Wetsuit Zipper Types: Back Zip, Chest Zip and Zipperless

A back-zip wetsuit is usually the easiest to get into, a chest-zip suit is generally designed to reduce water getting in along the back, and a zipperless suit has the fewest hardware parts but can be the hardest to pull on. None is best for everyone, and fit, thickness and neck and wrist seals matter more than the zipper alone. Try each style on before you commit.

Why the zipper style matters

The entry style changes three things you notice every dive day: how easy the suit is to get on and off, how much water moves in and out, and how the suit feels when you reach or kick. It does not set the suit's warmth by itself. Thickness, the cut of the suit, how well it fits your body and the quality of the neck, wrist and ankle seals all matter too. For that side, see our suit thickness guide.

Makers build each style differently, so what follows is general. Check the suit maker's description for how their zip, flap and neck are made.

It also helps to think about who is getting in. A diver who dresses alone on a boat or a beach needs an entry they can manage without help. Someone with limited shoulder mobility, or who is buying a suit for a growing teenager, may put ease of entry ahead of everything else. Someone who wears a suit all day, as an instructor might, may care more about how it feels after hours than how quickly it goes on.

Back zip

The back zip is the classic entry style, with a long zipper running down the spine. Its main advantage is simplicity. You step into the legs, pull the arms on and close the zip, often with a pull cord that lets you reach it yourself. That makes it a common choice for beginners and for people who dress alone.

The trade-offs are at the zipper itself. A long opening at the back is a place where water can get in, and many suits add a flap or liner behind the zip to reduce that. Because the zipper runs through the neoprene, it also adds a line of stiffness and a wear point. Look at the flap, the quality of the zipper and the pull cord when you compare suits.

Chest zip

A chest-zip suit, often called front-entry, has the zipper across the chest or shoulder instead of down the back. The idea is a solid back panel that reduces water getting in along the spine, and a suit that feels smoother between the shoulder blades. Some divers also like having no zipper under a BCD back.

The cost is a harder entry. You usually pull the suit on through the neck opening and then close the chest zip, and that can be awkward in a tight suit or for people with limited shoulder mobility. A good neck seal is also important, because the chest zip sits close to the neck. Try the entry in the shop and have someone help you with the closure.

Zipperless

A zipperless suit has no zipper hardware. You get into it through the neck opening and stretch it over your body. Removing the zipper removes a leak path and a wear point, and some divers like the stretchy, uninterrupted feel. These suits are often made from stretchier neoprene to allow the entry.

The challenge is getting in and out, particularly in a thicker suit or when wet. Some people find it takes patience, and it can strain a seam if you force it. Fit has to be exact: too loose and the suit floods, too tight and it is hard to pull on. Ask the shop how the entry works for the specific suit, and try it on wearing what you would wear under it.

Side by side

How to try them on

Go to a shop if you can, and wear what you would wear under the suit. Try each style in your size and one size either side. Check the entry, the neck, the wrists and ankles, and the zipper, then move: reach overhead, across your chest, and bend and squat. The suit should feel snug without pinching or restricting breathing.

Ask whether the shop will let you take the suit back if it does not work after a first use, and keep tags on until you are sure. For differences in fit by cut, see our guides on women's-cut dive gear and open-cell versus closed-cell suits. If you are weighing a drysuit instead, wetsuit versus drysuit sets out the differences.

Zipper care and repair

Rinse zippers with fresh water after use and let the suit dry as the maker advises. Do not force a stuck zipper, and use only the lubricant or wax the maker names. Our wetsuit care guide covers rinsing and drying. A broken zip or a failed seam is a job for the suit maker or a repair shop, and small cosmetic repairs are covered in our wetsuit repair guide.

Zipperless suits have no zipper to wear out, but the neck and seams still take strain when the suit is pulled on, so care in entry matters. Keep spare parts, such as a pull cord, matched to the maker's listing.