What wetsuit do I need?

What sort of Wetsuit and accessories do I need for 10-15°C water. I am going white water rafting in winter.?

• Please tell me what sort of wetsuit/boots/gloves/hood I will need, how to layer it and how thick it should be. I feel the cold.

• Answer:

  Ideally, you should get a rafting drysuit, but they are a bit expensive. If you need to use a wetsuit, get a 3mm Farmer John, which is a wetsuit without sleeves. A full wetsuit makes arm movement difficult. You should get a long underwear shirt (synthetic fabric) to wear under the wetsuit and a splash jacket to wear over it. For booties, I like the NRS ATB or Workshoe best. They have a good sole, which most diving booties do not. However, I usually wear Teva water shoes (not sandals - they look like hiking shoes but they are made of mesh nylon). I like to use hiking liner socks - they are thin but they keep your feet warm. For gloves, any neoprene diving glove will do fine. NRS makes a very good head cover called the Mystery Hood. Most diving and surfing hoods are overkill. For rafting, keep in mind that you aren't going to spend much time underwater, so it's more important to protect yourself from the cold air, not the cold water. A really thick wetsuit is just going to be uncomfortable and it won't keep you any warmer. In fact, you could go with a 2mm wetsuit and a pair of lightweight long underwear pants and be just as comfortable and warm. In my experience, keeping your head and torso warm will keep the rest of you warm better than anything else.