How to Take Perfect Custom Wetsuit Measurements at Home

The idea of ordering a custom-tailored wetsuit sounds great – until you see the measurement form and worry about messing it up.

“What if I pull the tape measure too tight?”

“What if I measure my chest wrong and the suit turns out too loose?”

“Do I need a professional tailor to do this?”

We hear these questions all the time. But here is the truth: taking your own custom suit measurements at home is simple, fast, and virtually foolproof if you follow a few basic rules.

You don’t need tailor training or special tools. All you need is five to ten minutes, a flexible fabric tape measure, and ideally a friend to hold the tape for hard-to-reach spots like your broad back and shoulders.

Here is your straightforward, step-by-step guide to capturing accurate body measurements for a flawless second-skin fit.

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3 Golden Rules Before You Start

Before pulling out the tape measure, keep these three basic guidelines in mind:

1. Use a Soft, Flexible Fabric Tape: Don’t use a rigid metal builder’s tape measure – it won’t wrap around curved muscles accurately. If you don’t have a fabric tape, use a non-stretching piece of string, mark the length, and measure the string against a ruler.
2. Wear Fitted Undergarments: Measure yourself in a pair of speedos, compression shorts, or a thin swim suit. Don’t take measurements over thick hoodies, jeans, or loose boardshorts.
3. Keep the Tape Snug, Not Tight: The tape measure should rest flat and snug against your skin. Don’t pull it so tight that it digs into your skin, and don’t leave it hanging loose. Stand in a relaxed, normal posture – don’t suck in your stomach or flex your chest.

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Step-by-Step: The Core Measurements

Follow this order to record your dimensions quickly and cleanly.

[Neck Circumference] / \ [Shoulder Width] — [Chest Circumference] | | [Bicep] [Waist / Navel] | | [Wrist] [Hips / Buttocks] | [Thigh] | [Inseam]

1. Total Height & Weight

• Height: Stand barefoot with your back flat against a wall. Look straight ahead and measure from the floor to the top of your head.
• Weight: Weigh yourself in the morning for an accurate baseline. Weight helps us verify your overall volume against your tape measurements.

2. Torso & Upper Body

• Chest (At Fullest Point): Wrap the tape around the widest part of your chest, running under your armpits and across your shoulder blades. Keep your arms relaxed at your sides and breathe normally.
• Waist (At the Navel): Measure around your natural waistline, usually right across your belly button. This is often higher than where your jeans sit – don’t measure down around your belt loops.
• Hips & Buttocks: Stand with your feet together and wrap the tape around the fullest point of your hips and rear.
• Torso Length (Front & Back): Measure from the hollow dip at the base of your throat, straight down your centerline to your crotch. For the back, measure from the prominent bone at the base of your neck down to your tailbone.

3. Arms & Shoulders

• Shoulder Width: Have your friend measure across your upper back, from the outer tip of one shoulder bone straight across to the outer tip of the other.
• Arm Length: Place your hand on your hip with your elbow slightly bent. Measure from the tip of your shoulder bone, down around the point of your elbow, to your wrist bone.
• Bicep & Forearm: Wrap the tape around the widest part of your bicep while relaxed (don’t flex!). Then measure the fullest point of your forearm.
• Wrist Circumference: Wrap the tape around your wrist bone. This measurement ensures tight ankle and wrist seals that block water flushing.

4. Legs & Inseam

• Inseam (Crotch to Ankle): Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Measure from the top of your inner thigh down along the inside of your leg to the center of your ankle bone.
• Thigh & Calf: Measure around the widest part of your upper thigh, then around the fullest curve of your calf muscle.
• Ankle Circumference: Wrap the tape snugly around the narrowest point of your lower ankle just above the bone. —

Common Mistakes to Avoid | What People Do Wrong | Why It Ruins Fit | How to Fix It | |:— |:— |:— | | Sucking in the stomach | Suit ends up tight across the midsection and restricts breathing | Relax your stomach and breathe out normally | | Puffing out the chest | Creates excess neoprene that bunches under your armpits | Keep arms loose at your sides in a neutral stance | | Measuring over thick clothes | Adds 2-4cm of fake bulk across every measurement | Measure in thin swimwear or underwear | | Pulling tape too tight | The finished suit will pinch and restrict movement | Keep the tape resting flat against skin | —

What If You Make a Mistake? A lot of surfers hesitate to order custom because they’re worried about giving a bad measurement. At Born Slippy, you aren’t doing this alone. When you submit your numbers through our order tool, our master pattern cutters review your entire profile. If something looks mathematically off – for example, if your wrist measurement doesn’t match your weight or forearm ratio – we catch it immediately, reach out to you, and double-check that specific point before cutting any rubber. On top of that, every suit we make is backed by our Custom Fit Guarantee. If your finished suit needs fine-tuning, we take care of the alterations so you end up with a flawless second-skin fit. —

Ready to Get Measured? Getting a custom suit built for your body is easier than you think. Grab a flexible tape measure, take ten minutes to follow these steps, and get ready for the warmest, most comfortable sessions of your life. Start your custom measurement profile now at Born Slippy.