I own a few wetsuits however for different reasons than your are looking for but I'll put in my 2 cents - it may be helpful. I use my wetsuits for water skiing - I live in NE PA so needless to say the water gets COLD here. I have a full wetsuit, shorty, and a drysuit for when it's really cold (I've been skiing when the ice begins to form on the lake) - personally I don't use the full wetsuit at all because I find it way too constricting with very little added warmth. As long as my trunk is warm I'm fine.