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No, surfing in winter is not for everyone. Where your personal pain threshold lies depends on your constitution, fitness, gender and surfing level. A thick winter wetsuit with an integrated bonnet and warm shoes are still the be-all and end-all, but there are also gadgets for the time before and after the session that can make your winter surfing life more enjoyable.
The accessories presented below are probably somewhere between funny and perhaps superfluous, but some are also very useful. Perhaps they will help you to extend the season a little longer or get back into it earlier in the new year.
The best winter gadgets for windsurfers to click through:
I think it's blow-drying - dry neos in 45 minutes!
You come home from a session in winter with your soaking wet wetsuit, exhausted, but already have in the back of your mind that the forecast for the next morning still looks promising. The question that was already running through all our minds at that moment: How do I get my wetsuit dry again as quickly as possible? Preferably inside and out. Off to the shower and hang it up there? Or directly over the heating and dripping all over the flat? Or just leave it hanging outside and hope that nothing freezes?
The Wetsuit Pro-Dryer from Surflogic could make your life easier. It is a hinged hanger to which an electric hairdryer is attached, which blows warm air through the suit. According to the manufacturer, the 1,400 watt device should dry a 5/4 wetsuit in 35-60 minutes, depending on the room temperature. For a really thick +6 mm winter wetsuit, the neo dryer needs 15 minutes longer. This means that you could theoretically even get back into your cosy, dry wetsuit for a second session in the afternoon. And you should be able to get it dry by the next morning without any problems - even on both sides. There's no need to worry about burning down your Neo or the whole place, because according to the manufacturer, the hairdryer automatically regulates the temperature and switches off automatically after 60 minutes.
Price: 179 Euro
Blow-dries too - the drying chamber for accessories
Surflogic offers with the Wetsuit Accessoiries Bag The Neo® also offers a waterproof bag for Neo accessories that is compatible with the hairdryer. You can simply leave your gloves, shoes, bonnet etc. in the bag and attach them to the hairdryer using the pegs supplied. The blower should then also dry the Neo accessories within a very short time.
Price: 25 Euro
The changing room to cover up
One of the most unpleasant moments of winter surfing is often getting changed, especially the part after the session. If you don't have a large car with standing height or a changing room on site, the extremely thick Annox Change Robe could sweeten your life. The mobile changing room is made from recycled nylon on the outside and is both waterproof and windproof. Inside, the synthetic lambswool is designed to keep you warm and allow you to put it on several times without feeling cold or wet. The coat is cut quite wide, as it should offer plenty of room for changing.
Price: 174,72 Euro
Infusion of Solite - individually mouldable shoes
Solite offers really thick winter boots with its Custom Watersports Boots - eight millimetres thick and seamlessly bonded. The special feature: The boots can be thermally customised to the shape of your feet. This means that you fill them with boiling water to heat the material, leave the boots for five minutes and then cool them down with cold water. Then you slip them in and walk around so that the material can mould to the shape of your foot. Solite recommends choosing a size that is rather small - half a size smaller if in doubt - as the material should mould to the shape of the foot during the heating process. In surf 1-2 /2021 we have already tried them out and found them to be very good. Not a bargain, but warm and a perfect fit.
Price: 99,95 Euro >> available here
Hot feet - with the Solite sock upgrade
The 1 mm thick Solite Heatbooster Socks could provide that little bit of extra warmth on your feet - for the particularly cold days in winter. Thanks to the low friction, the socks are also easier to slip into thick winter boots. The socks are available with and without a separate big toe and can therefore be combined with any neo shoe. But be careful: There should always be enough room in the shoe for the extra one-millimetre layer. If it gets too tight down there and the toes are no longer as mobile and supplied with blood, they can freeze more quickly than in a comparatively thinner shoe with sufficient freedom of movement. On top of that, you can dry the socks much faster than a whole shoe and you can slip into a dry sock for the next session instead of directly into the wet, cold shoe. (Unless you have the Surflogic hairdryer!? ;-))
1 mm neoprene | Price: 29.95 Euro (Round-Toe), 32.95 Euro (Split-Toe)
The protective layer in the car - waterproof seat covers
Those who are lucky enough to live close to the spot and don't have to get changed in winter as they simply wait for a warm shower at home could probably do with waterproof seat covers for the car, or it would be good for the seats. Possibly also good for warming up in the car - without having to take off the wet wetsuit first. The Waterproof Car Seat Cover from Surflogic are also available for double benches and in different colours and patterns made of polyester or neoprene.
Price: 35 to 45 euros (depending on size and material)
We continue with the topic of "hot feet" - but on land - before and after the session. The waterproof boots from Vans with the bulky name Snow MTE Powder Surfer Boots can be easily removed from the felt inner shoe and dried at home. For example, after you've warmed up sandy, wet feet in them. Perhaps quite practical for surfers.
Price: 179.95 euros | Info at www.vans.com or www.blue-tomato.de
Thermal power station
If you are constantly running out of hot water despite having a large thermos flask at the spot, you could consider a kettle (12 volt) for the car. According to buyer reviews on Amazon, the stainless steel kettle from Kamber does a good job. But watch out for the car battery. If you don't want to run the risk of draining the battery too much when the car is stationary - especially in cold temperatures - you would probably have to keep the engine running while using it. You can do this, but you don't have to.
Price: 54,99 Euro >> e.g. at Amazon.com
Heating for the hands
The company Therm-IC offers a whole range of heatable Gloves on. Particularly lightweight lithium-ion batteries provide heat for up to ten hours at the touch of a button, which is of course only suitable for use on land and probably not everyone's cup of tea. Once your hands are frozen, you usually have to rely on your body's own blood circulation and go through the pain of thawing fingers. But perhaps a tip if you have to wait a long time for the wind to blow, or certainly a nice gadget for surf photographers in winter.
Price: From 249.99 euros >> available here
Everything well packed
In such a wind and waterproof overall, you won't get cold so quickly when rigging or during your lunch break. The Leknes suit Winter suit from Helly Hansen promises to keep the wearer warm and dry all day long with its fully bonded design. For those who want to play it safe during the winter session under the motto "better too warm than too cold".
Price: 215 Euro
Be patient and drink tea
You can always use hot water during a winter session. With the large, robust 1.9 litre capacity Classic Legendary Bottle from Stanley You definitely have enough with you - not just for drinking tea - but also for pouring a little into your cold neoprene shoes or over your icy boom. According to the manufacturer, the double-walled, vacuum-insulated bottle keeps water warm for up to 32 hours and is virtually indestructible.
