Wetsuit
From KayakWiki
A suit, typically neoprene, that fits quite tighly around the body. This provides immersion protection and helps reduce the risk of hypothermia.
A wetsuit works by trapping water between the neoprene insulation and your body. This layer of water is warmed up by your body heat so after the initial shock of getting wet, you may stay relatively warm. For this system to work you must limit the amount of flow of fresh, cold water in to the suit.
The most popular form of wetsuit is a farmer John. This is like a pair of overalls and provides protection for the legs and torso but does not cover the arms. Because the arms are open they let fresh water flow easily into the torso area. This is where you need the most insulation. Because of this it is best practice to use a farmer john in combination with a drytop or a wetsuit jacket.
Wetsuits can be stiff, and uncomfortable and you need to watch out for wetsuit stink, but they are reasonably priced and are sufficient for most peoples' paddling needs.
Wetsuit material comes in a variety of thicknesses. Thicker neoprene will provide more insulation, but will be stiffer.
[edit] Alternate Materials
In addition to neoprene, wetsuits are available in materials such as Polartec Aquashell, Hydroskin and others. Aquashell is available as a nylon/lycra blend lined with fleece or as a rubbery material lined with fleece (the latter popularly known as fuzzy rubber). Other brands of product use thin layers of neoprene lined with fleece. The fleece-lined fabrics are usually about as warm as 2.5mm of neoprene. This makes them comfortable in water that is too cool for just a bathing suit but too warm for thicker neoprene. They also have the advantage of being more flexible than neoprene and of neutral buoyancy if that matters. They tend to be more expensive than all-neoprene garments.
See also:
