Wetsuits and Drysuits Compared: Zhik, Gill and Sail Racing

This is an objective comparison built from published specifications and construction detail, not a hands-on test. Figures are the makers' own where noted.

Neoprene and drysuit shells are quietly some of the most spec-dense kit a sailor buys, and almost none of that spec is on the hang-tag. Warmth is not a thickness number, it is a closed-cell-fraction and seam-flush problem; a drysuit's real differences live in the membrane's water column, the seal material and the zip. This piece works Zhik, Gill and Sail Racing across those axes with the actual mechanisms and figures. For the fundamentals of the wetsuit-versus-drysuit split, see our guide to wetsuit vs drysuit for sailing.

At a glance

The line-up, concretely

• Zhik — Superwarm X (natural Yulex foam, neoprene-free, 3/2mm, HydroBase fleece lining, ZhikTex II knee/seat) and Superwarm V (petroleum neoprene, 3/2mm, same cut philosophy); the Platinum-class drysuit uses a 3-layer VECTA TPU membrane with latex seals and a TIZIP asymmetric front-entry zip.
• Gill — a full-thickness neoprene range plus the Verso drysuit: XPLORE+ 3-layer fabric, XPEL plant-based water-repellent finish, a claimed 35,000mm hydrostatic head, neoprene Dryseal gaskets, twin TIZIP MasterSeal zips (rear entry + front relief) and integrated fabric socks.
• Sail Racing — the Orca 5mm neoprene wetsuit (3/2 stretch side panels, moulded back/front support, thermobacker lining) developed with Oracle Team USA, sitting inside a coordinated apparel system whose spray/foul-weather layer is GORE-TEX (Reference spray tops, 2-way-stretch, YKK Aquaguard).

The engineering that actually differs

Foam chemistry: closed-cell fraction, not thickness, sets warmth

Every wetsuit conversation defaults to millimetres, but at a given thickness the warmth and drag come from the foam's cell structure. Petroleum-blown neoprene sits around 60% independent closed cells; limestone-derived neoprene — and Yulex, the plant-based rubber Zhik uses in the Superwarm X — runs near 94%, with the sealed voids filled with nitrogen, a better insulator than trapped air. Three consequences follow that a sailor actually feels:

• Warmth per millimetre. More sealed nitrogen means more insulation for the same 3/2 build, so a limestone/Yulex-class 3/2 out-insulates a petroleum 3/2. That lets Zhik keep the X thin (and therefore mobile) without giving up heat.
• Water uptake and weight. The published figures put limestone-class foam near 98% water-impermeable versus roughly 65% for petroleum. A petroleum suit slowly saturates and gains "wet weight" across a long session; the high-closed-cell foam stays lighter and dries faster between races.
• Stretch and rebound. Lower-density, higher-void foam elongates further and returns more consistently — the "second-skin" feel — which is why the X reads as more mobile than the neoprene V even though both are nominally 3/2mm.

Sail Racing's Orca attacks the same warmth problem from the other end: a thicker 5mm moulded core for genuine cold-water immersion, dropping to 3/2mm stretch panels at the sides where articulation matters, over a warm thermobacker jersey. That is a defensible layout for offshore and big-boat neoprene where dwell time and durability outrank skiff-grade flex. Gill's neoprene range is petroleum across a broad 2–5mm span — the sensible, value-led way to cover most water temperatures without paying the limestone premium.

The catch worth naming: closed-cell fraction is a property of the base foam, not a brand trademark, and makers rarely publish per-panel figures, so treat "94% vs 60%" as the material-class difference (limestone/Yulex vs conventional) rather than a spec sheet you can read off any given suit.

Linings: managing the water you cannot keep out

A wetsuit is not meant to keep you dry, so what it does with the thin water film matters. Zhik's HydroBase inner is a fleece jersey — developed from its base-layer fabric — that pulls sweat and flush water off the skin and hands it to the neoprene, so you are not sitting in a cold wet contact layer against bare skin. That is a real thermal mechanism, not a comfort gimmick: the felt warmth of a damp suit is dominated by how quickly the skin-side surface dries. Sail Racing's thermobacker and Gill's brushed thermal linings do the same job to varying degrees; the principle is identical, the execution is where they separate.

Seams: the flush path is the whole game

The under-appreciated spec. Two seam families:

• Flatlock butts the panels and stitches through both faces — a flat, comfortable, durable seam that is riddled with through-holes. Every hike, roll and tack pumps water through those holes (the body moving inside the suit creates the pressure), and that convective flush is what actually strips heat. Fine on a summer shorty, wrong for cold water.
• Glued-and-blind-stitched (GBS) glues the panel edges first, then the needle passes only part-way through the neoprene so it never fully perforates the foam. No through-holes, almost no flush, and a stronger bond.

Zhik builds the Superwarm suits GBS and reinforces the highest-load junctions (knee, seat) with the abrasion-resistant ZhikTex II 3D-knit rather than plain neoprene — so the panels that take the most flex and grinding-on-the-rail wear also resist tearing. Sail Racing similarly runs GBS with reinforced knee and seat on the Orca. For grand-prix small-boat use, GBS with taped or reinforced high-load seams should be treated as the minimum bar; a flatlock steamer in cold water is a false economy no matter whose logo is on it.

Drysuit membranes and the hydrostatic-head number

Drysuits diverge from wetsuits entirely: warmth comes from the layers you wear under a fully waterproof shell, so the shell competes on water column, breathability and durability, not insulation.

Gill's Verso is the number to beat on paper: an XPLORE+ 3-layer laminate rated to a 35,000mm hydrostatic head (the maker's figure — the height of a water column the fabric holds before it wets through), well beyond the ~20,000mm where a fabric is considered fully waterproof for immersion. XPLORE+ pairs with the XPEL plant-based DWR that keeps the face fabric from wetting-out (a wetted-out face fabric kills breathability even when the membrane is intact). Gill does not publish a headline MVTR, so breathability is best judged on the 3-layer construction and laser-cut face venting rather than a single number.

Zhik's dinghy drysuit runs a 3-layer VECTA TPU membrane with a published 10,000mm/g/m²/day breathability (a moisture-vapour transmission figure) — a monolithic-TPU approach that trades outright water-column headline for durability and a clean, weldable, easily seam-taped construction, with 450D reinforcement at knee, seat and feet. The two makers are optimising slightly different things: Gill leads on quoted hydrostatic head; Zhik foregrounds a specific breathability figure and heavy abrasion reinforcement for the constant knee-loading of dinghy work. Both are fully seam-taped over a waterproof zip; a taped-seam drysuit is only as waterproof as its seals and zip, which is the next axis.

Sail Racing has no dedicated dinghy immersion drysuit in this comparison — its waterproof story is the GORE-TEX Reference spray and foul-weather layer (ePTFE membrane, 2-way stretch, YKK Aquaguard zips), which is exactly the right tool for a big-boat crew that stays aboard, and the wrong tool for capsize-and-swim dinghy immersion. Matching the tool to the water is the first decision; brand is the second.

Seals: latex versus neoprene is a real trade-off

Neck, wrist and ankle seals are where a drysuit leaks or does not, and where the maker's philosophy shows.

• Latex gaskets (Zhik's drysuits) elongate hugely and seal against the skin at very low contact pressure — the most watertight option under sustained immersion and rolling, which is why offshore and America's Cup-lineage crews specify them. The price is fragility: latex is a service item that nicks, and perishes with UV and ozone over time.
• Neoprene Glideskin-type gaskets (Gill's Dryseal) are far tougher, warmer against the neck and more comfortable for all-day wear, and shrug off the abrasion that would eventually finish a latex seal — at the cost of being marginally less watertight in a heavy, prolonged dunking.

For a Melges-class crew rarely fully immersed, neoprene seals are the comfortable, durable, low-maintenance call. For a dinghy sailor who expects to be swimming, latex is the immersion-grade choice — with the maintenance regime that comes with it.

Zips: TIZIP MasterSeal placement and the flex question

Modern sailing drysuits have largely moved to TIZIP polymer waterproof zips over old metal-tooth types: the plastic-tooth MasterSeal is markedly more flexible and comfortable, and does not corrode in salt. Placement is where Zhik and Gill diverge with real ergonomic consequence. Zhik uses an asymmetric front-entry TIZIP so the zip line avoids bunching fabric across the chest — easier to self-don and less bulk when hiking hard. Gill's Verso puts a MasterSeal rear-entry zip to keep the chest completely clear, and adds a front MasterSeal relief zip — a genuinely useful feature on long days that a rear-entry-only suit lacks, at the cost of needing a hand (or a mate) to close the back. Neither leaks when maintained; the choice is self-don convenience and chest bulk (Zhik) versus a clear chest plus a relief zip (Gill). Whatever the brand, the zip and seals are the wear items to rinse in fresh water and lubricate after every salt session — the fastest way to kill a drysuit is neglecting them.

Our take

Being straight here, because credibility depends on it. On the wetsuit side, Zhik's Superwarm X is the genuine specialist answer for high-activity dinghy and skiff sailing: Yulex foam gives it the high-closed-cell warmth-per-millimetre and low water uptake that let it stay thin and mobile, the HydroBase lining manages the water it cannot exclude, and GBS seams with ZhikTex II reinforcement handle the flush and the abrasion. If a performance dinghy wetsuit is what you need, it belongs at the top of the list. On the drysuit side Zhik's latex seals and asymmetric TIZIP make it the immersion-grade dinghy choice. Gill is the range-and-value pick and the natural one-stop for both suits: its Verso brings the highest quoted hydrostatic head (35,000mm), tougher neoprene seals, a front relief zip and integrated socks — the pragmatic, durable, do-everything drysuit — with a broad, sensibly priced neoprene range beneath it.

For a premium coordinated apparel system, Sail Racing earns its place on merit: the Orca's 5mm moulded core with 3/2 stretch panels and thermobacker is a serious cold-water immersion layout with real Oracle Team USA development behind it, and the GORE-TEX Reference spray and foul-weather pieces are the correct waterproof layer for a crew that stays aboard and dry — which is most grand-prix keelboat sailing. If you are dressing a whole crew as one considered, matched kit built to last, that is the pick, and it holds up technically alongside the specialists.

This stays a use-case call first. Decide wetsuit or drysuit from your water temperature and immersion risk; inside wetsuits, weigh closed-cell warmth and seam flush; inside drysuits, weigh hydrostatic head, seal material and zip layout — then choose the brand. For most Melges 40 / Grand Prix keelboat crews the honest answer is neither: you stay aboard and dry, and the warmth system is layers under a taped smock and salopettes, with neoprene relegated to spray tops and boots.

Who each is best for

• Zhik — high-activity dinghy and skiff sailors wanting the warmest, most mobile neoprene per millimetre (Yulex, HydroBase, GBS + ZhikTex), and dinghy sailors needing an immersion-grade latex-sealed drysuit.
• Gill — sailors wanting range and value, one brand across both suits, and the pragmatic do-everything drysuit: high hydrostatic head, durable neoprene seals, a front relief zip and integrated socks.
• Sail Racing — crews wanting a premium coordinated system: the Oracle-developed 5mm Orca for cold-water neoprene, and GORE-TEX Reference spray/foul-weather for staying dry aboard.

The takeaway

Wetsuits split on closed-cell foam chemistry and seam flush; drysuits split on membrane water column, seal material and zip layout — and the leader shifts with which spec you weight. Our pick: for a performance dinghy wetsuit and an immersion drysuit, Zhik (Yulex warmth-per-mm, HydroBase, latex seals); for range, value and the pragmatic do-everything drysuit, Gill (35,000mm head, neoprene seals, relief zip); and for a premium coordinated racing-apparel system, Sail Racing on genuine merit (Oracle-developed Orca, GORE-TEX Reference). Decide wetsuit-or-drysuit from your water and exposure first; brand second. Field notes to follow. See our guide to wetsuit vs drysuit for sailing, and the spray tops and base layers comparisons for the rest of the kit.