmth among themselves inside the protection of neoprene-free Yulex® rubber.

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