Wetsuit Hoods

Wetsuit Hoods

Wetsuit Hoods are typically a unisex item (for men & women) designed to retain heat lost through your head. They say that we lose a heap of warmth through the head so it's a no brainer to wear a wetsuit hood when you're in very cold water, but many people don't want to have a permanently attached hood! The best and most economical option is to buy a separate hood that you can put on only when you truly need it.

Many hoods now come with poly-fleece linings as to increase the overall warmth by keeping the hood pocket dryer, this is because these linings are hydrophobic and repel water from inside the hood.

Another feature to consider is the exterior lining as there are two main options: coated or uncoated. Coated linings, commonly referred to as 'smooth skins' can not absorb or hold water which means they are less subject to wind chill. The wind is a major factor in your general comfort and you'll note that most of our hoods utilise the smooth skin lining.

Hoods that do not have a coated exterior are designed to go on the inside of another hood or for scuba diving, where there is no wind.

To get the most out of your Wetsuit Hood we recommend washing it with the Aussie formulated Wetsuit Wash between uses to remove sweat, salt, bacteria and chlorine and to follow steps outlaid in our Wetsuit Maintenance Blog.

Wetsuit Hoods Features:

• Neoprene or Polyfleece: Neoprene is typical wetsuit material and much warmer than polyfleece - polyfleece are great in warmer water and for containing long hair and protecting against stingers.
• Brim or No Brim: surfers tend to opt for a brim as it keeps water out of their eyes, divers obviously don't have this issue.
• Coated or Uncoated: Coated or smoothskin hoods are 'tacky' and appear shiny - this material is water repelling which mitigates wind-chill.