RealSurf Surfers' Forum

I have got an oneil pyshco 2 4 - 3 it is the warmest, best fitting suit i have had. I have also got a billabong solution which is shit. I split both calves the first surf in it. It got replaced under warranty. Then after warranty expired the calf split through the rubber, I emailed them and they said they had filled their warranty obligations. I wont ever buy billabong again.

robzig wrote:Well I don't think there is any one suit that is good at everything (warmth, flex, construction, longevity etc)

- For best fit and materials Axxe
- For complete style Kookbox's new steamer
- For best longevity Hotline's new one
- Best warmth without heating O'Neill Psychofreak FSW (but would be better in chest zip)

My 2 cents

Thanks, always looking for something different to what we're offered by the superpowers.

What are your thoughts on who's producing good gloves and hoods?

bc wrote:

Hatchman wrote:Hoods can be annoying though, especially when they fill with water and you can't hear a thing, but the good thing about them is the help they provide in keeping your body so much warmer (you lose 80% of your body heat through your head),

Fraid not - this myth has been busted.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/ ... nbehaviour
http://wildernessmedicinenewsletter.wor ... pothermia/

Couple of connections I have would dispute this. Including a Canadian Ski Rescue Team member who is also a fireman and my son. He's kept up to date with the latest in cold weather survival and whilst he'll dispute the 80%, he still says the head is the worst place for heat loss.
More information needed either way.

I have the 3/2 O'Neill Physco 2 and I get water flush down the back and it's not as warm as they make out. It is however the most comfortable suit I've ever had.

A mate of mine recently bought a Radiator Suit and reckons it's the best yet. I'm gonna get one next season and for that price why wouldn't you at least try it.

http://www.radiator.net/

And alternative to the big 3 are Zion, Dunes, Reeflex, Tiki and Void. All except Tiki are Australian owned.

^^
Cheers Coops, got some research to do.

No worries. The Zion wetties look the best. Im waiting for my f-bomb to die so i can get one. Made from yamamoto japanese chloroprene made from limestone not petroleum - warmer and environmentally friendly.

^^^^^ I looked at a Zion on the weekend.. Really soft rubber and as Coops said more environmentally friendly.. They look good too!

I'm with BDL77 on the Phsycho 2 flush issue .... expensive suit .... fits well but the batwing does bugger all ..... had to buy radiator .5ml vest to provide extra warmth.

my mate also bought the online radiator 3/2 - very light - very warm - check out the independant study done on it by RMIT http://www.radiator.net/Technology.aspx

Def my next wetsuit

I'd have to agree with Rozbig in that there seems to be a trade off in terms of flexibilty vs. durability. For best warmth / comfort combo and for the price I'd say the West Lotus Air-o ( only comes in a 3/2 ), BUT, if you surf a LOT, 2 winters will pretty much see the seams done and dusted. The next model down is the Edge, it's about $100 cheaper but it has exactly the same material as the standard West Lotus ( which is the top of the line ) triple glued / blind stitched seams. The seams will last you longer, and in my opinion difference in comfort and freedom of movement is undetectable. Also agree on the chest zips... not the best choice...

4/3 Ripcurl DawnPatrol.

Cheap, warm and I'm on my second Vicco winter with no probs.

Personally I reckon boots and hoods are for poofters &/or sup riders...

Nobody buying Seventhwave?
seventhwave.co.nz

I'm just coming out of my second Northern Hemisphere season and my 3/2 Max Titanium with detachable hood has kept me in the water longer than my mates in 5/3 jobs.
The kevlar knee pads were the selling point for me, but it has been awesome. Flexible and lightweight!.
I'm with you, Porca, no more Billabong, and my last decent Rippy was yeeeeeears ago.

The Radiators are good too. I go from my Max, to a 1.5mm L/S spring and back again.

Magic do great boots. Not sure if they're in Aus. I've recently heard that Solution Kayaking gloves are the best. Have had no luck with the big boys regarding peripheral rubber.

My recent experience , and I'm only in Sydney - so all I use is a basic 3/2.

Surprised at the anti 'bong comments. I got a cheap $300ish billabong 3 years ago and despite being used HEAPS it still feels new.
Got a quiksilver 3/2 chest zip cypher this year on special and I find it by far the most comfortable suit I have ever worn - don't think I'll go back to back zips.
Also had a ripcurl springy from 3 years ago only last 18months before the rubber went crappy.
Robzig - where would one go to check out these other makes of wetsuit? Whenever i go into a surf shop all I see is the same big brands.

Animal_Chin wrote: Personally I reckon boots and hoods are for poofters &/or sup riders...

Has anyone ever told you you've got a cute ar.se hot stuff?

Loving this discussion. I'd go with the cold water experts on this, that's the poms and yanks.

I wear a C-Skins mid range suit this winter, incredible fits (made for surfers with lats and chests and thinish waists) good rubber (middle of the road on the stretch front but very durable feeling) and a flushproof collar and half the price delivered from Shore in the UK than an aussie suit... a great suit for 200 bucks. My rip curls have all got colder as they got older, and not just the seams (which split on both of my last two steamers) but the neioprene itself, especially the tops of the shoulders. I don't want a suit that is warm for the first 10 surfs and needs replacing half way through the second winter season. yep the warranty is incredible and rip curl even repaired a suit just outside of warranty so hats off to them - even though it was only outside of warranty because I lived with the seam problems through the whole of winter and then sent it to them as soon as the water was warm enough for boardies... they don't do a courtesy suit now do they and who'd go weeks with no suit in the middle of the surf season.

Excel and C-Skins seam to be consistantly put up as great suits buy UK websites... and my years of surfing 8 degree water make me agree with their expertise.

On another point, whats all this no glove business if you are wearing a hood, in the uk its gloves and booties, and then a hood only if it is artic (a good test is that you can slide down the frosty sand dunes without breaking into the sand on your way down to the surf. Hands are very temperature sensitive - it's their job.