What thickness of wetsuit do people wear when it’s cold?? Also how do you keep your face and fingers from freezing?

Douglas Rohman wrote:

I wear a NeilPryde Rise 3/2 for water temps 60 F to 70 F. And air temp over 60 F. It has fabric on the outside to protect it and it's nice for evaporation with warm air temps to stay cooler.

NEILPRYDE Rise 3/2



With...

Atan Madi Low Cut 3mm Split Toe Boots






I wear a NEILPRYDE Eclipse 5/4/3 for water temps low 50s F to 60 F and air temp over 50 F. It has smooth skin on the outside for less wind chill.

NEILPRYDE Eclipse 5/4/3


With...

Atan Madisson 3mm High Cut Split Toe boots






Side note: The sun makes a big difference on warmth. 55 F air temp with no sun from heavy cloud cover feels a lot less warm than 55 F with full sun when wearing black suits. Also, bare feet or hands will go numb in 55 F and below water temps.

Some people spend thousands buying lighter equipment to add planning days in warm months. In the midwest everything spent to keep you warm enough to enjoy more planning days in the spring also gives you more planning days in the fall. I started buying cold weather gear more than 20 years ago. I've purchased both used and new items. The less you weigh the more there are available used items in good or much better condition because riders tend to get heavier as they get older.
First, keep your head warm; 2nd keep your hands warm; 3rd keep your feet warm; 4th keep your chest warm; 5th keep your legs warm. I might have the order wrong for items 2, 3, and 4. Number 6 is "stay dry." (One of my best cold weather decisions was to hang on to a Starboard Start which did a wonderful job of keeping me dry in the planning winds of early spring and late fall.)
I'll list the items I use as though they fit in lines of lines of defense for particular levels of cold, but in real life I mix them.
First line of defense: a layer of wool: Sealskinz merino glove liners, Sealskinz gloves, Icebreaker merino wool long sleeve t-shirt, Icebreaker merino wool long legged bottoms, wool cap, Smart Wool (or any other wool) socks.
Second line of defense: a thin Gul Windbreaker top made for sailboat crew or a Kokotat dry top made for kayaking; both are helpful in moderately cool weather with only t-shirts underneath, and also helpful over any level of wetsuits or even drysuits in cooler weather; a 5 mm separate hood very helpful for keeping my head warm in almost any conditions; 3 mm neoprene booties which are sized to accommodate Smart Wool socks; or 5 mm Atan booties. (In 65 degree water I'm wearing sandals or tennis shoes with Smart Wool socks); neoprene mittens.
Third line of defense: shorty wetsuit about 3 mm; or a 4/3mm O'Neil full wetsuit which is sized to allow me to wear the wool undergarments with it and also one 5 mm Hotline hyperflex full wetsuit with built in hood; or a new to me last month used Kokotat Gore-Tex full length drysuit with a fleece under garmet & thin, attached booties to which I added wool socks inside the thin booties and can then put the booties in oversized Atan 6.5 mm booties.
Back to the Starboard Start: In warm months planning winds are in short supply. In cool weather planning winds tend to be plentiful, even for heavy beginner boards. Keep a wide beginner board to teach someone in the summer. For no additional cost you also get a board that is big enough for easy planning and will generally keep you dry when the limiting factor is wind chill instead of lack of planning wind.

I like the fit and feel of the Atan split toe booties but they are wider than booties without the big toe, and I find that my feet are stickier in the foot straps even after loosening them, there’s just a lot of friction on the side. The tacky latex adds to the problem. I think they make nonsplit toe versions.

I recently bought a ProMotion 5/3 STORM Wetsuit (back zip) after trying a few front entry I didn't like. This has kept me more than warm in less than 50 degree air and water over the past couple of weeks. The thing I like about ProMotion Wetsuits is the extra room at the elbows. This is really helping in our sport.
Right now on sale for $299
stores.wetsuit.com/mens-5-3-storm-fullsuit-jet-l02/

I found that my limiting factor are my hands: this is the first bit that gets cold and numb to a point it's no longer functional. Though, a quick warm-up in the car and off you go for a few more rides! Open palm mitts are the way to go for sure.

Douglas Rohman wrote:

February 26, 2017: Morning air temp 16 F, afternoon air temp 49 F - Wind 25 gusting 35 mph, SW.

www.bigwinds.com/ion-18-wetsuit-strike-core-semi-dry-5-4
Check this out!