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Kylie walks the full range in store, womens, kids and mens. Everything below follows the video.
Two questions decide it. First: are you water skiing? If yes, you want the thicker 3 mm shorts with leg straps, which stop the shorts riding up on a hard start. If no, leg straps are optional and comfort takes over.
Second: how much leg do you want covered? The range runs from about 2 inch up to 8 inch, with 3 inch, 5 inch and 7 inch in between, and most models offered in a standard and a high waist.
The short answer to why anyone wears them at all: they stop water going where it is not meant to go. If you want the longer version of that, the breakdown on neoprene shorts and wetsuit pants covers what they do and why leg straps matter. This page is about which pair to buy.
Womens wetsuit shorts
The Ivy Neo Shorts arrived after this video was filmed, so Kylie does not cover them. Three lengths, 3 inch, 5 inch and 7 inch, all high waisted, with 3 mm through the waist and 2 mm through the legs, in sizes 6 to 16. They use tailored leg seals rather than leg straps, so they sit with the comfort shorts rather than the ski pants.
Water skiing: the 3 mm pants with leg straps
These are the ones we call the classic ski pants. Thicker neoprene at 3 mm, and they have the leg straps. Two to choose between, and the difference is the cut:
- Wing Womens 3mm Wetsuit Shorts: shorter leg, with a thicker, higher waistband.
- Williams Eline Deluxe Womens Wetsuit Pants: longer leg, lower waistband. The pick for water skiing.
Short cut, around 2 inch
For jet skiing, wake surfing and wakeboarding, where you want coverage without the length.
- Follow Womens Wetsuit Shorts: thicker waistband.
- Jetpilot Corp Ladies Neo Shorts 2.5 inch: stretchier, and now in a high waisted version as well.
- Wing Ladies 1mm Slide Neo Shorts: high waisted. Also comes ribbed.
- Ivy Womens Neo Shorts 3 inch: high waisted, two-way stretch, 3 mm through the waist and 2 mm through the legs.
Mid length, around 5 inch
The middle ground, and where the range is widest.
- Jetpilot Corp Ladies Neo Shorts 5 inch, or the same short in a high waist.
- Rip Curl Dawn Patrol Womens Wetsuit Shorts: the stock standard wetsuit short, a little less stretchy.
- Rip Curl G-Bomb Womens 5 inch Wetsuit Shorts: super stretchy.
- Ivy Womens Neo Shorts 5 inch: the same construction as the 3 inch, in a mid length.
Full coverage, 7 to 8 inch
- Jetpilot Corp Ladies Neo Shorts 7 inch, or the high waist 7 inch.
- Ivy Womens Neo Shorts 7 inch: longer through the thigh, same high waist.
- Rip Curl Dawn Patrol Womens 8 inch Wetsuit Shorts: the longest leg in the range.
Kids wetsuit shorts
Kids are the group that needs these most, and the range splits the same way the adult one does.
Learning to ski: leg straps and thicker neoprene
- Williams 3mm Deluxe Youth Wetsuit Pants in blue and pink.
- Wing Kids Wetsuit Shorts, also in blue and pink.
If a child is learning to ski, this is the group to buy from. The leg straps and the thicker neoprene are doing a job on every start, and a young skier gets a lot more starts wrong than a grown one does.
Everything else: no leg straps
- Wing Slide Tween 1mm Neo Short, the classic, and the ribbed version, which sits higher on the waist.
- Rip Curl G-Bomb Junior Girls Wetsuit Shorts: stretchier.
- Rip Curl Dawn Patrol Kids Wetsuit Shorts: the classic surf pant look.
Mens wetsuit shorts
Water skiing
Same logic as the womens ski pants. Longer leg, leg strap, 3 mm neoprene.
Jet skiing
Coming off at speed is the reason to wear a pair, and you do not need the ski-pant thickness to get the benefit.
- Rip Curl Dawn Patrol Mens Ski Shorts: thinner, stretchier and more comfortable than the ski pants.
Ride shorts
The popular option with men who do not want to wear neoprene on its own. A ride short is a board short with a neoprene liner that zips out, so you get the protection when you want it and a normal pair of shorts when you do not.
Ride shorts sit in their own Rideshorts category rather than under wetsuit pants, so they are easy to miss if you are browsing by wetsuits.
Common questions
Do I need leg straps on wetsuit shorts?
If you are water skiing, yes. The leg straps hold the shorts in place through the pull of a start. For wakeboarding, wake surfing and jet skiing they are optional, and most of the range in those lengths does not have them.
What thickness wetsuit shorts do I need?
The ski pants with leg straps are 3 mm, which is the thickest in the range. The shorter and mid-length shorts run thinner, around 1 mm to 2 mm, because they are chosen for comfort and coverage rather than for taking the load of a ski start.
What leg lengths do wetsuit shorts come in?
Roughly 2 inch, 3 inch, 5 inch, 7 inch and 8 inch. The 2 to 3 inch is the short cut, 5 inch is mid length, and 7 to 8 inch is full coverage. Most models are offered in both a standard and a high waist.
What is the difference between the Wing and the Williams womens ski pants?
The cut. The Wing has a shorter leg and a thicker, higher waistband. The Williams has a longer leg and a lower waistband, which is the one we point water skiers at.
What wetsuit shorts should kids wear for water skiing?
The ones with leg straps and thicker neoprene: the Williams 3mm Deluxe Youth pants or the Wing Kids shorts, both in blue and pink. Kids fall more while they are learning, so the straps earn their keep.
Are wetsuit shorts worth it for jet skiing?
Yes. Coming off at speed is the reason. You do not need the thickness of a ski pant though, so a thinner and stretchier pair like the Rip Curl Dawn Patrol is usually more comfortable for a day on the ski.
What is a ride short?
A board short with a neoprene liner built into it. The liner zips out, so the same pair works as a wetsuit short when you are riding and as normal shorts when you are not.
Why do I need wetsuit shorts at all?
To stop water going where it is not meant to go. On a ski start, on a fall at speed, or just sitting on a wakeboard waiting for the boat, a pair of neoprene shorts makes the difference between comfortable and not.
Shop the range
Related guides
- The Breakdown: Neoprene Shorts and Wetsuit Pants: why they matter and what leg straps do
- The Breakdown: Wetsuits: full suits, thickness and fit
- All our buyer's guides
Not sure which length or whether you need the straps? Come into the shop at Moorooka in Brisbane and try a pair on, or give us a call or send us an email.
Filmed in store with Kylie at Waterskiers World, Australia's dedicated towed water sports retailer, family-run for over 20 years from our Brisbane store and online.