Wetsuit

Hi All,

Going to purchase a wetsuit, trouble is I know nothing about wetsuits.  So here are my questions.
What is the best thickness to purchase for playing in surf and kayaking? 
Which is better one  or two piece?
What should I look for as far as stitch or glue?
What should I look for that I haven't asked?
Looking to purchase a used wetsuit.

Thanks for the info!!!

Get one with a relief zipper, one piece farmer john. 3/5 thickness I believe. 3mm/5mm combo.

The thickest surf suits around here are 5mm, with a nylon or lycra lining on the inside and out. Compare that to dive suits which can get up to 8 or 9mm. If you're going to be spending most of your time on the surface, you should be fine with a 3 or 4mm. You may get hotter with anything else. Others may advise you to get something thicker, in case you get dumped off  a kayak and end up spending a lot of time in the water. If you'll be a swim-able distance from shore that shouldn't be an issue. I surfed year round in a 3/2mm (3 in the torso, 2 in the extremities) in high school, but have a 4mm now and wouldn't be hot with a 5mm if I was in the water a lot.

I don't know much about the newest model year of surf suits, but pretty much everything now is glued, or stitched and glued. Surf suit neoprene seems to be getting better and stretchier by the day. One piece is the standard for surf suits, and there are some pretty neat "zipperless" styles out now. You enter through a wide overlapping V at the head, with a turtleneck that pulls from the back over your head, and zips across the outside of the suit on the chest. These are great because you're not going to get any water seeping in on your back. The better back zip models have a full barrier that zips closed, kinda like an expanding suitcase. I'd steer clear of a suit that zips open to your bare back.

And some extra info:

If you're buying a used suit, the best way I've found to determine how much life is left in it is by the smell. Not THAT smell. Newer suits have a distinctive strong sweet smell to them. You shouldn't have to stick your nose to it. Spend time in a surf shop, and you'll know what I mean. Older suits don't smell like anything (or shouldn't at least  ).

If you're getting something off of Craigslist, just Google the brand and model, and find out when it was made. Surf suits are almost consumable, and anything more than 3-4 years old likely doesn't have much life or insulation left.

Thanks for the info, I'm much better informed now.

Thank You very much, hope to see you on the water.