10 Best Men's Wetsuits UK 2022 | O'Neill, Rip Curl and More

1. HKYMBM - Mens Wetsuit Jumpsuit for £115.99
   
2. O'Neill - 3/2 mm Psycho Wetsuit for £330.49
   
3. Quiksilver - 3/2 mm Syncro Wetsuit for £130.69
   
4. Olaian - 5/4 mm Hooded Wetsuit for £249.99
   
5. Olaian - 4/3 mm Surf 900 Wetsuit for £189.99
   

This article's chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.

1. When Choosing the Style and Thickness, Consider the Weather and Intended Use 
   
2. Ensure the Product You Choose is Designed for Your Water Sport or Activity
   
3. Pay Attention to the Type of Zips and Seams 
   

Don't be the guy sitting on the shore with teeth chattering while your friends are vibing out at sea, nice and warm in their suited wetsuit styles. Choosing between a steamer, shorty and long John should be a reflection of your intentions in the water. 

Steamers are the go-to for most British men looking to thrive in the sea. Featuring full-length legs and arms, steamers are the warmest of all with the most coverage. Shortys, meanwhile, feature above-knee and elbow cuts, while long Johns keep the legs full but lose the arms completely for increased paddle power. 

With their lower coverage, the latter two of these styles are more suited to summertime fun during certain situations and activities both in the UK and in far-off places – think snorkelling and diving in tropical destinations where the water is seductively warmer year-round when compared to what's dished up here at home. 

Just about every wetsuit worthy of your consideration will have, not one, but two measurements linked to it. Always measured in millimetres, these two numbers divulge a great deal of knowledge on how effective a suit is likely to be in the sea.

The thicker, first measurement always refers to the torso part of the wetsuit as this is where warmth needs to reign supreme. The lower second measurement indicates the thickness of the limbs and shoulders where flexibility is paramount alongside warmth. 

The most tried and tested thicknesses that aim to protect the sea-going men of the UK are 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm and 5/4 mm. Between these three suits lies a complete range of warming neoprene to suit every water temp these geographically challenged isles tend to dish up. 

As previously hinted at, a wetsuit will work best when the season's water temperatures have been considered alongside the style and thickness. To get a good grasp on this, it'll help to first understand the likely sea temperatures of each UK season.

In the wintertime, most of the UK will experience a drop in sea temps to between 7° and 10°. This makes for a serious devotion to neoprene not just advised but pinned to your very survival. Therefore, wetsuits at 5/4 mm and 6/5mm are your best bets for icy winter waters.

Spring sees temperatures rise from the bitter winter levels to around 10°-16°, depending on the month. 4/3 mm suits are better for these spring temperatures while also suiting the other side of summer and autumn. 2/3 mm wetsuits are ideal for summer waters of 16°-18° and the occasionally recorded 20°.

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The wetsuit market can sometimes seem incredibly vast and confusing with thousands of styles being offered up from an endless supply of brands. To help you narrow down the plethora of choice, it's best to focus on your particular sport or activity and go from there. 

You'll notice the majority of wetsuits are intended for sports like surfing, bodyboarding and paddleboarding as they have knee pads for durability. These suits are also relatable to above-water sports like kiting, wakeboarding and windsurfing as they often include soft skin outers that minimise the effects of wind chill. 

Swimming wetsuits are easily recognisable through being more streamlined and slim-fitting than all other wetsuits. They also have increased buoyancy to help you stay afloat in heavy open water. 

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Considered a cheat sheet when noting whether a suit is of a budget or premium nature, the entry point speaks volumes. It used to be common practice for all wetsuits to feature a back zip that required a great deal of patience to locate the pull cord, then proceed to zip it up and secure it with an even trickier Velcro flap.

Thankfully, all premium and some mid-range wetsuits now have left this archaic style of zip on the designing room floor, opting for chest-entry zips that make the whole on/off wetsuit ordeal a little more graceful. These styles also hint at other beneficial design attributes like flex, warmth and resistance to wear.

There's no hiding the fact that you still find back zips on budget and mid-range wetsuits – they still get the sealing job done, but they just make you struggle more for your efforts. As it usually does, price has the final say on the entry point of a wetsuit along with just about every other aspect of its design.

Scoping out wetsuits of a certain standard may have landed you with the begging question, what is GBS? An abbreviation for 'glued and blind stitched', GBS is a premium stitching style that makes your suit feel pleasantly seamless where it counts – the inside!

By firstly gluing the panels of neoprene together and then stitching, from the front, halfway into the seam, an insanely water-tight seal is created, ready to repel the chilliest of winter waters. If a brand isn't boasting about their suit's GBS seams, then there's a mighty fine chance they're running the budget, flatlock system instead. 

Flatlock seams feature the simplest style of stitching, where panels are butted up together then stitched completely to create a sturdy seal while also allowing water to travel through its tiny stitch holes. Although this typically isn't copious amounts of water, it'll still promote stiffened limbs and a frozen core in prolonged sessions at sea. 

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This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.

Wetsuits are specifically made to hug tight to your skin without any extra fabric. So, for beginners, it can be difficult to get into a wetsuit for the first time. If you're just starting out and you're keen to get kitted up, check out this instructional video on how to put on your wetsuit.

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Written and researched by Connor Macanally