the.com/wetsuit
a layer that keeps you warm by trapping the water it lets in.
means A close-fitting garment of insulating neoprene rubber worn by divers, surfers, and swimmers to stay warm in cold water.
from A plain English compound of "wet" and "suit," coined in the mid-20th century to distinguish it from the "dry suit" that seals water out entirely. The name is honest about the trick: it doesn't keep you dry, it keeps you warm. The neoprene that makes it work was developed by DuPont in the 1930s, but the wetsuit itself is usually credited to physicist Hugh Bradner around the 1950s, who realized a thin trapped layer of water, warmed by the body, could insulate as well as keeping water out.
- how it works
- Body heats trapped water, not blocks it out
- inventor
- Physicist Hugh Bradner skipped patenting it
- material
- Neoprene, originally invented to replace rubber
- thickness matters
- Measured in millimeters per degree of misery
- the dry cousin
- Drysuits keep water out entirely, totally different beast
rip curl flashbomb — australian surfwear brand's thermal suit with 5mm neoprene, market leader since 1969
o'neill psycho tech — premium wetsuit by o'neill (founded 1952) used by professional surfers and divers worldwide
xcel infiniti — high-end wetsuit by xcel featuring sealed seams, worn by competitive surfers in cold water