the rip curl suits I had, which I bought used, lasted four years. The 5/4 I has a knick in the knee and I have used it maybe three dozen times. They are cut perfectly for me. I would agree that it seems like a factory flaw, judging by the taping along the start of the tears. I currently have a bodyglove, which is made for someone with huge lats; that is not me, but it was the best fitting suit I could find at the surfshop which gives me a 35% discount. The suit has been worn a dozen times and the stitching is fraying.
Rip Curl F Bomb poor quality for the amount of money O Neil for me legs and arms to short.
Hyperflex AMP and FLOW are the only wetsuits my friends and I use here in Jersey, very roomy, warm, super stretchy and great quality especially for 200 bucks. 3 years still working well and we surf all the time. Own 3/2, 4/3, 5/4/3
Tom
Ouch…40mph onshores… And there were rideable waves? Used to surf in NE growing up and know how brutal it can be…so l have tons of respect for those of you who ride in such conditions. Though the wetsuits are a lot better now, it takes some dedication to go out in cold like that. The scary thing is that I see pics of my old haunts back east now and they are crowded in the winter! That used to be the big pay off of surfing in the cold/snow…
i love my new hyperflex 5/4/3. Ive never been so warm.
so far my winter outfit is
hyperflex 5/4/3.- best suit Ive ever owned. hood is a bit small for the overly large melon of a head.
oneil 3mm physco gloves- felt like my hands were in tropical waters the whole time
Xcel 3mm split toe booties- not bad but next time im getting either 5 or 7mm.
only thing that got cold was my feet but it was bearable. with thicker booties i could go all winter but my winter time is spent snowboarding mostly.
friday was my first time out in such cold water and it was a blast. except for going over the falls and landing standing up and popping my knee out.
as far as shaping i guess i am lucky that ive stolen my grandmother’s basement workshop. got a small space heater for it and its not bad. got my lighting finally set up properly and hope to have my boards done by end of break.
long live the cold empy winter barrels
I keep hearing great things about hyperflex, I am thinking they are going to be my next suit
Great info on the wetsuits from the cold water kids. I wonder what the popular wetsuit of choice is up in Alaska? Taking a trip to AK would be so much fun!
Actually I prefer surfing in warm weather but since the line up is clogged during the warmer months and the waves are way much better in the winter I dress up in rubber any time of the year. A couple of weeks ago it was snowing in the afternoon (I had been surfing the same morning) when this picture was taken. I took it of magicseaweed website. I hope the photographers doesn’t mind me posting it here. More great pictures of that day (and others) on the photographers website (http://www.edmonddekkers.nl)
Hey OS I’ll throw in for eastern Canada here, was -9 Celsius air, 5 celcius water yesterday, but the waves were soooo good.
I pretty much only use XCEL wetsuits. I have the opportunity to get Oneil’s at cost but I’d rather pay retail for an Xcel. they only last 2-3 winters, depending how much you wear em. I do prefer to go with Oneil for boots though, the Xcel boots just arn’t warm enough for some reason.
Here’s a link to some video I shot a couple years ago (the link is near the bottom of the page) check the last 2 shots in the vid.
http://www.surfingvancouverisland.com/surf/st611gorillasinthefog.htm
On weekends, you can get all that rubber on at home, and drive to the beach ready to go.
But on the weekdays… Get out of work, jump in the SUV, race to the beach. The cold front came through, so you know its stiff offshore winds, clean surf, and biting cold. The clouds are gone, the bright sun is low in the sky, and the pines and cedar trees are doing their best palm-trees-swaying-in-the-tradewinds impersonation. The temperature is dropping by the minute as the leading edge of a cold, dry, Alberta Clipper comes barreling through. But it grooms the surf and thins the crowd.
Park. Run down to the spot where you can check it… the usual suspects are already out. They make their own schedule - you know the type. Today they’ve traded their blue collars for blue lips. Run back to the truck. Climb in the back, strip, pull on the suit, hop out, stuff your feet, hands and head into your boots, gloves and hood. The wax is hard as a rock, but you scratch it up as best you can and run down the beach to get your blood pumping. Hold on to that board or the wind will rip it out of your hand. And don’t let the leash drag. Remember that time you were running down the ramp from the boardwalk, open stride, full speed, can’t stop 'cause your running downhill? You felt the leash snag, held tight to the board… tried to stop but couldn’t… just held tight to your board. You felt the leash stretch… held tighter to your board… tried to slow down… felt the pull…SNAP!.. the broken end of the leash came whipping by your head… and catches your frozen ear. Instantly your eyes start to tear, the cold amplifying the searing pain. You thought your ear was gone. You put your hand up and feel it’s still attached… and keep running. You’ll swim for your board this session, and hold your leash from now on.
You go like mad, 'cause you know the session will be short. It gets dark too soon, but you get your licks in just the same. Everybody sticks it out until it’s too hard to see. The walk back up the beach is bitter sweet. You keep looking back over your shoulder. It’s still good. Back at the truck, you pull off the hood, boots and gloves. Your brain keeps telling your fingers what to do, but they don’t listen, and slow you down. Peel off the 5 mil down to your waist, rip off that rash guard, and get a towel around your shoulders… another around your waist. Peel of the bottom half, and hop in the back of the SUV. Shut the door, and play the changing movie in reverse. You force yourself to do it because it seems to take longer to warm up if you don’t… your metabolism is still reved up, so changing now means you can keep the momentum going. The longer you wait to change, the colder you’ll get. Your wet now, and your clothes don’t go on as easily as they came off. Your feet don’t even feel your socks.
You listen to the wind batter the truck. Chances are the offshores that made those perfect barrels are also the dreaded, swell-killing Northwest winds that will beat it down overnight. Maybe a longboard wave in the morning, but you’ll be at work, watching it fade on the cam throughout the day.
You can buy them here www.wetsuitwharehouse.com they are in Maryland and the shipping is about 7 bucks gets here in 2 days
When I used to live near and surf Lake Michigan, I can remember some days when the water fell below 33 degrees. I remember one session that rained, hailed, and snowed, all in the same session… 10’ South Haven Pier with Erik Holt and Mark Hooksima. I don’t know if you could get me out there now… kinda spoiled.
Hey,
Anyone figure there’s a notable difference in boards designed in cold climes?
I beleive the shapers in my parts had a distinct style in the past, but whether its attributable to the conditions is debatable.
I tend to put a 1/8in extra thickness on my personal boards in account of the 4/3 rubber…but then again, I spent time in Queensland with the very same dimensions happily…
Josh
Yeah, I want to say that a thicker board is more common up here in the PacNor. However, we have a LOT of rivers dumping incredible amounts of fresh water, and other various run offs and flows, it takes away from the natural flotation you get from salt water. So if designs being thicker is a weather thing, or freshwater, not sure. Also the wave types and frequent conditions make a thicker board more desirable for a regular basis. But there is always the few guys that rip it up on the potato chip thrusters as well.
I’ve been wearing these for 3 years now “the same pair” they are made by NO LIMIT WETSUITS in the UK. You can buy them on the UK E BAY, costs 18 bucks and worth every penny, 2 mil neoprene that goes under your suit and boots. In the winter I don’t leave the house without them, your lower legs will thank you. Tom
I might have to get me a pair of those for rowing this spring, we got evicted from our old dock and our probably going to have to wade into the river to launch come february.
In terms of changing shape for cold water, 99% of people I know ride the same boards year round. In the summer you are bare back and blowing up and paddling like a beast from a winter with extra resistance.
i love all of your dedication
i find myselfy complain about being cold putting my wetsuit on when the air is 56
and the water allitle warmer haha
but im in a 3mm al through
and it dosnt get much colder than 55
i try and rember
hey this is wamer than most places this deep in winter
It was 32 on the beach today and still 6 guys looking…
I have no issues with cold water, I use a Hotline or Xcel 4/3 year round and take tropical trips to Santa Cruz in the summer when I want to trunk it.
narly
it was 56 and light rain today and everyone was like omg its freezing haha
but i guess weather is realtive
I’ll second (actually, but this point it is more like “fifth” or “sixth”) the Hyperflex recommendation.
A review of the suits I composed can be found at www.eastcoastsurfer.com
NJsurfer’s words read like poetry. That narrative should be published somewhere.
As for altering board design for cold water, I used to see the validity in doing that when the suits were cumbersome and heavy, but they are so light and flexy I see no reason to alter my board selection- I don’t look at a wave with characterists X, Y, and Z and think “in the summer I would ride that board, but now that it is cold I’ll ride this board”.
The caveat to that is that during more powerful winter swells, a little more foam and mass (think mini-step-up instead of a standard shortie) to the board often helps; not because of the cold water and suits involved, but because the waves are a little bigger and beefier on average, with more water moving around and more current thanks to the often steeper angle (relative to the shoreline) of the swells.
Quote:
I’ll second (actually, but this point it is more like “fifth” or “sixth”) the Hyperflex recommendation.
As for altering board design for cold water, I used to see the validity in doing that when the suits were cumbersome and heavy, but they are so light and flexy I see no reason to alter my board selection- I don’t look at a wave with characterists X, Y, and Z and think “in the summer I would ride that board, but now that it is cold I’ll ride this board”.
I’ll second the hyperflex recommendation. Not as warm as my thickest wetsuit, but at 5/4/3 vs. 7/6 I can live with a slightly colder suit for the flexibility. Looking to get a 6/5/4 too for the coldest days.
A friend from Spain was here in Norway for a few weeks before going to Tenerife and kept complaining about kooking out because of the wetsuit. I think the wetsuit is definitely a factor when it comes to performance, even though the wetsuits are pretty nice and flexible these days. Every once in a while when I get to surf without wetsuit boots, gloves and hood it feels like I surf better. I don’t know if you really need to change the surfboard design much though, but the rule of thumb here is a little wider, thicker and longer than without a wetsuit. Then again I think that’s a good idea anyway.