About to turn the big six-zero. Don’t have the energy of even my youngest grandchild. Frequently out paddled by floating seaweed. Looking for all the help I can get. Need an extremely flexible wetsuit with a hood for cold water or a new body. Durability would be nice, but flex is the most important characteristic. I know this is subjective, but what suit would you recommend? Thanks.
well, I’m in the market for a suit.
Paricularly a 5/4/3 for some travel to Oregon soon.
Wouldnt think of learning about suits here though.
Went the google route:
google ‘wetsuit guide 2006’ etc
‘wetsuit size chart’
‘wetsuit thickness guide’
duhhhhh!
Rip Curl Outlet is having a sale starting Sat. at 9am for those near San Clemente. I’ve always found a good deal there on wetties.
actually called the Trestles Surf Outlet, but a RipCurl outfit all the same.
I usually call it the RipCurl Surf Outlet myself.
Was there earlier this week
They dont have 5/4/3’s
Nor do we know where Patrick Shannon is located and what water temps he is in
but we do know he needs help
duh!
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Rip Curl Outlet is having a sale starting Sat. at 9am for those near San Clemente. I’ve always found a good deal there on wetties.
for those near San Clemente (general service announcement)
I use an O’Neill Psycho 2 3:2.
I had in in the North Sea around about easter, which is about 1 month past the coldest it gets on that coast (this is, of course, UK waters I’m talking about)
Average sea temperatures around that time (March) are roughly 7°C (that’s about 40°F I think - dunno how to convert exactly) so pretty cold.
I got about 2 hours in the water with no problem, (extremely cold hands and a numb chin/nose aside) then felt my temperature drop suddenly. I went from ok under the suit to “I’m getting out now” in no time at all.
I could have stayed out but would have been having a tough time - getting tired, frustrated and all that.
Oh - and all that’s with a wettie that’s a tad too big for me in the lower torso - I’m pretty scrawny and couldn’t get one that fit exactly without special order - I’d have had to miss a surf trip or go with a rental suit if I didn’t plump for the best fitting one I could find.
People thought I was mad even thinking about getting in wearing such a thin suit at that time of year but I got on ok before the temp drop.
It has fully sealed seams though so it is pretty good for a large chunk of the year.
Once the water gets too cold for me to carry on with my 3:2 I’ll be buying a new suit for the winter.
I’ll either be going for another Psycho 2 but thicker, possibly another O’Neill suit (a mutant maybe) or for a custom made Snugg suit (I’ve heard rave reviews about their suits)
The Psycho 2 springer (3:2) I’m in at the moment (not quite as I type, but you know what I mean) is as flexible as I’d want - it’s still not boardies and a rashie but it does the job as well as I could want.
The Mutant might be your kind of thing. Intergrated hood which can be swapped out for a normal collar if you want to forego the hood on a warmer day.
I had a look at one in a shop and it’s meant to have some kind of setup that stops you from getting flushed too.
I hope this helps somehow.
Aloha
My last two wetsuits were made by Boz (http://www.bozwetsuits.com/). They are from Peru. It was kind of weird buying my last one. They had lost all of their distributers in San Diego, and I had to go to some guys house in Clairemont to pick it up. I don’t know if they are sold in any stores around here nowadays. They have good flexy rubber and you can’t beat the prices. I also like supporting the Peruvian surf industry.
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Durability would be nice, but flex is the most important characteristic. I know this is subjective, but what suit would you recommend?
The current wetsuits seem to be about flex, not durability, although standard care measures seem to make them last. They are amazing compared to even ten years ago. A key is to get a proper size, especially when you aren’t a teenager. There are a wide variety of sizes available now in certain model lines by the major manufacturers. For some reason I can no longer get the best fit from Rip Curl but get a fantastic fit from O’Neill - wetsuits I never could even wear years ago. Side by side comparasion sems to indicate to me that the various model lines and price levels offer fairly similar products, which (again) leads me to consider fit a primary concern. Got to the major surf suit manufacturer websites and check them out…and then go try them on. You’ll be happy.
what size, and location?
hi patrick, i live and surf in tofino. in my experience there are two wetsuits that stand out.
xcel for comfort and flex. i own a 5.4.3 for winter, 4.3 or 3.2 for summer. maybe the 6.5.4.3 if you get cold easy.
for quality and good fit, oneil psyco 2.
hotline is known for making suits that last. indeed, i surfed in one for over 5 years.
happy 60th,
cheers, nicholas
XCel for summer suits, O’Neil for winter, I’ve also got a 1mm rashy which extends the summer suite a bit and gives a boost to those days when there’s frost on the ground, if you want stretch don’t let your suite dry out too much
Hey Nels maybe the O’neill being an American designed wettie are made to fit the ever expanding American shape. Rip Curl being Australian are of course for a much slimmer fit (sic). Plus Rip Curl used to have a factory in Mexico but they’ve shut it down and now only have one in Thailand and the Thai machinists are thinking “Geez, they can’t be that big” so we better sew them a little smaller. Ho! Ho!
But seriously, I was just sent a new E bomb Rip Curl and I haven’t owned a steamer in 10 yrs. However this last winter was particularly cold for my locale and so I’m stunned how far they have come. The thing feels like a leotard more than a wetsuit it is so flexible.
I love my 4/3 O’Neill Psycho II… it’s the most comfortable cold-water suit I’ve ever worn. They’re not what you’d call durable… They last about a season of hard use. That works out to about $1.27 per use if you pay retail and surf about five days a week for a year. I still have a couple old suits around that are useable… just not minty fresh. I have friends that have three year old versions that, although they could be replaced, still do the job.
My girlfriend swears by her 5/4/3 Mod - the girl’s equivelent of the Mutant. She says it’s the warmest (and therefore) most comfortable suit she’s worn. She’s got lots of suits including a Psycho II.
Other brands don’t compare.
We live in Northern California.
I surf uk waters and use an Oneil mutant 5/4/3, very flexible and warm best suit ive owned (exept price). Last suit was Rip Curl, fell apart after 3 Months…so did all my friends rip curls
Patrick,
I live and surf in Maine…water temps range from low 30’s to mid 60’s. I have several Xcel’s: 6/5/4 w/ hood, 5/4/3 w/ hood, 4/3 w/o hood. All are very flexible and warm…the 5/4/3 has about 4 years of periodic use and is still in good condition.
Good Luck,
Gary
I have used Rip Curl the last 5 or 6 years. I buy a new suit about every 15 months and have a tub of old suits still in good shape. Great fit and flex for me and are durable with the exception of the last suit I bought which fell apart. Rip Curl replaced it with a new suit,no charge. The company backs up their stuff. O Neils fit me good, too. Durability has been a problem with them in my experience. Hot Lines I have found to be vary durable,but fit like a sack of potatoes. Been a while since I"ve owned one though. I think the bottom line is there is variability within the individual companies as to durability. So I go with warmth,fit, and how well the company stands by their product (and how quickly). I wear a 4/3 year round and a 543 five or six days a year. Mike
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Hey Nels maybe the O’neill being an American designed wettie are made to fit the ever expanding American shape. Rip Curl being Australian are of course for a much slimmer fit
Jeez, did you guys give up beer down there? 
While I do have some flux in the waistline, my problem got to be my chest/shoulders size vs. waist. For decades O’Neill suits rashed my armpits bad…just couldn’t use them. Used Body Glove mostly. They I got a great Rip Curl that I beat to death for literally alomst nine years…although the last two it was not functioning at anything resembling peak levels…the final year it was little better than a long john. But that was the most comfortable, best fitting, warmest 3/2 I’ve ever had. When I went to replace it, at the Rip Curl store, I couldn’t get anything they had in stock to fit me. It seemed like everything was fit for a teenage boy. Had to go back to a basic Body Glove. When that Body Glove was crapping out I bought another BG online, same size…and it was too small. ???
During the last few years sizes were expanded, and what worked for me finally was I think a “stocky” size like Ms or Ls. Expanded shoulders and chest. I went O’Neill this time and the suit was light years beyond what I had been using and between the different sizing and new materials it is the best fit I’ve had. I take pretty good care of suits so they tend to last me a long time. It’s an O’Neill Heat fullsuit. Not all lines with all manufacturers have expanded sizing, so you have to do some homework first, and as always don’t believe everything you are told in a shop.
I’m not sure anybody makes expanding stomach panels, but there seems to be a market for them…
Nels
pat,
i'm 61 so we're inthe same age group----i've been using an o'neill 4/3 for after thanksgiving and before easter----i have been in oregon twice in august and was fine in a Good 3/2...however, most of the locals(?) were wearing 4/3's booties hoods and no gloves and bitching about cold...
…i find in our age group(ole farts) that a flexy suit and a short intense session is better than a thicker suit and a longer clumsly no fun session
…your call, try on lots of suits and decide, but don’t stop surfing! getting older is a bitch…
Thank you all for your comments. As Walrus noted, short and intense is preferred to long and clumsy. Have used Rip Curl for years but may give the Mutant a go since my daughter has one, and like Kendall’s lady friend, swears it is great. Thanks for the Tofino perspective Nicolas. I mostly surf there - saw whales at Lovekin on Thursday!!! They turned an otherwise clumsy day in to one to remember. Again, THANKS ALL!
If you’re looking for warm…
I’ve got a ripcurl 6/4 that I like pretty well, although it seems a little stiff. It’s new, so not sure how it will hold up.
Had a psycho 2, 6/4 with built in hood that was great, and super flexy. It lasted really well for one winter, then pretty well the next, then totally self destructed within the period of about a month. But it was great while it lasted. At $80, the rip curl suit at the outlet was too good to pass up.
Pat