Wetsuit Accessories - Reef Walkers, Boots, Gloves and Hoods

Wetsuit Accessories - Reef Walkers, Boots, Gloves and Hoods

Here at Wetsuit Warehouse we know all to well the perils of disregarding accessories when you're considering a cold-water wetsuits and it's not just at cost to your pleasure but also your performance and bank account! We get it, we're a wetsuit shop, we want you to buy more stuff and that's no secret: we are a shop...  But, we care about your experience because if we give you a dud deal you're not gonna come back and this is why we've gone into such depths regarding wetsuit accessories such as gloves, hoods and boots.  Firstly, you don't lose most head from your head, scroll below for that bit - its true, secondly, human hair is a pretty decent insulator, it doesn't have the oil to perform like Penguins or Seals, but it's a great insulator none the less.

Therefore, the only part of your body that is exposed is your face, feet and hands - it's hard to cover your face if you wish to retain eye-sight so if getting extra warmth from your current suit is important to you then get yourself a set of sealed gloves and boots, hood if you're really serious.  Surfers tend to go hood first but modern day surfing boots have great board-feel so you're not loosing much in terms of performance.

We are all wrong: Human's DON'T lose most heat through their head.

Did you know that you don't lose the majority of heat from your head? Yeah, that's hard for us to deal with too, turns out heat-loss is simply relative to surface area - which makes sense because the more skin touching cold water, the more cold you'll feel, right? What IS true is that your head is very hot, so it makes sense to assume majority heat loss would occur there - but turns out its actually: genitals, hands, feet, chest, armpit and head.

Many trials have shown relative heat lose from a hairy dome to be 7-10%, which is conveniently similar to the average surface area percentage of your head & neck, compared to your body.  What must be considered is how these functions act in a wetsuit while being exposed to water, so, lets assume a surfer or diver in very cold water with a decent fitting, sealed steamer. 

If your core is insulated effectively then your core body temp will be comfortably stable without engaging thermogenesis (internal heat production mechanisms, such as shivering). When you're warm, your body begins vasodilation which increases blood flow and allows greater volumes to flow closer to the skin.  What this means is your body is sending all this nice warm blood to your hands, feet and head only to be robbed by the cold water in which they're exposed to.

Now, look at your hands, they're not as big as your head but those skin-wrapped digits are responsible for a great deal of surface area and are actually a key element in our bodies' temperature regulation systems and your body naturally dilates it's vessels when warm.  As your body sends the warm blood to the skin it is cooled by the cold water and returns to the heart cold, which robs energy, whether you're shivering or not.  This goes for your feet too, but your digits a wee little digits, so less surface area.

Heat/head loss sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] 

To get the most out of your Wetsuit Boots, Gloves and Hoods we recommend washing it with Wetsuit Wash & reading our maintenance guide.