First-time wetsuit, leaking around the neck

It's not going to be watertight (that's a drysuit), there will be some waterflow through it. Some water will always get in, especially down the back. It shouldn't be constant though Yes, putting on a wet wetsuit is difficult. For diving sometimes we use a spray bottle mixed with water and soap or shampoo (just a litte), or put arms/ legs into plastic shopping bags then slide into the suit.

Hence the wet suit. It keeps a small amount of water in & warms it close to your body. Yes it's fun to try & put it on. :bouncing::worms:

Your wetsuit is too big. Try exchanging it for a smaller size. I have two wetsuits and neither one allows water in down the neck. My sleeveless doesn't even let water in through the shoulders. The suit should be pretty tight on land. It will loosen up a little in the water. If it feels comfortable on land, then it's too big. EDIT: Clarification - it shouldn't let loads of water in. Not enough to feel the water between your skin and the suit, or feel like the suit is being bogged down.

Thanks, all. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to try it on again in the water today. Hopefully, tomorrow. I did reread the manufacturer's instructions. The one step I didn't cover yesterday was where you're supposed to bend over double after you've got your arms in and grab the loose folds around your belly and hike them up toward your shoulders. I did ease the legs into my crotch and the arms into my shoulders, but not the belly part, so I'm hoping that will make a difference. I don't think the suit is too big, Slug. It does fit pretty snugly on dry land, and I'm at the top of the height and weight chart for that size (medium-large; I'm 6'1" and 190 lbs.) Who knows though? Maybe I just have a weird body shape. At least Xterra has a very decent return & exchange policy, so if I'm not happy after this weekend, I'll give them a call.

So I tried it out again yesterday. Bending over and pulling up the belly fold helped a little I think. The material around my neck and shoulders was less tight, but it still leaked, only not as bad as before. I could feel the water on my chest and back and after 10 or 15 minutes, it hadn't really warmed up at all. I didn't feel at all confident that the wetsuit would keep me warm in really cold water. When I stood up to climb out of the lake, I could feel water trickling down my legs inside the suit. Not quite sure where to go from here. Some of you say it's supposed to leak; elsewhere, like the USMS wetsuit trials video, people said their suits don't leak at all around the neck (can't remember which brands). I read through the Xterra sizing information again, and I'm pretty sure I'm in the right size – the suit is tight, no gap in small of back, no wrinkles or folds. Perhaps it's just a matter of body shape? Might the suit perhaps conform better to my body shape after a few wearings? Anyone have any other ideas before I phone Xterra?

Is there a shop near you that will allow you to try other brands on?

It's hard to say for sure over the internet, but based on what you describe, it sounds like the suit is too big. Every wetsuit is going to let water in. But it shouldn't be sloshing around. I'd say that if you feel it in your legs when you stand up, the water is sloshing around. Then you say this about putting the suit on: no problem zipping it up, When a wetsuit has fit me, it has been hard to zip--and I usually cannot get it zipped on my own. The sizing charts are guidelines, really. If you fall within them, you should fit the suit. But that doesn't mean that you couldn't fit better into a smaller one. Good luck.

Ask some of the companies you like for dealers close to you to try some on.

don't buy till you try!!:2cents:

SWhen I stood up to climb out of the lake, I could feel water trickling down my legs inside the suit. Not quite sure where to go from here. Some of you say it's supposed to leak; elsewhere, like the USMS wetsuit trials video, people said their suits don't leak at all around the neck (can't remember which brands). I was one of the people who tested wetsuits for the video. I tested three different models. It is normal to feel some water trickling down your legs when you exit the water. It happened with all three of the wetsuits that I wore and I know that it happened to the other testers, too. You will feel a small amount of water entering the suit when you get into the water, either through the neck or through the zipper. I didn't really notice it until the first day that we swam in REALLY cold water. But it should be a relatively small amount, and it should quickly warm up to your body temperature. You shouldn't feel more and more water entering, and it shouldn't continue to feel cold. What we discovered in our testing is that it's all about fit. Many of the testers were close enough in size that they swapped back and forth and tested five or six different suits. What one person loved, another didn't like nearly as much. For example, there was one Orca suit that one tester loved. Another tester didn't like it nearly as much. But that person loved the TYR suit, while the first person didn't like the TYR. All of the wetsuits were good quality and well-made; it really came down to each individual's body type and how the suits fit. So don't get discouraged. If you try a smaller size and it still doesn't work for you, perhaps you just need a different brand.