What Are Wetsuit Boots? A Cold Water Swimmer's Guide | ZONE3

A wetsuit boot is a neoprene shoe with a rubber sole. It keeps your feet warm the same way a wetsuit keeps you warm, and the sole lets you walk on things you would rather not walk on barefoot.

That is it. Two jobs, and most people only think about the first one. 

This is the real question, and the answer depends almost entirely on where you get in.

Neoprene swim socks are thinner, pack smaller and cost less. If you get in off a sandy beach or a pontoon and start swimming straight away, socks are the right call and a boot is more than you need.

Boots earn their place when the entry is the problem. Rocks, shingle, slipways, weirs, anywhere with a bit of a walk to the water. A sole and a reinforced toe box do a job a sock simply cannot, and you give up very little once you are swimming.

Plenty of people end up owning both, which sounds excessive until you have done a shingle entry in socks. 

Thickness is what matters, not the label. Our Dura Swim Boot is 4mm, which puts it in the same bracket as a Heat-Tech sock for warmth, with the sole and toe box on top.

What actually ruins the warmth in any boot or sock is flushing. Cold water gets in at the ankle, warms up, gets pushed out by your kick, and is replaced by more cold water. A boot with an ankle gasket and a strap limits that, and it is worth more than an extra millimetre of neoprene.

We do not publish a temperature rating, and you should be wary of anyone who does. How long your feet stay comfortable depends on the thickness, the seal, how long you are in and how acclimatised you are. 

A surf boot is built for standing on a board and taking a beating. It is stiff, heavy and it does not want to bend at the ankle.

That stiffness is a problem when you are swimming, because every kick fights it. A swim boot needs to compress and flex so your ankle can move, which is why ours is designed to compress more easily than a traditional surf boot. If you are doing both sports, that flex is the thing to look for. 

• Thickness. 4mm is the sensible figure for British winter water. Thinner is for spring and autumn. 

• An ankle seal. A gasket, a strap, or both. This matters more than most people realise, because flushing is what actually makes your feet cold. 

• A proper sole, with enough texture to grip wet rock rather than just protect against it. 

• A reinforced toe box, because toes find rocks. 

• A heel pull loop. Getting a wet boot on with cold hands is genuinely difficult and a loop makes it possible. 

• Flex, if you are swimming rather than surfing. 

Size as you would a normal shoe, and expect them to feel snug rather than roomy. A boot with space in it fills with water, and water moving around inside a boot is the same problem as flushing at the ankle.

Ours run UK 4 to 12 and are unisex. 

What are wetsuit boots for?

Keeping your feet warm in cold water, and letting you walk over rocks, shingle and slipways without hurting yourself. The second job is the one people underestimate. 

Do I need wetsuit boots for swimming?

Not if you get in off sand or a pontoon and swim straight away. Socks will do. If your entry involves rocks, shingle or a walk, boots are worth having.

What thickness of wetsuit boot do I need?

4mm for British winter water. Thinner works for spring and autumn. The ankle seal matters as much as the thickness, because flushing is what cools your feet.

Can you swim in wetsuit boots?

Yes, provided they are made for it. A swim boot compresses and flexes so your ankle can move. A stiff surf boot fights every kick.

What is the difference between wetsuit boots and swim socks?

The sole. Socks keep your feet warm and offer no protection underfoot. Boots do both, at a little more bulk and a little more money.

How should wetsuit boots fit?

Snug, like a close-fitting shoe. Any spare room fills with water, and water sloshing about inside the boot is exactly what you are trying to avoid. 

If getting in is the bit you dread, buy boots. If getting in is easy and it is only the cold you mind, socks will do you fine. Either way, your feet will thank you somewhere around the third week of November.