In today’s world of surfing wetsuits you’ll find four seams with vastly different names/trademarks for those four, well more so 3 and an asterisk: Flatlock, Glued and Blind-Stitched and Taped seams*.

What is the difference between wetsuit Seams and Stitches? if you leave the windows open your heater isn’t going to work, it's just going to blow hot air outside This very notion demonstrates the relationship between a wetsuit’s neoprene with it’s seam and that you don't necessarily need to go thicker if you're after more warmth. It’s easy to point to the thickness of the neoprene as the defining factor in terms of warmth but neoprene is simply an insulator, to insulate effectively you need a sealed environment. A suit’s ability to keep you warm is decided by the seam and a good seam can get you out in the water all year round and for longer sessions, that’s why we wear a wetty, right? Conversely a seam can have a massive impact as seam type decides wether the suit lets in water or not and this is a BIG DEAL. The variation between neoprene types has an affect on everything but in terms of warmth there is little difference for a given thickness. The neoprene itself is definitely the main element to a wetsuit and it's quality is measured by the level of stretch. This blog is set to give you all the relevant wetsuit stitch and seam information for you to make an informed decision.

Wetsuit Seams and their stitching are often overlooked but certainly the most important aspect of a surfing wetsuit is the seam as it's the major factor in warmth, stretch and comfort: the three main types being Flatlock, Glued and Blindstitch and Taped/Welded.

Butt seams versus flat lock seams