I currently live and surf in northern Europe, but next year I will be moving to Iceland.The water temperatures around here right now are about 40, but the water temperature in Iceland can reach lower thirties. Right now i use a hotline 5/4/3 ultra hotcombo hooded wetsuit. The wetsuit is verry toasty, I can easaly surf for almost three hours without freezing at all. The problem is the suit is not werry flexible, and paddling is nowhere near as easy as when i tried a oneill phsycho2 for exampleive. I know the hotline suits are supposed to last longer, but I am willing to sacrifice this for a bit more flex. I have read all the previous posts on the subject, and the xcel infiniti hooded 5/4/3 seems to be a favourite. Anyone out there tried the Boz hodded 5/4/3?
Brrrrr…thrity degree temps are indeed a force to reckon with.
I lived in Boston, MA a few years ago and surfed 32 degree water consistently in the winter (Cohassett, MA and Rhode Island). At the time I had the Rip Curl Ultra 5/4/3, with Titanium lining and polyproprylene on the chest and back. Seemed to work very well. They claimed the Titanium added 25% more warmth. I also added a polarfleece top underneath, which helped with warmth. It was flexible, with pre-bent arms and legs. Still, at 5 mil, flexibility is going to be an issue.
You could opt for a 4/3, using thick gloves and boots, with perhaps a “squid lid” (cap) until the temp gets to you. Going 1 mil thinner would help with flexibility until the temps really drop.
I remember I’d take off my gloves and try to open my car door. Comical. My hand would freeze before I could even get the key in.
I haven’t tried a Boz but can comment on the O’neill. Last season, I upgraded from a Billabong 5/4/3 to a O’neill Psycho-2 6/4 and the flexability is unmatched to the other top brands that I tried on. O’neills do seem to run a little higher in price but well worth the extra for the comfort.
In the past, I would also keep a 4/3 around and only use thicker suits when really super cold. Now I just go right from a 3/2 to the 6/4.
Regardless what you buy - Zed’s tip on wearing polarfleece makes an insane difference. Last year I started wearing it as a layer and it does keep you a whole lot warmer.
Bodyglove matrix 7/6/5 is more or less the norm here in Norway. Increadibly flexy. It also comes in 5/4 if you would want that. I don’t know if you can get it with a hood, but it’s no problem using it with a seperate hood.
I have to agree HerbB about the Oneill Pshyco 2 being incredible flexible, but when I tried the suit the closure system gave the impression of being a bit leaky. But given this was a 2003 model, maybe this problem has ben solved.
Yes Håvard I have also heard good things about the body glove matrix, but I need a suit with attached hood. Duckdiving is a nightmare with detachable hoods, although I haven’t tried a surf cap, maybe they would be tighter.
The new body glove storm troopers look nice.
Around here everyone is using the ripcurl ultimate elastos, but the entry system looks a bit tricky and I have heard about problems with leaky seams. But they are supposed to be super stretchy.
I am still very interested In the xcel ,oneill suits and the boz thermo suits(check the price). But at least I know my Hotline suit will last a couple of seasons, it shows absolutely now signs of wear and tear.
IMHO there is no problem with useing a detachable hood as long as it has a drawstring around the face and fits thight. I think one of the reasons hooded wetsuits are prefered by some are the fact that they usually have this drawstring closure. Let’s face it, if you get water into the hood, there is not much more stopping it from getting further into the suit with the hood attached to the suit than without. Try it, you might be surprised.
A friend of mine swears by that drawstring closed ripcurl 6/4 hooded wetsuit(zipless), but it wears out very quickly. It last him about a year before he starts complaining about how cold it is.
Thank you for your tips and answers. I also have to apologies for my terrible spelling, can you believe I am a teacher, haha.
Maybe I should give the drawstring detachable hood and polar fleece a try, considering I had no problem surfing in my oneill 3/2 until water temps dipped below 50. Combining the fleece and hood with a 4/3 or 5/4, with more flex. Thankfully I have a friend who is heading over to the states, because Hotline, Xcel and Boz wetsuits are hard to come by over here.
I know cleanlinesurf.com has hotline wetsuits but they don’t sell xcel wetsuits anymore, just boots and gloves. Jason over at cleanline was not very fond of their wetsuits for some reason.
I have a Rip Curl Ultimate elasto 4/3. Its my second one. Before that it was O’Neills in 5/4/3. Winter water temps are around 45 F here, with normal dawn air right around freezing.
With an O’neill Thermo X rashguard, 2mil neo shorts underneath, and the detachable hood added, I can surf longer & more comfortably in the 4/3 RC than I ever did in a 5/4/3 O’neill.
The ‘Batwing’ system on the RC suits is nice - you can attach a collar when its warm or a hood when its cold to the same suit. The attachment is strong, the hoods come in different sizes, and the suit is incredibly flexible.
Here’s my two cents. In the Pacific NW the water gets only in the 40’s, but w/blowing cold wind in the Winter - pre-wind chill - high 20’s-low 30’s common, the excel 6/5/4 w/built in hood seems to be king. ONe thought on the attached hood is less layers at the neck = more flexability. I am curious to read more on how you guys work in polar fleece. Are you talking about regular old poly-fleece? It seems to me the bulk would get in the way of flex/paddling, or are you talking about a real thin “under wear” type version? I felt like the micheline man just wearing a long sleave rash guard - warmer though, but… Booties, gloves, and hood… all the time for me baby. The warmer the better, and the accesories don’t seem to get in the way. Last tip - thin neopreme booty socks. Snug fit, and warm, warm, warm.
The fleece I wear, is what Benny also mentions. Made by O’neill and they refer to it as thermal layering, and call it their “Thermo x” line. It fits tight like a rash guard, but it is thicker. It’s inside (against body) is fleeced - its outside has a normal (non-fleeced) nylonish, knitted feel.
They come in short and long sleeve. I wear the short sleeve model and don’t really notice it anymore than a normal rash guard. I can see your point on how a long sleeve would be cumbersome though.
It’s also has a weird (nice) property of never seeming to get wet / holding water?
As I understand the Thermo X stuff, its hydrophylic on the outside and hydrophobic on the inside. So it keeps your skin dry but also maintains that layer of water that neoprene warms up for insulation, between the shirt & the wetsuit. Best of everything. I have 2 long sleeve ones, a lighter one for water around 50 F and the really thick one for temps below that. Neither one is uncomfortable.
The thick rashguards(whatever they call em) really helps, I used to surf an old 5/4 with one of those under all through winter. Really made a difference, except when the zip of that piece of shit suit opened up for no good reason. Brrrrr…
Snow here today, surf too, plenty of duckdiving. Toasty. A good winter wetsuit is gold.
I have to say that the top of the line O’Neill is a very warm and flexible suit. The Quicksilver Cell is a little stiffer but it is the warmest 4/3 on the market IMHO. Their suits are very durable too. Ultimately fit is everything. A good suit is a great suit if it fits.
When I comes to booties Billibong & Hot Line are at the top of my list.
Although I’m in SoCal, I hate cold water. Hearing you guys talk about 40 F water gave me hypothermia just sitting in this chair. When the water drops below 58 F, I use a RipCurl 5/4/3 elasto (back zip, no hood option). I also use this for shallow scuba diving, since diving wetsuits are way inflexible. I use side zip dive boots for surfing and no hood. Dive boots, gloves, and hoods are far superior in design to those made for surfing, check them out. The hoods have a chin piece and face seals, so you don’t need a drawstring. They also have a big collar that goes over the shoulders, so duck diving isn’t instant ice cream headache time. You can get boots and hoods in 5 or 7mm thickness. Gloves also vary in thickness, and are non-slip on the palm and fingers, also good when duck diving.
Don’t no about their wetsuits, but ripcurl’s round toe 7mm boots are almost too warm. 3hour sessions in below 40 water is no problem in these things. I am a little bummed about their 3mm gloves, ripped open a huge cut around the wrist after taking them off, second session of use. No problem after I sowed up the cut with dental floss and added some neoprene glue.
Does anyone of you out there own a xcel wetsuit? I am curious about the sizes of the suits? I am size L in oneill and hotline, and according to the xcel size chart maybe a LT.
I know you should never by a wetsuit without trying them on first, but there are no stores up here that have xcel wetsuits. The nearest stores are in the UK and Denmark.
I am 6’2 and about 195 pounds, I can give you all the other measurements(MN-WR,NB-CR,CR-AN) if needed.
Hi Sami, I live and surf in Sweden probably one of the coldest places where people surf in Europe.
Most surfers here in Sweden use the Rip curl 6/4mm zipperless hooded suit and I’ve had a couple of those as well.
It’s a flexible suit and quite warm, in February- March when the temperature in the Baltic sea dips down to just above freezing 2degrees celcius (35 F ?) staying in the water is usually limited to about 2 hour sessions…
I’ve switched to a Quiksilver Cell 6/5 mm suit with built in hood and its the warmest suit I’ve ever had!
The inside is covered with yellow fleece cloth
Liquid rubber covered seams seem to be the go for durability since after one year of usage my suit still isn’t leaking like my Rip curls did after a year.
The negative about the Quik suit is that the fit is a bit weird and the flexibility is not as good as the Rip curl suits i had before.
Those diving hoods does not work all that well when duckdiving or in a good rinsecycle. The seal around the face is usually way thinner than the material of the hood and flex if you get alot of waterpressure towards your face. Result: The seal opens up, water is forced in and the hood blows up like a balloon with cold water. It works, but the drawstring hoods are heaps better IMHO, even if they are thinner.
The ‘bestbuy’ piece of wetsuit equipment I’ve got are divers lobster gloves though. Perfect seal around the wrists, durable, almost watertight. I usually start sweating on my hand prior to water seeping in, even in subzero conditions.
The dreaded balloon effect, it is a hideous experience! Thanks to my hotline UHC I will hopefully never have to feel that pain again. Brrrrrrrrrr!
Haven’t tried lobster gloves, sounds toasty and cheap. Is there any difference in paddling with them compared to “normal” gloves? Do they come with a velcro strap?