Some people may scoff at the idea of wearing a wetsuit when sailing, and it’s true, they’re not always needed. But when you find yourself working on a fishing boat, participating in a competition, or you’re just brave enough to take out your boat during the winter, you’ll soon realize that buying a wetsuit was one of the best ideas you’ve ever had. The Foiling Thermocool impact wetsuit by Musto is available for a killer price. This is a full-length wetsuit and one that can easily be considered heavy-duty. Essentially, this is the perfect wetsuit for serious sailing.
Our Verdict: This suit is perfect if you’re planning on diving or snorkeling in colder climates, however, this suit will be overkill in hotter weather. This Musto wetsuit is made out of thick one and a half inch neoprene that’s flexible and designed to keep you warm and comfortable in intense water conditions.
Continue reading to learn why this Musto wetsuit earned a perfect score.
Table of Contents
Overview and Features
If you’ve ever purchased sailing gear from Musto, then you know they produce some of the best quality sailing gear and footwear around. Their extensive line of full body and shorty wetsuits are among the top selling models on the market for many reasons.
You just learned how sailboats work, but now you need the right gear. The perfect wetsuit will be one that can keep you warm and comfortable in cold water and weather conditions. Wetsuits can be necessary for sailing if you’re heading out in wet weather or high windconditions or expect the water to be choppy. Additionally, bringing along a wetsuit will also allow you to take a dip in the ocean or enjoy your favorite watersport in total comfort.
If you’re shopping for your first wetsuit, you won’t find a better option than this suit by Musto. Finding a suit that fits well is essential otherwise it won’t work as it’s designed to and may end up letting in too much water. In this case, the suit will not be able to keep you warm, making it basically useless. Fortunately, Musto offers a wide range of sizes to choose from, so you should have no problem getting the perfect fit.
[ichcpt id=”116″]This suit is incredibly flexible, comfortable, and effective in cold water conditions. It’s made out of super stretchy one and a half millimeter neoprene at the armholes and neck, which will make it much easier to take the suit off or put it on. The anti-abrasion nylon faced neoprene on the back and seat of the thighs provide much-needed durability in both high-stress areas.
The suit doesn’t have side seams, which adds to the suit’s overall comfort and freedom of movement.
In the back and chest, grid fleece lining has been added for improved warmth and comfort.
The seams are flat locked and barely detectable against the skin for improved comfort and reduced irritation.
The new and improved ergonomic design means a better fit and a sleeker, more streamlined suit.
How it Works
If you live in a cold part of the country, then you probably don’t spend much time at sea except during the summer. But if you’re lucky enough to own the Thermocool, you can sail or even swim whenever you want. This miracle wetsuit isn’t designed to keep you dry. You’ll still get totally wet, but the suit will still keep you nice and warm when the water would otherwise be cold enough to cause hypothermia or even kill you.
This wetsuit isn’t much different from your ordinary warm clothes and it acts in a very similar way. When you head outdoors during a cold day, you always make sure you put on several layers of warm clothing. You’re probably already aware of the fact that several layers of thin clothing can keep you much warmer than one thick layer. This is because multiple thin layers of clothing trap warm air in between each layer. It’s this air that will keep you nice and warm.
Heat flows from hotter objects to cold objects close by. This is simply basic physics and it’s known as the second law of thermodynamics. As an example, if you’re standing outside during the winter, if your body was around ninety-eight degrees and the air was approximately forty-six degrees, the heat will flow from your body, into the air, causing your body to start cooling rapidly.
When you put on several layers of clothing, you’re essentially trapping the air warmed by your body heat, preventing it from escaping into the air or water. This is exactly what this wetsuit can do for you.
Preventing heat from escaping in this manner is called insulation. The roofs and walls of homes are insulated for the same reason. This type of insulation provides a barrier in order to prevent heat from escaping.
How Thermocool Can Protect You
If you’re sailing and decide to go for a dip in the freezing cold ocean in the dead of winter wearing just shorts and you spend more than a few minutes in the water, you’ll put yourself at risk of hypothermia. With hypothermia, the inner core of the body becomes so cold it cannot warm up again.
But when you wear the Thermocool, everything changes. This suit is made from multiple layers and features a thick layer of neoprene, which is a type of synthetic rubber.
The multiple layers of the suit work to trap and reflect heat, just like any other type of insulating clothing. When you’re fully submerged in a wetsuit, a small amount of water will enter. Your body heat will quickly heat up this water, so it feels like you’re submerged in a warm bath. Now, between you and the sea, you have an insulating layer of tough rubber material.
In order for this suit to work properly, the water that seeps into the suit must remain warm and inside the suit. With lower-priced suits or suits that are not sealed, the warm water will continue to flush in and out and will be constantly replaced by cold seawater, which makes it seem as though you aren’t wearing a suit at all. Because of this, preventing water from flushing in and out of the suit is crucial. This is why the seams of the suit are held together with the use of a special waterproof tape. Instead of stitch holes that go all the way through the neoprene, the suit is blind stitched. This means the stitches only go partially through the neoprene from the interior. This is why there are no visible stitch holes found on the outside of the suit, which would allow cold water in. This is also why this suit has tight fitting legs and cuffs.
Performance
This suit is designed for dinghy racing, swimming, snorkeling, and jet skiing. It’s made out of super stretchy one and a half millimeter neoprene, which results in superior flexibility. The neoprene face and backer increase the suit’s thickness up to an impressive two and a half millimeters for improved comfort and durability.
On the inside of the suit, you’ll find a grid fleece backer and face located on the back and chest. On the legs, seat, and knees the suit is made out of anti-abrasion nylon. The internal pockets in the suit will allow you to add D30 impact protection pads for added protection for the upper thighs, hips, and shins.
In all, the suit consists of one percent polyethersulfone, twenty percent polyamide, and seventy-nine percent neoprene.
In hotter weather, you’ll want to opt for a lighter weight wetsuit, such as the O’Neil Epic 4/3 Wetsuit.
Of course, if the price is an issue, then you may want to pass this wetsuit by.
If you’re interested in wetsuits that are more budget-friendly, click here to check out our buyer’s guide.
Care
This suit is pretty low maintenance in terms of aftercare. To clean, hand wash in cold water. Do not place in a washing machine or dryer. The suit should be rinsed and laid out flat to dry, especially if it was worn in saltwater. Saltwater can wear out the suit faster if you fail to rinse it off after each use. Lying the suit out flat allows it to dry faster and prevents mold growth.
Pros
- Added protection in high-stress areas
- Flexible
- One and a half millimeter neoprene material
- Ergonomic design
- Flat locked seams
Cons
- Not recommended for hotter climates
Product Rating Updated April, 2024:
Do you need a full wetsuit that will keep you warm and comfortable as you enjoy spending time in the water during colder weather? While wearing this suit during the summer can be uncomfortable, you’ll appreciate it during the early spring and fall months, or in conditions in which the air is warm but the water is still cold.
The Musto Foiling Thermocool impact wetsuit is all class. Streamlined, with added support in high-stress areas, and designed for faster donning, this is one wetsuit that’s essential for cold weather sailing. We gave this suit a rating of five out of five stars.
