The Great Unbiased Wetsuit Review Thread

[sdsrfr]

my tb3 Psycho1 holding strong. Maybe the extra liner layer does do something compare to hyperftrak. .

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

I caulked some roofing sealant onto a new seam separation on the chest panel of my 4-5? year old 2mm Xcel shortsleeve fullsuit. Then I posted about it, and the hooded 4.5/3.5 Noah Salsa wears after riding his e-bike down to Lowers wearing those bubblegoose slip on uggs he was flogging in his best of 2021 youtube, on the erBB to feel superior to him and the rest of the mint wetsuit girl's club.

3 year old rip curl no-zip springsuit got a good run of use this fall, still doing great. Tops in fine order and 3/2 infiniti kicked off season 3 with a California bang.

 

[bigglesworth]

If you remember West Wetsuits from a while ago, Volte is just West re-branded.

I never owned any of their suits but I used to work in a shop that rented both Xcels and West suits.

Xcels fell apart like a cheap suit and constantly needed seam repairs. The Wests help up really well to the abuse.

I'm not sure if their build and construction is as robust as it used to be, but back when they were West, it was pretty damn impressive.

cheers man, pulling the trigger on the Volte right now!

close to a yolo as i'm going to get this year as I spoke to a shaper for my annual order.

 

[jkb]

cheers man, pulling the trigger on the Volte right now!

close to a yolo as i'm going to get this year as I spoke to a shaper for my annual order.

Let us know what you think of it.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

LOL. What tier do you consider the Feral to be?
You are the waxurdyl of wetsuit quivers. You're backups have backups! Are you holding double digits rn?

mid tier would be feral, mutant, psychotech

I'll need a full quiver (2 of each thickness) in low, mid, and top shelf quality to figure this out. Then I'll post a thread to try to decide which brand and it will probably take me six months to decide.

 

[bigglesworth]

Thanks. Yeah, I do a lot of turbulent duckdives. 100 sessions isn't horrible. I guess a little over a year for me depending on time/wind (changed work schedule too so I get every other Friday off yew). Try to take pretty good care of my suits. Wash them out within an hour and hang folded so they dry but not too fast. Learned fast that a quick dry in a too-warm room can turn an LT into a B14.

You're probably not wrong about the planned obsolescence. Noticed my Quik Syncro 4/3 is leaking hard. Pretty chilly when it gets under 52.

Washing within the hour will probably make a big difference. I live fairly far from the beach and tend to stop at Costco on the way home; I shouldn't really complain too much that the suit hasn't held up great.


Do any of you guys dump a jug of water over yourselves after surfing? I might start doing that on this new one.

 

[MathDebater]

Do any of you guys dump a jug of water over yourselves after surfing? I might start doing that on this new one.

This is my approach. I used to also rinse my suit off when I got home but over the years it's devolved to only the post surf rinse and occasional wash/condition. It seems to do the trick.

 

[jkb]

Washing within the hour will probably make a big difference. I live fairly far from the beach and tend to stop at Costco on the way home; I shouldn't really complain too much that the suit hasn't held up great.


Do any of you guys dump a jug of water over yourselves after surfing? I might start doing that on this new one.

I honestly don't think letting your wetsuit sit in a wet pile for a day is a big deal when it comes to longevity. I don't think that will break down a suit any faster. Probably a different story when it comes to bacteria growth tho

What's worse is not washing it out and letting it dry.

Or even worse is drying it in the sun, IMO.

 

[sdsrfr]

what defines a wetsuit wash vs. rinsedown?

i just rinse them off with a hose once home compared to my buddy who busts out a tub and does this dunking motion like he's hand washing laundry. his suits last FOREVER.

salt water and UV are what kill the suit.

i spent 10yrs taking my wetsuits off in the shower and I can’t say it made them last any longer than any one of you posting on here.

 

[Kento]

Washing within the hour will probably make a big difference. I live fairly far from the beach and tend to stop at Costco on the way home; I shouldn't really complain too much that the suit hasn't held up great.


Do any of you guys dump a jug of water over yourselves after surfing? I might start doing that on this new one.

It takes me about 40 minutes to get back home from my usual spot but I wash it out pronto. I grab a cold beer first, naturally, but that usually doesn't take too long.

As far as the jug of water, oh hell no. If it was warm enough to be doing that, I wouldn't be wearing a wetsuit in the first place. That's the kind of thing you do to stop dogs from humping each other.

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

Or even worse is drying it in the sun, IMO.

IMHO

Drying it in the sun = good (or at least useful)
Cooking it in the sun = bad (eg it's already dry)

My balcony faces North so late fall and early-mid Winter it's in the shade by default.

March is usually a very consistent month and the after work window really opens back up. I normally rotate the sun-exposed part of the wetsuit paying close attention and vs putting on a sopping, dripping, cold wetsuit for the 2nd/3rd surf of the day, putting on a pre-heated damp one is DANK.

It takes me about 40 minutes to get back home from my usual spot but I wash it out pronto. I grab a cold beer first, naturally, but that usually doesn't take too long.

As far as the jug of water, oh hell no. If it was warm enough to be doing that, I wouldn't be wearing a wetsuit in the first place. That's the kind of thing you do to stop dogs from humping each other.

The jugs, slap full of scalding hot water, get put on the inside of the right-side-out damp/wet wetsuit in the bin on the way to surf, to pre-heat it. The still-warm water is used to wash off post-surf, and the wetsuit is put on top of the empty jugs and starts the dripping process on the drive home. Toss the bilge when taking the wetsuit/bin/jugs out of the car.

For the low introductory rate of $299 I'll get some Arizona Iced Tea jugs and a tupperware, write RinseKit on the side of it, and ship it to you.

 

[Kento]

The jugs, slap full of scalding hot water, get put on the inside of the right-side-out damp/wet wetsuit in the bin on the way to surf, to pre-heat it. The still-warm water is used to wash off post-surf, and the wetsuit is put on top of the empty jugs and starts the dripping process on the drive home. Toss the bilge when taking the wetsuit/bin/jugs out of the car.

For the low introductory rate of $299 I'll get some Arizona Iced Tea jugs and a tupperware, write RinseKit on the side of it, and ship it to you.

What kind of Die Hard 3 sh!t is that?

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

What kind of Die Hard 3 sh!t is that?

The 3/2 late Winter on the leading side of a front, when there's right handers running up the beach, the water's 55 and the air's 85 sh!t.

You coastal Californians and your temperate desert...there is nothing that will rot your fucking groin like a muggy East Coast day when you're still wearing fullsuits. I give you one Valentine's Day - St. Patrick's Day stretch (in North Florida, adjust as you head upcoast) where you're still in a fullsuit and booties, but the southerly wind and spring sun make it 1000% humidity and just grow fungus and bacteria...

 

[Kento]

The 3/2 late Winter on the leading side of a front, when there's right handers running up the beach, the water's 55 and the air's 85 sh!t.

You coastal Californians and your temperate desert...there is nothing that will rot your fucking groin like a muggy East Coast day when you're still wearing fullsuits. I give you one Valentine's Day - St. Patrick's Day stretch (in North Florida, adjust as you head upcoast) where you're still in a fullsuit and booties, but the southerly wind and spring sun make it 1000% humidity and just grow fungus and bacteria...

I'll believe 85 degree air on the beach here (while there are waves) when I see it.

 

[20W-50 and blood]

I caulked some roofing sealant onto a new seam separation on the chest panel of my 4-5? year old 2mm Xcel shortsleeve fullsuit. Then I posted about it, and the hooded 4.5/3.5 Noah Salsa wears after riding his e-bike down to Lowers wearing those bubblegoose slip on uggs he was flogging in his best of 2021 youtube, on the erBB to feel superior to him and the rest of the mint wetsuit girl's club.

3 year old rip curl no-zip springsuit got a good run of use this fall, still doing great. Tops in fine order and 3/2 infiniti kicked off season 3 with a California bang.

for once...im the one unable to figure out WTF someone on here is saying

 

[stringcheese]

Noticed that the ziperless hyperfreak I use is not being sold in local shops, replaced by a version with a chest zipper.
I'm sure it's great, but with so many suits, what to try next...

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

for once...im the one unable to figure out WTF someone on here is saying

1. I repair my wetsuits with roofing sealer instead of getting new ones, as long as the holes aren't too bad.

2. My rip curl spring suit, short and longsleeve tops, 2mm shortsleeve full, and 3/2 infiniti fullsuit have served Jabba well and will be rewarded.

3. Noel Salsa's 2021 gear guide has some non-board LULZ, including him endorsing slip-on shoes that look like they're made of puffy coat material, an e-bike, and a hooded 4.5/3.5 for surfing in literally Orange County.

4. There is a clip of Salsa riding his e-bike to lowers, with those shoes on, and also a coat(s?) and bicycle helmet. He looked like an Eskimo baby being sent 100 miles across tundra strapped to the back of a malamute.

 

[jkb]

4. There is a clip of Salsa riding his e-bike to lowers, with those shoes on, and also a coat(s?) and bicycle helmet. He looked like an Eskimo baby being sent 100 miles across tundra strapped to the back of a malamute.

Bro! That cold Trestles canyon air can get into the 50's.

 

[sdsrfr]

Noticed that the ziperless hyperfreak I use is not being sold in local shops, replaced by a version with a chest zipper.
I'm sure it's great, but with so many suits, what to try next...

They make both versions

 

[need 4 speed]

4/3 Cyber came on Christmas Eve.(Steve got it out as soon as it came in) dry fit is excellent, new lined material feel exceptionally warm (low 50's easy)Purple is smooth skin