I obviously need a new & Improved one...
Put it back on for the first time tonight & it felt horrible. Our water is decently warm, but it will get chilly soon.
I prefer something really thin yet warm for Socal winters and being such a girl.......
Any suggestions?
ohhhhhhhhh here's my new stick.
6' x 18.5" x 2.5"
[IMG]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m139/etherealprodigy/IMG_5649.jpg[/IMG]
peace.whitney.
Oh com on man! Asking about which wetsuit to buy is like asking Blondes or Brunettes? Your going to get answers all over the board.
What you need to do is pick a price range you can afford. Then go and try on a bunch of different manufacturers. Look...They all work, and they are all good suits. wetsuits have become sooooo good in the past 5-8 years, no longer are there any POS on the markets...well maybe a few. But if you keep with the name brands, and buy it from a reputable shop, you will have no problem finding the "right fit"..............Once again, go with the "right Fit" not the brand.
I'm a Body Glove guy. I wanted to be an O'neil guy, and I tried to be an O'neil guy...that's what all the cool guys were wearing. A few years back, Body Glove got there shit together and started making good suits again...so did every other manufacturer.
The only downside to new wetsuits is that the don't last like the old Frogman, front zipper, beavertail, farmer johns matching outfit from the 70's.....those 3/8 inch babies would last 5-10 years, now you will get maybe 2 if your lucky.
Just go try on a bunch, buy one, wear it out, and go buy another..........It's a commodity, it's disposible....don't sweat it.
I have been using my Matuse Hoplite for the past 2 years and it is still going strong. Loving it.
Looking at cruising by the Surf Indian in PB and getting measured for a custom Axe so I have a suit that will keep me warm in Jersey.
Hey Whitney. I recently bought a new suit, and in shopping around tried on this one suit made by Essential (not sure if thats how its spelt). It was a 3/2 but suppose to be just as warm as a 4/3.
hotline clearing out last year’s stock
I really want to try one of the Boz suits…they are supposed to be nice.
Aleeda is local and also manufactured domestically…
Psycho 2 4/5 for the coldest of winter and a mutant 3/2 for mid range temps. “It’s always summer on the inside”
Oneill has a really good warranty. Anything goes wrong within the first year, and they fix it for free. Turn around is about three weeks. They just replaced the knee pads and re glued all the seams on mine. All set for winter.
Whit
go to Coral Reef wetsuits on beach in westminster
ask for Tony or Shane tell them Ken sent you they will make you a custom fitted suit
Shane will make you anything you want "custom"
I heard something about Xcel putting out a suit that has recycled bamboo fibers in it. Don’t know anything else about it, but it’s an interesting concept. Supposed to be excellent at retaining heat.
I picked up an 3/2 Xcel Infinity X-zip off whiskeymilitia a few months ago. The water hasnt gotten cold enough for me to use it yet but if fits great (out of the water at least) and Xcel has a great reputation.
Whiskeymilitia requires some luck and patence but you can score pretty big. I paid $154 for a $300 wetsuit. I see some 4/3 up there from time to time too.
Jay’s point is right. I go w/xcel cuz I can get 'em in 6/5/4 and they fit me. I wanted to defect back to RipCurl, but none of the sizes work on me.
If only I could get some one to put good old “frogman” rubber in the fore foot of booties and the palms of gloves… But that’s another thread…
hey whithney
here in holland, a south african told me a freak story about patagonia wetsuits…
with italian merino wool?
3 mills thick japanes rubber?
hot as 5 mills
apparantly developed for years, and since recently available… in california??
i have 3-2 rip curl… cheap one
5-4 excel with off-set OS zip [neck tore apart after a few surfs, not too happy]
thank you Resinhead, I always enjoy reading your posts.
I will check on some Xcel wetsuits....
Wouter- seems like the same thing happened to me- over the summer, I stored my wetsuit in my closet (don't have AC- usually don't need it), but the neckline glued it self to the plastic hanger. WTF! Hah, has that ever happened to you or anyone? I pulled it apart but didn't like the outcome too much.
For here, I only need a 3/2 because it doesn't get brutally cold. But that Patagonia suit sounds pretty amazing. I'm down for a surf trip to Antartica or Alaska. :)
I do like the fact of recycled material, nj...
thanks guys for all your input. here's to a great fall/winter season.
Just a little extra thing.... I did this whitewater rescue thing a while ago (cold water for sho- 38 degrees F) and used these ultra sexy orange drysuits. :) I hope this makes your day!
[IMG]http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m139/etherealprodigy/IMG_1899.jpg[/IMG]
peace. whitney.
go see coral reef
stop this tom foolery
Three guesses which one of those guys just farted…
For what its worth anecdotes. I've been using Rip Curl the last 6 or 7 years because they fit good and last a solid year's surfing. That's my base line criteria. One solid year of surfing. Lately they have not been holding up so well. They do stand behind the product and replace the suit or repair it. O Neil's fit me good, too, but fall apart too fast. Sorry. That's my experience. Hot Curls hold up longer than a year, but don't fit me that well. If I'm going to spend 4 or 5oo bucks on a suit it better last two solid years of surfing. I'm still letting others buy some of the new stuff and see how they hold up. I'm willing to pay more for a better suit. Making a 'green suit' that does not hold up is not green, but a waste of money and resources. Overall, I think the quality of the major manufacturers is inconsistent. Mike
custom made glued and stitched
mine last years ,,,,,, years
and their close to Whitney
I got one thats over 8 yrs old still works the only hole is a small fin gash
I may be buying #4 this winter; still wondering what to do with the old ones in that dark corner in the garage…sound insulation for condo wall…welcome mats…??? Oops, this may be another thread. Beavertails ? Jeez…I remember walking into that not so toasty New York winter water and my ‘buddies’ screaming (or was that me ?) in terror. Oh…a consumer note…my new $$ Oneil boots suck…er…leak.
Ditto no the Oneill boots, I find the fit of the Xcel booties to be far and above better. I also find in general that the Xcel booties and gloves wear much much longer than the Oneills. I did unfortunately just blow out the back of one of them though… they are harder to get on, so…
For old wetsuits… I’ve been thinking about cutting out sole-shaped pieces of old wetsuit neoprene and, with the booties turned inside out, gluing fresh(er) insoles into the booties. …I don’t know about you guys, but from running up and down the rock and trails to and from the breaks around here, I always crush the neoprene super thin around the ball of my foot, and then that’s the first zone to get cold… One idea. Also someone in another thread mentioned that the arms and legs make good traction on your shaping stands! 
I agree with the SealKiller. Your #1 goal is to find a suit that fits well.
A long time ago I had a Coral Reef suit...loved it....went back and the shop was gone....They moved to O'side...I went there and got measured for a new 4-3...happy customer.....went back a few years later and they were gone...Rumor about a divorce and a battle ect....that was a while ago....In the mean time I found out that Xcel 4-3 wetsuits fit my body...I like their booties too.......
It's all about the fit.....and the zippers...and I like knee pads but but knee pads are not cool....Silk screen knee pads are lame.........................money talks.
O’neill is my favourite wetsuit manufacturer. Unlike Rip Curl they don’t lose all their flex after the first two surfs and seem to last really well.