I'm in the market for a new fullsuit. The water isn't all that cold here, but I'm usually out before dawn and lately, I've been shivering my butt off in a 3/2 cheapie O'Neill suit that I have. Yesterday, after a two hour session, I literally could not get my car key out of the key pocket despite wearing a hood and booties as well. Obviously, my suit is an issue (and I've lost weight, so the fit is poor).
I tried on maybe 30 wetsuits yesterday and decided I love the Xcel Infinity Drylock. Fit is great, flex is wonderful. I only tried on the 3/2 as the store didn't have the 4/3.
I went to look for the suit online and the best price I found (with my size in stock) is the 4/3 hooded. Now I do wear a hood on many mornings, but I like my separate hood and there are many times when I'd like to wear the suit without the hood. Is this practical? I see guys with the hoods hanging off the back, but it seems like it would be uncomfortable hanging around your neck? Or is it done all the time?
I also have reservations about ordering the 4/3 without having tried it on first, not being sure how much heavier, stiffer the rubber is.
I have the 4/3 Hooded Drylock and I love it, but I am using it in much colder conditions then you will encounter. Pulling the hood off and having it hang behind your neck is no big deal, but if you are going to be doing that more often then wearing it, I would probably go with a regular 4/3 and a detached hood. Maybe try the O’Neill mutant with the zip off hood or just a regular Drylock 4/3 w/o hood. Can’t go wrong with Drylocks.
I live up north so I have two suits: a 3/2 for summer and a 4/3 for winter. I wear a separate beanie in the summer (I’m bald-headed and also want to avoid exostosis) and a 3m hooded vest under the suit in winter. I have a thin, shorty suit I use when I come down to SoCal.
That array of rubber allows for a lot of flexibility/fine-tuning as water temperature and wind dictate. The 3/2 over the hooded vest works pretty deep into winter, til the water gets down into the low 50s/high 40s. I prefer the 2 layers to a thicker, hooded suit because the layers move over each other and consequently don’t feel as stiff/restricting as a thicker, single layer. I also wear 3m booties year round (except in SoCal). Covering your feet and head and keeping your core toasty makes a HUGE difference in terms of heat loss. I probably should add that I ride longboards exclusively, which means I’m not submerged up to my chest while waiting for waves. That also makes a REAL big difference. Most of my surfing takes place starting at first light (i.e.: generally at the coldest part of the day).
I wear a non hooded 4/3 and use the Oneill hood that goes down your neck and has a draw string around the face. [img_assist|nid=1049635|title=hood|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=100]Some guys tuck the neck part under their wetsuit but I found that too restrictive so I just let it lay on top of the shoulders. Its nice having the option this way so you dont have a hood flopping around your shoulders all summer. Its amazing how much longer you can comfortably stay out when wearing a hood.
In powerful surf you will find that these style hoods are the way to go. The chin-strap style are fine for reducing wind chill if you don’t have to duckdive much. Otherwise they flush a lot and get pulled off. I would think that you would be fine with a 3/2 & chin strapper down there though. And for me, once Im in rubber I don’t really think there is a huge difference between a 3/2 and 4/3.
Most folks here seem to be just fine with the 3/2. I had a 4/3 cheapie XCEL for a while and didn't find it terribly warmer than the 3/2.
I'll stick with my separate hood as well, since I will maybe be wearing it 10% of the time for the early morning, windy sessions. I also have a .5mm cap style for warmer days. Winter will be over soon anyway.
Now is the best time to buy that 4/3 since they’ll be on sale online and at some local shops. You don’t need a hooded fullsuit around here, a surf cap is plenty although some people wear the heavier removable hoods. I think the water never gets cold enough for a full hood, even duck diving. I have the 3/2 drylock and love it. My 4/3 is an Oneill psycho since I find it easier to get in and out of than a 4/3 zipperless. I once got trapped in my bathroom after coming home from surfing and stuck with my arms pinned trying to get out of a zipperless 4/3. Had to wait 2 hours for my wife to get home and help me get out.
I'm wearing a separate hood cut out of an Excell shoulder entry model. Excellent hood with unsightly thin flaps laying over neck shoulder area which shed the push thru white water real good. Usually I'll wear the hood but if wind lays off or sun is really beating down it gets pulled down around neck acting like a really good turtle neck. After a ride it gets worn on head for the paddle out. Shoulder entry suits are too tiring to get in and out of for me.
When you say cheapie Oniel are you referring to their low end 3:2 non seam sealed wetsuit? I have the non-sealed Oniel 3:2 (dont remember the model name) and a fully sealed Oniel 3:2 (heat model I believe). The difference in warmth seems very significant to me. So if your switching from a non sealed suit to a fully sealed suit you may be good to go with a 3:2. But -- I dont ever seem to get that cold (in socal) and have never worn hood or booties so I cant comment on those...
When you say cheapie Oniel are you referring to their low end 3:2 non seam sealed wetsuit? I have the non-sealed Oniel 3:2 (dont remember the model name) and a fully sealed Oniel 3:2 (heat model I believe). The difference in warmth seems very significant to me. So if your switching from a non sealed suit to a fully sealed suit you may be good to go with a 3:2. But -- I dont ever seem to get that cold (in socal) and have never worn hood or booties so I cant comment on those...
yoyo
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Yes, it's non-sealed, maybe $140 bucks new. You guys honed in on the real question I had, which was - is a high quality 3:2 going to be enough. Sounds like it will be. I don't want the bulk/weight/loss of flexibility in the 4:3 if I can avoid it. I also don't want to drop 3 bills on a suit and still be cold.
Too bad we can't actually test the suits out before buying.
Now is the best time to buy that 4/3 since they'll be on sale online and at some local shops. You don't need a hooded fullsuit around here, a surf cap is plenty although some people wear the heavier removable hoods. I think the water never gets cold enough for a full hood, even duck diving. I have the 3/2 drylock and love it. My 4/3 is an Oneill psycho since I find it easier to get in and out of than a 4/3 zipperless. I once got trapped in my bathroom after coming home from surfing and stuck with my arms pinned trying to get out of a zipperless 4/3. Had to wait 2 hours for my wife to get home and help me get out.
That was tough to admit.
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Hey Ron - are you the same Ron I met out at Topanga on Thursday morning? I think we may have finally introduced ourselves!
i love my O'neil Mutant 4/3. and will probably buy another one. i've had it for a few years and it's still in good shape. i try to take good care of it. the removeable hood feature is great for around here (San Francisco Bay Area). sometimes i'm in just the suit, sometimes i wear booties, and sometimes i have the hood on... that keeps me covered year round.
a good 3/2 will cover you down to about 50 degrees with boots and gloves. the more water tight the suit the warmer they are. a top of the line 3/2 is like surfing in a spandex suit. Really any complaints about flexibility these days in suits thinner than 4/3 are ridiculous. Spending that extra 100 bucks on top of the line suits is very much worth it in my opinion. If you take good care of them they will last you a bit longer than if you hadn’t. Good quality gloves and booties go a long way too. If you feel you need a hood, the hooded vest is the way to go. Built in hoods are great when there is no question you will have to wear a hood(think canada or the North East US in winter). If you just need one for your DP then go with a hooded vest to put under your suit. You will get a wider range of use out of your suit and your hood.
Dominic, I would never buy a wettie online. In just about every name brand wettie I’m a small, but for the hooded XCEL I’m a medium small. I recently bought a replacement Billabong summer suit which was exactly the same as the one I just wore out, so I was ready to walk out without trying it. The surf-shop owner insisted I try it on first coz oddities can occur.
I have the 5, 4, 3 XCEL with attached hood and chest zip - its a great suit and one of the warmest in that thickness. Hood fits really well around the face.
I bought an O’Neill rashguard with the attached hood, figuring I could wear it under my 3/2 and that it would be almost as warm as a 4/3. Well, it’s definitely warm, but I just can’t seem to get used to the feeling of wearing a hood! So I’m sticking with the transitory ice-cream headache, and have a nice, almost new, size large hooded rashguard for sale. PM me if interested!
I agree with chrisp… the O’Neill mutant is an awesome wetsuit. I bought a 3/2 a couple years ago and it’s still in great shape, so much so that when my last 5/3 crapped out I bought a 5/3 mutant (yea it gets cold here). they’re super flexible and the sealed seams really do make a difference. also, it takes literally less than a minute to switch from hood to no hood so you can leave one in your car and switch it if you get cold. another suggestion would be to get either a 3/2 or a 4/3 without a hood and buy an xcel L/S top with a hood to put underneath:
I was out Thursday dawn patrol but so was the other Ron (Ronny, actually) who is a much better surfer than I’ll ever be and has that spot totally wired. What do you ride?
I was out Thursday dawn patrol but so was the other Ron (Ronny, actually) who is a much better surfer than I'll ever be and has that spot totally wired. What do you ride?
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I'm usually out on either my red/gray McTavish Fish or my 6'4" homebrew quad. With the time change, I may have to re-organize my surfing schedule for next few weeks.
Now is the best time to buy that 4/3 since they'll be on sale online and at some local shops. You don't need a hooded fullsuit around here, a surf cap is plenty although some people wear the heavier removable hoods. I think the water never gets cold enough for a full hood, even duck diving. I have the 3/2 drylock and love it. My 4/3 is an Oneill psycho since I find it easier to get in and out of than a 4/3 zipperless. I once got trapped in my bathroom after coming home from surfing and stuck with my arms pinned trying to get out of a zipperless 4/3. Had to wait 2 hours for my wife to get home and help me get out.
That was tough to admit.
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OMG
post of the year
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My wife would have left me stuck in the wetsuit until I agreed to an array of unpalatable conditions...