Caving Oversuit Buying Guide
A decent caving oversuit makes a big difference underground. It protects your undersuit and keeps the worst of the mud and water off.
Choosing one can be a bit confusing though. Some suits are tougher, some are lighter, some are more flexible, and some are better if you run hot. There isn’t one perfect suit for everyone.
This guide gives a rough idea of what to look for when choosing a caving oversuit, and which sort of suit is likely to suit the caving you actually do.
Quick caving oversuit guide
| Suit type | Best for | Main trade-off | Typical options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightweight oversuits | Occasional caving, warmer trips, people who run hot, big foreign systems with less crawling | Less durable in properly abrasive caves | K2A Lightweight Oversuit |
| All-round oversuits | Most UK sport caving, club trips, regular use | Not as bombproof as digging suits, not as cool as lightweight suits | Cordura Plus, Rodcle Cueto |
| Heavy-duty oversuits | Digging, rough caves, regular crawling, grim sharp stuff | Warmer, stiffer, less flexible | Cordura Extreme |
| PVC oversuits | Wet, muddy trips, club use, people wanting a waterproof outer | Less breathable, can feel sweaty | Landjoff PVC Caving Oversuit |
| Stretch / premium oversuits | Sport caving, SRT, movement-heavy trips, people who really value flexibility | More expensive | Steinberg SuperArlecchino, Steinberg SuperCaronte |
Durability: what sort of caving are you doing?
The first thing to think about is how horrible the caves are that you normally visit.
If you’re digging, doing lots of sharp crawly stuff, or generally spending time in caves that chew kit for fun, you want something tougher. A heavier-duty suit like the Landjoff Cordura Extreme makes more sense here.
For most UK sport caving, an all-rounder is usually the sensible choice. The Landjoff Cordura Plus and Rodcle Cueto are good examples. Tough enough for regular use, but not so heavy that you feel like you’re wearing a tarpaulin with sleeves.
If you only cave occasionally, run hot, or want something for warmer trips and big foreign systems with less body contact on rock, a lighter suit like the K2A Lightweight Oversuit can make more sense.
Basically, buy for the trips you actually do.
Heat: do you run hot?
Thicker, tougher suits tend to be warmer. If you get cold easily, a heavier suit might not bother you much. If you run hot, a thick oversuit can feel pretty grim on long walk-ins, awkward crawls, or anything with a lot of SRT faff.
All-round suits like the Cordura Plus and Rodcle Cueto are a good middle ground for most people. They give decent durability without being full-on armour.
If you know you overheat easily, the K2A Lightweight Oversuit is worth considering. It won’t be as durable in rough UK crawling, but it is much nicer when heat is the main problem.
Flexibility: how much restriction annoys you?
The tougher and thicker a suit gets, the less flexible it tends to feel.
Some cavers don’t care. Some people absolutely hate feeling restricted when scrambling, crawling, climbing or doing SRT. If that’s you, flexibility matters.
The Rodcle Cueto is a nice balance of durability and movement. The Steinberg SuperArlecchino and Steinberg SuperCaronte are more premium stretch options if freedom of movement is a big priority.
Heavy-duty suits are still usable, obviously, but they are not usually the nicest option for people who want maximum flexibility.
All-round oversuits
For most cavers, an all-round oversuit is the safest choice.
The Landjoff Cordura Plus is the classic option: tough, practical, reasonably flexible and suitable for regular UK caving. It has braces, a hidden hood, an internal pocket, adjustable cuffs and reinforced high-wear areas.
It also comes in a few colours, including red, blue, black and yellow. The colour won’t make you cave better, sadly, but can complement your favourite caving ensemble if colour scheme matters to you.
The Rodcle Cueto is another strong all-rounder, with a more premium feel. It has a comfortable fit, reinforced wear areas, a hidden hood, internal belt, pockets and a soft fleece-lined collar. Very civilised.
Heavy-duty suits
If you are regularly digging, crawling through sharp stuff, or generally giving your kit a hard life, it’s worth looking at a heavier-duty suit.
The Landjoff Cordura Extreme is the obvious one here. It uses a tougher Cordura fabric than the Cordura Plus and is better suited to rougher caving and digging.
The trade-off is comfort. Tougher suits are usually warmer and less flexible. That might be completely worth it if the cave is horrible. It might be overkill if you mostly do sport trips and just want something comfy.
Don’t buy a digging suit because it sounds impressive, buy one because your caving actually destroys normal suits.
Lightweight suits
Lightweight oversuits are not pointless. They just have a different job.
The K2A Lightweight Oversuit is a good option for warmer trips, occasional caving, travel, vertical systems, or big foreign caves where you’re not constantly grinding the suit through tight abrasive crawls.
It’s also a good shout for people who run hot and hate feeling wrapped in heavy fabric.
The downside is durability. If your normal caving involves a lot of grovelling, digging, thrutching and scraping, a lightweight suit probably won’t last like a tougher Cordura suit.
PVC suits
A PVC caving oversuit can make sense for wet, muddy trips where you want a more waterproof outer layer.
PVC suits are usually flexible and good at keeping muck and water away from your undersuit, but they are less breathable than fabric suits. That can make them feel sweaty if you run hot or you’re moving hard.
They’re useful for clubs, wet trips and people who like a simple, easy-to-clean outer layer. Maybe less ideal if your main problem is overheating.
Braces, belts and hot walk-ins
Some suits have little features that sound boring until you’re slogging across a moor in the sun.
The Landjoff suits have internal braces, which are handy because you can wear the top half of the suit down on hot walk-ins without it falling round your ankles like a sad bin bag.
The Rodcle Cueto uses an internal belt, which does a similar job. It pulls the waist in when you’re caving, and lets you wear the top half off when you’re too warm.
Pockets
Pockets are handy, but caving is not kind to them.
Internal pockets usually last longer because they’re protected from the cave. External pockets are easier to access, but they get more abuse, especially in flat-outs.
The Rodcle Cueto has both internal and external pocket options, with a tougher external pocket design. The Cordura Plus and Extreme keep things simpler with a single roomy internal pocket and fewer external snag points.
Either way, don’t treat an oversuit pocket like a waterproof safe. If it matters, put it in a proper container.
Hoods
A hood is a must-have for wet caves. It’s one of those things you forget about until water starts finding its way down the back of your neck, at which point you suddenly become very interested.
Most caving oversuit hoods are tucked away in the collar, so they’re there when you need them and out of the way when you don’t.
The Cordura Plus, Cordura Extreme and Rodcle Cueto all have hidden hoods.
Reinforced areas
Knees, elbows, lower arms and seats take a lot of abuse underground. Most tougher caving oversuits have reinforced high-wear areas for exactly that reason.
The Cordura Plus and Rodcle Cueto both have reinforced areas where you’d expect them.
The K2A Lightweight Oversuit keeps things lighter and simpler, so don’t expect it to behave like a heavy digging suit. The Cordura Extreme is a bit different: it relies more on being made from very tough material overall rather than needing the same sort of extra reinforcement approach.
Shrinkage and drying
Some oversuits shrink a lot over time, which is deeply annoying because caving suits are already enough of a sizing puzzle.
We try to stick to suits with limited shrinkage, because nobody wants to buy a suit that fits nicely and then turns into a child’s boiler suit after a few drying-room sessions.
Still, don’t abuse it. Avoid hot drying rooms, radiators and other forms of kit torture. Rinse off the worst of the mud, dry it somewhere sensible, and accept that caves will slowly murder all the gear you love anyway.
Trying on and size swaps
Oversuit fit is worth checking properly. Try it on at home in a clean environment with your normal undersuit on, then kneel, bend, squat, stoop and reach around a bit like you would underground. You want enough room to move without loads of spare fabric flapping about.
We have a size swap guarantee, so if you try it on cleanly and the size isn’t right, we can swap it by post without much fuss.
We’re also at various caving events through the year, including shows like Hidden Earth and NAMHO, where you can try suits on in person. By arrangement, we can sometimes also meet at Dales caving huts for try-ons when we’re up that way.
What should I buy?
- For most UK sport caving: choose an all-rounder like the Landjoff Cordura Plus or Rodcle Cueto.
- For digging or rough, sharp caves: choose something tougher like the Landjoff Cordura Extreme.
- For occasional caving, hot runners or warmer trips: choose a lighter option like the K2A Lightweight Oversuit.
- For wet, muddy trips: consider the Landjoff PVC Caving Oversuit.
- For maximum flexibility and premium comfort: look at the Steinberg SuperArlecchino or Steinberg SuperCaronte.
For most cavers, a good all-round oversuit is the right answer. Go tougher if your caves are grim, go lighter if you run hot or only cave occasionally, and go stretchier if flexibility matters more than anything else.
If in doubt, buy the suit that matches your normal trips, not the one that matches your most dramatic caving tale.
Related Products
Landjoff Cordura Plus Caving Oversuit - Red
All-round caving oversuit, Cordura 500, reinforced knees/elbows/seat, braces, hidden hood, regular caving use.
£119.79 £122.19 £99.83
Cordura Plus Caving Oversuit - Blue
All-round caving oversuit, Cordura 500, reinforced knees/elbows/seat, braces, hidden hood, regular caving use.
£119.79 £122.19 £99.83
Landjoff Cordura Extreme Caving Oversuit - Orange
Super heavy-duty oversuit, Cordura 1000, braces, hidden hood, rough trips and digging.
£129.59 £107.99
Cordura Plus Caving Oversuit - Black
All-round caving oversuit, Cordura 500, reinforced knees/elbows/seat, braces, hidden hood, regular caving use.
£119.79 £122.19 £99.83
Cordura Plus Caving Oversuit - Yellow
All-round caving oversuit, Cordura 500, reinforced knees/elbows/seat, braces, hidden hood, regular caving use.
£119.79 £99.83
K2A Lightweight Oversuit (Red & Teal)
Lightweight flexible oversuit, coated Dacron, reinforced wear areas, warm trips, travel and occasional caving.
£89.99 £74.99
K2A Lightweight Oversuit (Teal & Red)
Lightweight flexible oversuit, coated Dacron, reinforced wear areas, warm trips, travel and occasional caving.
£89.99 £74.99
Landjoff PVC Caving Oversuit
Soft flexible PVC oversuit, durable waterproof outer, muddy wet trips, clubs and regular underground use.
£118.99 £99.16
Rodcle Cueto Caving Oversuit
High-performance oversuit, comfortable fit, tough construction, hood, adjustable inner belt, internal and external pockets.
£149.99 £124.99
