that wetsuit discussion...

[jaytee]

hey rs'ers,

so after attempting to use the search function to find out the lastest opinions on wetsuits around the traps it has proved pretty futile as the word is mentioned in about every post.

anyways, i'm looking for a new 4/3 to see me through a few more vicco winters. at the moment i'm using a 3/2 ripcurl ebomb that is about 2 years old and it has holes in the knee pads and is very loose around the kidney area (in the last month i've had to put a 1mm wetsuit top underneath for extra warmth).

i'm a bit pissed at how this suit has stood up to the beatings and looking for a few opinions on what people are "happy" with using at this time. i don't mind spending the $500+ on a decent suit if it lasts but obviously an 08'/09' older model would be cheaper.

so what brands have you found to be comfortable/warm/durable?

i'm considering the o'neill psychofreak 3.5/2.5

cheers

jt

[mical]

Cypher 4/3 chest zip .. bought off eBay for $330 new with tags and it does a great job.

Prefer Patagonia but they're just to pricey for my liking.

I'd be interested in hearing others thoughts on gloves and hoods as I've never used either before. Noticed I'm getting more uncomfortable the past couple of winters and think it's time to invest.

[Grooter]

Surprising that your e-Bomb is falling apart after 2 years, considering the money they ask for them I'd expect they'd last longer than that. I only say this based on a long held belief that, dollar for dollar, Rip Curl make the best wet-suits. How well do you look after it? I always hang mine up inside out in the garage on a plastic hanger after a surf. Leaving them in a soggy heat on the floor is going to shorten their life-span a fair bit.

I've got a 3/2 that I've had now for 4 years. It was a top range Rip Curl one at the time and was the one prior to the eBomb. It's started leaking a little now but not too much.

Spent about 2 hours in the water at Flinders on Saturday mornning and was reminded again about what a difference a hood makes out there in keeping you warm. Still was a bit cold though so I went and bought a hot skin afterwards as my kidneys felt like they were on fire on the drive home. Phil Trigger gave me a good deal on it in the Frankston store too, one of those titanium ones. Nice bloke.

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), protect against wind chill in your ears and eliminate the ice-cream headache, breath sapping shock, of the first few duck dives.

I always wear boots in the winter but never gloves as I reckon they'll overwork your arms too much

Can't wear a 4/3, I feel car sick in them and they feel too restrictive. I like wearing my wetsuit in summer too (sunburn protection) and a 3/2 is fine in vicco summer waters.

[aaronn]

best suit for the price at the moment
http://www.radiator.net/Item.aspx?CID=3&PID=14

[Kunji]

Rip Curl F Bomb

[onawave]

ive used oneils for years...

would like to try to patagonia tho....

[FishStick]

I got an O'Neill Psycho 2 last season (3/2) and I'm not that impressed. It started leaking in one knee within just a few weeks. My wrists up to my elbows are always cold as water seems to get in, and if you jump off your board in a late take off, the ankles ride up high and you get flushed out. Even though that area is tight as feck when putting the suit on or taking it off.

Don't get me wrong it's the right size wettie for me. Other than those problems it's good but for that price you expect better.

Something both this and my old Billabong Solution had was that if it was windy and a long wait for sets I'd get cold, I found the older thicker unsealed wetties better for wind protection.

I've got to claim the warranty on my Psycho II soon so I'll have to get something while it's away. Might just try the e-bomb.

[alakaboo]

got an xcel infiniti last winter, 3/2
got a back zip, and it's not the best closure. should have been brave and got the chest zip, never heard a bad thing about them. i don't think the back zip is their forte.
it's the warmest suit i've worn, i have to flush it out with water because i overheat if it isn't the dead of winter. it's got more of that fleecy stuff that is inside the suit than the other brands, neck to knee on the front and the back. i'd check it out if you are in water that needs a 4-3.

previously had an oneill zen zip 3/2, psycho 1 4/3, rip curl 3/2 - the one that was an e-bomb before they called it that?

the oneill were the best made and had the best neck closure.the zen zip lasted me 8 years, i sold the psycho when i moved to warmer water but it was 2-3 years old and going strong.
the e-bomb is stretchy but thinner, and there's way too many stories of them failing. good warranty service, but that shouldn't be a selling point.
the xcel neck seal is made of soft rubber and it's perishing, which is disappointing as it isn't much more than a year old. i've got a medium and probably should have got a medium-tall, but it was 60% off and i didn't have much spare cash at the time...would have got the oneill mutant if i was cashed up and somewhere cold

patagonia are very warm, i tried a prototype/tester in california a few years ago. was wearing a 2mm where i would have been wearing a 4-3.
the first ones were pretty soft rubber and tore easily on toenails etc, i've heard they have sorted it out now. they can smell if you don't get the wool dry, and they're a lot of coin

[entity]

I cant go past the wests suits.
comfortable, warm and best of all perfect fit.
Had an E bomb that turned to s#!t within 2 years. bought a 3/2 edge (no fluid seams etc.)that was much warmer than the E bomb. Got a mate who bought an O'neill Psycho 2 (who usually wears wests) wore it twice sold it and bought a wests lotus and is frothing on it.

[pinhead]

I've got an oneil psycho 2 4/3 and its the warmest, best fitting, most durable suit I've ever owned (had it three years) The only draw back is the 2x liquid tape on the shoulders restricts paddling somewhat. A weak point with all wetsuits I've used in winter in Vicco is windchill. Classic west coast conditions - you're usually surfing in strong offshores. If someone could come up with a flexible hydrophobic coating for their suits that lasts, I'd be very interested.

[otway1949]

, and if you jump off your board in a late take off, the ankles ride up high and you get flushed out. Even though that area is tight as feck when putting the suit on or taking it off.

SOLUTION Make the drop Knowing DY point if you don't a little flush is the least of your worries

[otway1949]

best suit for the price at the moment
http://www.radiator.net/Item.aspx?CID=3&PID=14

Not sure about having to agree with Aaron but the combination of my radiator rashy and their steamer has been very warm and very flexible. Proved so in, south Island New Zealand
Happy with

[bc]

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/

There would be a couple of other factors tho. With a wetsuit and no hood, you would lose a considerably higher percentage of heat through the head. And when wet you lose a lot more heat than when dry.

[Grooter]

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/

There would be a couple of other factors tho. With a wetsuit and no hood, you would lose a considerably higher percentage of heat through the head. And when wet you lose a lot more heat than when dry.

Hmm well that is interesting.

But I'll stick with wearing a hood and my beanie in winter. I know for a fact that I'd be a lot colder without them!

[bc]

There was an old Seinfeld joke, that if this was the case, you could go skiing naked, as long as you had a really good hat.

[robzig]

[mical]

As the resident wetsuit guru ...

My favs are non of the big 3.

Do tell?

[robzig]