Neoprene is good at keeping surfers warm in the water, but producing it is a dirty business. Not only is the material non-renewable, but it's derived from petroleum or limestone, which means it's a ...

Asymmetrical zippers Zippers with staggered teeth, invented to keep a tighter seal and let less water in. Common in newer zippered suits. Beavertail Early wetsuit design in the ’70s that had a large ...

When buying your suit, consider: Fit: A wetsuit should be snug but comfortable. A too-loose fit will allow water to flood the suit, undermining its warmth, while a too-tight suit can be constricting ...

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us? Almost all wetsuits are made from neoprene, a soft, synthetic-rubber material that ...

Ever the innovator, the California-based clothing company Patagonia recently created and unveiled the first-ever line of neoprene-free wetsuits — setting a new industry standard in environmentally ...

Patagonia, long recognized for its commitment to the environment, just introduced the world’s first wetsuits that are made with natural rubber from sources that are Forest Stewardship Council ...

Support our work! The Inertia may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn more about our gear ...

Although I’ve always been a water baby, I only started open water swimming seriously about 15 years ago, and in that time wetsuit tech has come on in leaps and bounds. My first swim wetsuit was a 6mm ...

Stephen Byrne went looking for a wetsuit when he first started thinking about learning to surf a few years ago. “I found there was no Irish brand of wetsuit, which was startling,” he says, given the ...