I need a new wetsuit

[surfniels]

Lots of good advice here...
Regarding gloves: I  have tried going windsurfing without  but it simply is to cold in the deeepest of winter.. I go with gloves with  a open palm, this gives the wind protection while it doesn't make the arms cramp up..
The patagonia suits look real tempting but over here they  are also super expensive.
 Talking of super expensive ; has anybody tried the rip curl H-bomb suit or maybe just the heater  west ??
 

[1tuberider]

I agree lots of good advice.

The uhc wetsuit did not fit.  Sizes now are xls, xl and xlt.  The xls was to big.  Now I am looking at large and none in stock. I am heading to Eeka tomorrow and there are 3 shops there. 

How do the billabongs hold up?  They have a material that they claim is dry in 15 minutes.  I see another new material from japan.  There pricey being around $650.  I don't know if I need that as my $300-400 wetsuits give good service life.

Alap I will have to try the spins.  I agree with nothing like a balanced rig.  Your body then does most the hard work.
How cold is it when you sail surfniels? I am done when air in in the 30's. I like the palmless glove idea. Did you make them?

A couple of used patagonia's are at the shop.  I know both the owners, so I will ask them why they only used them around 5 times and then decided to move on.

I can remember when the only option was a beaver tail top and a chest wader type bottom.
Things are way better. 

[surfniels]

I windsurf in winter when the tempratures are in the low 30's..
My gloves look like these:


I experimented with cuting the shaft in half and only attatching them to the wetsuit with a piece of velcro to get as little compressions on the forearms as possible.
But as previously mentioned SUP is a much better wintersport

[14 West]

14 west, Mutant is a great suit... the only problem for me - I need an assistant to get in and out...

Agreed, it is a learned technique. But once you figure it out, it ain't bad.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

Second on the Mutant. Putting it one os like slipping on a suit of blubber, but it's nice and cozy. I have fallen in 45ºF water with the suit on and not felt it. The problem is usually the opposite one: getting too hot. Since most of the time you're not in the water, and you're exerting yourself heavily, you tend to overheat. I have gotten a little dehydrated while paddling in cold water. After I took the suit off I was soaked with sweat.

One time I wore the suit but left off the protective collar. That was a dumb thing. I fell in and freezing water began flowing down my neck into the suit. (Plus I had forgotten my leash, which meant a 30' swim.) I will not do that again. Wear the zip-on collar, or the hood if it's really cold.

I find if my body is pretty toasty, gloves aren't as important. But that's me.

[surfniels]

Had first " winter" session yesterday, allthough it isn't realy winter yet this session gave a tast of what lies ahead. Temperature around 34 F ( 1 celcius) and showers with a nice mixture of sled and hail (ouch), water is still warm though.
I wasn't feeling cold in at all in my O'neil but i was pretty cold when I got soaked while getting dressed during a pretty severe  shower.  No better feeling then getting you wamth back on the drive home from a nice session.
Next week looks like the temperatures will crawl back to a more normal level , 

[supguy35]

take a look at the Hyperflex amp 5/4/3 or 6/5/4 they are a great price 5/4 is $289.99 and the 6/5 is $299.99 it's fleeced lined and taped seams with a super stretch.

[alap]

surfniels, thank you for posting this glove photo. i probably take scissors and go to garage to make some holes  . Also thank you very much for trying o'neill psyco freak in this temperature and posting your comments... its amazing actually what technology is available now...

[SUPerSwede]

The O'Neill Mutant is a great fit but too hard to get in/out for me. Got a Psycho3 RG8 6/5/4 with a fixed hood instead. Only problem - have to jump in and cool off sometimes if temps are over 10 celsius in the air. When it's close to freezing, I'm perfectly warm. Gloves - Ion claw 5-fingers.

I was going to buy a RC Flashbomb but got a better deal on the RG8...

[RainWaves]

 Does anyone have, or seen the Isurus I-Elite series of wetsuits?
 I see they come in a 2/3/2, 3/2/3, and a 4/3/4 that has my attention, as I'm looking to replace my 5mm dive suit I've been using for the past 2 Winters. Something a bit more flexible in the arms would be great, as overcoming thick "Gumby" arms eats into your energy level.

[PonoBill]

A couple of used patagonia's are at the shop.  I know both the owners, so I will ask them why they only used them around 5 times and then decided to move on.

My guess would be the same reason mine is up in the rafters somewhere--too hot. I got the thinnest one available that still has the wool. First time I used it was a chilly spring day when the water was still super cold. After about 20 minutes, including a fall, I thought my head was going to explode. I had to jump in frequently, which was torture for my face head since the water was near freezing, but the suit was so incredibly warm I had no choice. I think if you're prone surfing the Patagonia would be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but if you're out of the water anything over 30 degrees you'll boil.

Your mileage WILL vary. I'm pretty well insulated. If you're one of those skinny buggers it might be just great. Also the easiest suit to shed I've ever tried.

[1tuberider]

I just tried to put on a patagonia lgt and I stopped at the shoulders.  It was tight and no thanks.  Maybe a bigger size and maybe their sizes are different than hot line suits. I went to Eureka and only found one shop with wetsuits.  They had the O'neil and it looked like the flap to open to climb in was around 8 inches long so I stopped there.  They also had a 7 mil dive suit on sale for 299.  It actually looked like my style but I don't need 7 mil.

So far no luck.  This suit is more for windsurfing than paddle surfing.  Maybe a backup for the coldest days to paddle in if I can motivate myself to surf when the air is in the 30's.  Only takes good waves to get me motivated. Which reminds me of the time I put on a wetsuit that was in the back of my truck overnite and it was frozen together with ice as were the glove and the booties had a layer of ice 1/4 inch thick in them.  I ran to the water to warm.

So now I am down to waiting for the shop to get in a hot curl to test.  It should be here Wednesday.  If it fits I will probably end up with it.  Its old school but maybe that is what I need for ease of putting the thing on and taking it off.  Fitment issues really has me not wanting to mail order.

[Delta SUP]

these guys always treat me good...

www.wetsuit.com

[alap]

my search is over. I asked the shop to bring Psyco 3 4/3 in LS and XLS sizes. My measurements point to LS, but my current Pscyco 2 is XLS. I dont remember why I bought it - was it better fit than LS or there was no LS at this shop in San Diego 5 years ago...

Regardless, the shop got only Psyco 3 XLS (same size as mine Psyco 2).
I tried it and it was an ideal fit. I am not able to feel any restriction...
I tried another vertical back zipper Oneill in LS, it was not the same neoprene (prev. year model) but it was thinner (3/2) and it was not that comfortable. My guess is that their "technobutter" material (u gonna love this language  ) is really a bit more stretchy and this makes getting in/out totally effortless (not that it was a problem with Psyco 2 in the same size), plus I dont feel any restriction in the upper torso whatsoever.

Incidently all my wetsuits from last 20 years (Pro Motion, Rip Curl, O'Neill) were one size bigger than the recommendation and bigger than the one the salesman was bringing to me first.

My guess is that for standup and wsrfng to have it a tad more roomy in the upper body is a good thing... may be not so for crawling...

yes it is ridiculuosly expensive, but you get what you pay....

My current Psyco 2 after ~200 session is still almost a dry suit - if I am in the water vertically with my neck above the water it doesn't take the water. If I am a rug doll in the wave or wsrfng 4.0 on shore waves (chest high, 2 second interval) waterstarting (the breaking waves coming from my back) it takes the water through the neck seal. This Psyco 2 has also thinned in my shoulders almost to the holes (this is the price you pay for using stretchier material, and I am sure this thinning effect woulda be more pronounced in recommended smaller LS size), so I put thin neoprene patches on top... it also had a hole on my left elbow - I guess I made it in the first year from climbing my SUP board, again, there is a patch now...

regardless this Psyco 2 still has some life left in it, for warmer, quieter days for sure...

I am also in the process of ordering this pro motion vest to go on top of it for colder nuking days... like water 5 -10 celcius and air below 15 (40-50 water, 60 air)

i'll let you know how it will end... it will be mail order unfortunately... but ill take the risk...

[JimK]

Best suit for windsurfing/SUPing

Hyperflex AMP Wind Amazing suit full featured extremely well made designed by folks who live in cold water suits here in NJ.

Been using mine for 4 years and it is going strong I highly recommend the "Front Zip" This is a neck entry warm and super flexible feels like a second skin

Oh yeah and about a quarter (25% of the cost) of a Patagonia (Pat's make me itch and aren't that flexible) Hyperflex revamped its Cyclone suits super stretch and warm and comfy and even less expensive

I do not work for Hyperflex I do sell them in my shop with other suits mentioned here

JimK
ExtremeWS