What is wetsuit material made from

Wetsuit neoprenes come in many levels of stretch. Each manufacturer has their own proprietary neoprenes and the best way to know which is the stretchiest is to feel it for yourself, or ask someone who knows from experience. Different types of neoprene can be more wind resistant, especially smooth skin neoprene which is very much so, and this greatly increases warmth by mitigating wind chill.

Air insulated neoprenes are more expensive but also are warmer due to increased insulation. As a rule of thumb you could say that the stretchier the neoprene is the less durable it is. This is because the manufacturer decided to gear the suit a bit more towards durability than other suits on the market.

One more thing to note is that smooth skin neoprene is very prone to ripping when tugged on, especially with fingernails. Neoskin Neoprene with Nylon fabric on the exterior and a "skin-in", closed cell, urethane-coated neoprene on the interior.

Neospan A modern style of neoprene that is very comfortable and has a four-way stretching material on the outside that allows for easier movement. Smoothie Neoprene An older style neoprene with Nylon fabric on the interior and a smooth exterior that sheds water. Supratex A durable and flexible rubber material used on knee pads.

Back to top. Other inventors sought the same goals. He experimented with different combinations of rubber suits, finally hitting on neoprene. It was flexible and a good insulator. He set up a shop on the beach and grew his business into what is today a multi-billion-dollar industry. Green Wetsuits Some manufacturers offer wetsuits made from recycled plastic, such as water bottles and fishing nets. One company produces a wetsuit that is made of 90 percent recycled plastic.

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society. Dunn, Margery G. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service.

If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. It is a synthetic rubber that is foamed.

To create neoprene many chemical reactions are performed to provide it several properties. Along with making wetsuits, neoprene is also used in many applications like automotive belts, electrical insulations, braces for sports therapy, the fashion world and personal sleeve for electronic items, etc. As the material for wetsuits, neoprene is special because it insulates your body. There is a myth that wetsuit keeps your body dry even when you are submerged in the water.

But that is not the case. In fact, neoprene is a material that keeps your dry because it has several tiny closed cells that allow water to get in but do not reach your body. But a certain amount of water will seep in through seams, collar, cuffs or leg openings. In this way, neoprene helps in forming a sheet of warm water between the external cold water and your body to maintain its temperature. Various types of neoprene have been invented since its inception to improve the performance of the wetsuits.

The neoprene used in wetsuits today is more lightweight, insulating, hydrophobic, and durable than the neoprene used traditionally. Different types of neoprene used as wetsuits material are briefly discussed here under for your consideration. Being a porous material neoprene is basically known as a material with open cells. These open cells of neoprene can help in fitting the wetsuit to your body a bit more tightly than the wetsuit made from closed cell neoprene.

So to wear the wetsuit made from this type of neoprene you may have to lubricate it. Moreover, the life of wetsuits made from open-cell neoprene is much less than the wetsuits made from closed cell neoprene because it can break very easily which makes it less durable material. This type of neoprene is commonly used for making wetsuits because it is not porous like open-cell neoprene.

Closed-cell neoprene is used to make wetsuits because it is lined with materials like polyester or nylon etc. The wetsuits made from closed cell neoprene can provide you more insulation than open-cell neoprene because the lining inside it makes it a bit stiffer than the later one. Moreover, you can use it for a longer time as it becomes more durable than open cell neoprene.