The Great Unbiased Wetsuit Review Thread

[germs]

I have both otr and custom made wetsuits. I also have ST and MT sizes. Some seem to go on easy, and others more tight, ie, more difficult to get on/off, but not necessarily warmer or allow less mobility. All 6/5 or 5/4’s.

I’m wondering if anyone has an idea just how tight a suit should feel for the perfect fit? That is, one that won’t stress the seams? I know there shouldn’t be space in the lumbar area, looseness about the neck, etc. But how tight should a thicker suit(5/4+) really feel on the arms/legs/trunk, for the optimal fit? Do you guys just go for the larger size that doesn’t allow excess space, to protect the seams?

 

[menobrah]

I have both otr and custom made wetsuits. I also have ST and MT sizes. Some seem to go on easy, and others more tight, ie, more difficult to get on/off, but not necessarily warmer or allow less mobility. All 6/5 or 5/4’s.

I’m wondering if anyone has an idea just how tight a suit should feel for the perfect fit? That is, one that won’t stress the seams? I know there shouldn’t be space in the lumbar area, looseness about the neck, etc. But how tight should a thicker suit(5/4+) really feel on the arms/legs/trunk, for the optimal fit? Do you guys just go for the larger size that doesn’t allow excess space, to protect the seams?

you just have to goldilocks it for a bit, when you find the perfect fit youll know it.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

Okay just how relative are the two? I can't surf some grom's 4'8" HPSB no matter how warm I am. A shitload of days this fall there's been zero logs/funboards/mids/SUPs because you'd get rectum trying to punch that boat across the sandbar.

I'm more curious why a single middle aged guy with no kids has his hands on some grom's 4'8 HPSB in the first place.

Meanwhile Marzo shreds in trunks while everyone else is rubber'd up and it ain't cold where he's from.

Clay Marzo. Great example of normal, everyday athletic coordination.

You're referencing that day back in 2016 in Baja?

He wore a fullsuit that day.

And the evening session, where he surfed in literal poop at San Antonio, he skinned it for the cameras and froze his ass off.

I saw a local competent surfer paddle out at the Pier in a springsuit when the water was mid 50s and he was the only person not in booties, and he was right out there linking turns to the beach no worries.

Wow. This whole wetsuit thing is a con.

Guy is shivering because he's not moving.

OK. Most time surfing is spent sitting or paddling.

You people are in OC/SD. Not K2 final camp before summit. 3/2, pair of booties, pair of balls - with a fuzzy liner!

Around the world it's normal to wear a 3/2 wetsuit when the water is 58 and the air is 50.

@menobrah the East Coaster complained that Oceanside is frigid in the winter and said something about needing gloves and booties. I would disagree, strongly.

When you're sitting in 58 degree water without a wetsuit you will become hypothermic. On the way there moving becomes more difficult and coordination decreases and your surfing ability declines. Either you believe in science that has been replicated millions of times over or you don't.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

Sharkbiscuit has obviously never had a magic wetsuit. It's a gamechanger bro. Especially for the frigid waters of san diego.

Yeah bro. We need a real Oregon woodsman to come down and show us pussies how it's done.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

I have both otr and custom made wetsuits. I also have ST and MT sizes. Some seem to go on easy, and others more tight, ie, more difficult to get on/off, but not necessarily warmer or allow less mobility. All 6/5 or 5/4’s.

I’m wondering if anyone has an idea just how tight a suit should feel for the perfect fit? That is, one that won’t stress the seams? I know there shouldn’t be space in the lumbar area, looseness about the neck, etc. But how tight should a thicker suit(5/4+) really feel on the arms/legs/trunk, for the optimal fit? Do you guys just go for the larger size that doesn’t allow excess space, to protect the seams?

It should fit snugly but you shouldn't feel much restriction, if any, in any part of the suit.

 

[Havoc]

Okay just how relative are the two? I can't surf some grom's 4'8" HPSB no matter how warm I am. A shitload of days this fall there's been zero logs/funboards/mids/SUPs because you'd get rectum trying to punch that boat across the sandbar.

Meanwhile Marzo shreds in trunks while everyone else is rubber'd up and it ain't cold where he's from. I saw a local competent surfer paddle out at the Pier in a springsuit when the water was mid 50s and he was the only person not in booties, and he was right out there linking turns to the beach no worries.

Guy is shivering because he's not moving. The easy prey thing caused the coldness, not the other way around.

You people are in OC/SD. Not K2 final camp before summit. 3/2, pair of booties, pair of balls - with a fuzzy liner!

the himalaya reference lmfao!

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

I'm more curious why a single middle aged guy with no kids has his hands on some grom's 4'8 HPSB in the first place.

It was an example of relativity between boards and wetsuits. I promise I will never touch your magic 4'8"?

Clay Marzo. Great example of normal, everyday athletic coordination.

You're referencing that day back in 2016 in Baja?

He wore a fullsuit that day.

And the evening session, where he surfed in literal poop at San Antonio, he skinned it for the cameras and froze his ass off.

I was also thinking of some of the Long Island clips I saw but okay.

Wow. This whole wetsuit thing is a con.

OK. Most time surfing is spent sitting or paddling.

Around the world it's normal to wear a 3/2 wetsuit when the water is 58 and the air is 50.

Yes, and if you have a decent 3/2 that's not 100 years old it's probably good enough.

@menobrah the East Coaster complained that Oceanside is frigid in the winter and said something about needing gloves and booties. I would disagree, strongly.

When you're sitting in 58 degree water without a wetsuit you will become hypothermic. On the way there moving becomes more difficult and coordination decreases and your surfing ability declines. Either you believe in science that has been replicated millions of times over or you don't.

People's tastes vary. I wasn't encouraging skinning 58. I'd wear booties in that unless it was a sunny day in March after a cold winter. I disagreed with the idea of getting an XS to save money. I'd love to try a fancy bespoke wetsuit.

I just didn't think an E bomb or an Infinity or a Drylock is the end of the world.

But I was wrong. The most important thing in surfing is the wetsuit and custom is its prophet, peace be upon tailored yammie.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

Yes, and if you have a decent 3/2 that's not 100 years old it's probably good enough.

Which is what I've always said and which is what I wear. I'll switch to a 4/3 and booties when in drops to around 55.

The fact is most 3/2s are not decent, which is why you see a bunch of guys shivering when it's 60 degrees and so many guys are now wearing 4/3s when it's 60. They're buying shitty, leaky suits or wetsuits that are stretchy and too thin from the start.

But I was wrong. The most important thing in surfing is the wetsuit and custom is its prophet, peace be upon tailored yammie.

If you surf a lot custom fits better, lasts longer, and saves you money in the long run.

I can see why it would be waste of time/money in Florida as you don't get waves often. As I've said before, I would never order a custom suit if I was just surfing a few times a month in mild temps (50s+)

I don't know anything about tailored Yamamoto.

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

I can see why it would be waste of time/money in Florida as you don't get waves often. As I've said before, I would never order a custom suit if I was just surfing a few times a month in mild temps (50s+)

I surf a few times a month at home in a shitty July/August if we're not counting travel. I surf all the time October-April. A good March/April I'll surf a few times a day.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

I surf a few times a month at home in a shitty July/August if we're not counting travel. I surf all the time October-April. A good March/April I'll surf a few times a day.

C'mon, be honest.

This is what summer looks like in Jacksonville, save a hurricane, which will spit swell for a day or two and then immediate return to lake status:



And majority of time October through April you don't need a wetsuit. And the majority of that time in your area it's not worth paddling out or flat in those months. I looked at historic swell data to confirm.

Out of a fullsuit you get about 1/4 or less the amount of usage the majority rest of the surfing world gets in a year.

 

[bird.LA]

The Tiresome Biased Wetsuit Review Thread

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

C'mon, be honest.

This is what summer looks like in Jacksonville, save a hurricane, which will spit swell for a day or two and then immediate return to lake status:

View attachment 166741

And majority of time October through April you don't need a wetsuit. And the majority of that time in your area it's not worth paddling out or flat in those months. I looked at historic swell data to confirm.

Out of a fullsuit you get about 1/4 or less the amount of usage the majority rest of the surfing world gets in a year.

Okay for a few days before that and the start of that, I was in Punta Hermosa - wetsuit in July. 1-2 is getting longboarded or Bean Bagged - those are all offshore wind days you're showing so 1-2' is typically a go.

The majority of the time October through April the water is under 70. Most Octobers the top doesn't go on the first few weeks but most Aprils the water isn't over 70. A cold winter and the water's in the upper 60s until Mother's Day.

Florida isn't all that different from Australia temp-wise and people in NC and points North aren't spending all Winter in a 3/2 like SoCal.

It's been rideable far more days than not this fall, and worthiness of paddling out is in the eye of the paddler.

Edit: I just checked the Oceanside cam. Note to self: 3-4 SD in November = 1-2 Mayport in July.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

The Tiresome Biased Wetsuit Review Thread

Agree.

The same sh!t over and over.

244 pages of:

1) Guys being disappointed in their suits.
2) Guys making the same mistake multiple times and expecting different results
3) Guys in spots where the water doesn't drop below 65 in winter talking about their 3/2s
4) Guys in the custom camp, me being the chief evangelist who promises a frozen doom
5) Cheapskates and bargain shoppers
6) Guys who know smoothie keeps you warmer vs those in denial
7) Guys who don't surf that often who are happy with whatever suit.
8) Tirekickers, Feral/Isurus loyalists, and most recently a "real Oregonian woodsman"

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

Agree.

The same sh!t over and over.

244 pages of:

1) Guys being disappointed in their suits.
2) Guys making the same mistake multiple times and expecting different results
3) Guys in spots where the water doesn't drop below 65 in winter talking about their 3/2s
4) Guys in the custom camp, me being the chief evangelist who promises a frozen doom
5) Cheapskates and bargain shoppers
6) Guys who know smoothie keeps you warmer vs those in denial
7) Guys who don't surf that often who are happy with whatever suit.
8) Tirekickers, Feral/Isurus loyalists, and most recently a "real Oregonian woodsman"

LOL the water here in a Polar Vortex winter gets colder than SD ever does.

 

[rgruber]

I think the reason most people are wearing thicker suits is because what used to be labeled a 3/2 is thinner than that now. So you need to buy a 4/3 to get 3/2 warmth.

I recently got a Vissla hooded 4/3 (something Seas). it's a nice suit, but the it feels more like a 3/2. Compared to my an old Vissla 4/3, the arms especially are noticeably thinner. It's kinda nice for days where the water is still warm-ish and the air temps are colder as it keeps the cold offshores off my head but it's no where near the warmth of the older Xcel Drylocks where you could wear a 4/3 down into the high 40s.

I think it's really a game. When I lived in southern California in the 90s, I never owned a 4/3 and neither did anyone else I knew. 4/3s weren't even really a thing. Now everyone, myself included, busts out a 4/3 for cold mornings in December/January. When I go out there that time of year, I always just bring a 4/3.

Which is what I've always said and which is what I wear. I'll switch to a 4/3 and booties when in drops to around 55.

The fact is most 3/2s are not decent, which is why you see a bunch of guys shivering when it's 60 degrees and so many guys are now wearing 4/3s when it's 60. They're buying shitty, leaky suits or wetsuits that are stretchy and too thin from the start.



If you surf a lot custom fits better, lasts longer, and saves you money in the long run.

I can see why it would be waste of time/money in Florida as you don't get waves often. As I've said before, I would never order a custom suit if I was just surfing a few times a month in mild temps (50s+)

I don't know anything about tailored Yamamoto.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

I think the reason most people are wearing thicker suits is because what used to be labeled a 3/2 is thinner than that now. So you need to buy a 4/3 to get 3/2 warmth.

That's right.

Most of the suits are made thinner now so they can sell stretch and comfort.

They market them as just as warm, but warmth comes via thickness.

I can remember Hurley had a 3/2 that was one step above a lycra rashguard.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

LOL the water here in a Polar Vortex winter gets colder than SD ever does.

LOL you don't need a wetsuit anyway.

Remember that old pier local you told us about?

Also, Clary Marzo!

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

LOL you don't need a wetsuit anyway.

Remember that old pier local you told us about?

Also, Clary Marzo!

Clary rips!
Goofies Uber Alles!

 

[Havoc]

Agree.

The same sh!t over and over.

244 pages of:

1) Guys being disappointed in their suits.
2) Guys making the same mistake multiple times and expecting different results
3) Guys in spots where the water doesn't drop below 65 in winter talking about their 3/2s
4) Guys in the custom camp, me being the chief evangelist who promises a frozen doom
5) Cheapskates and bargain shoppers
6) Guys who know smoothie keeps you warmer vs those in denial
7) Guys who don't surf that often who are happy with whatever suit.
8) Tirekickers, Feral/Isurus loyalists, and most recently a "real Oregonian woodsman"

so where do i find the best deal?

 

[casa_mugrienta]

so where do i find the best deal?

The best deal is when you don't spend a penny and skin it.

Because you don't need a wetsuit. All you need are boardshorts.

When you're skinning it and the water is in the upper 50s and the air is 50 that morning, sitting in the lineup shivering, and you notice your mentation and vision seem a bit off, and maybe your jaw seems a little weird too...just think back to Sharkbisque's Clay Marzo/pier local post and tell yourself you're fine.

That you're not experiencing hypothermia.

Just hypochondria.