My mate is about your weight and he raves about his oneill l/s springy.. He reckons its the most comfy suit he has ever owned. I must admit I dont like the look of it cos its really really stretchy and kinda revealing but when I mention that to him he usually grabs a handful and tells me to f off and something about him having the body of a greek god and off he goes grumbling about me being a cheeky skinny arst something or other I personally wear another brand but like he says I am a cheeky skinny ........ so I dont really need a super stretchy suit to fit my curves.
B

Ive tried but can't get anywhere near the paddle power while wearing a steamer or springy(short sleeves).Tried it the other day again and had to come in after half an hour and change back to my way over sized set of short sleeves. They keep the wind out which is the main problem for me
Im a bit lighter than you but I would give it a go before ya lash out on a overpriced spring suit you may not need .(IMO)
W

I used to think Xcel wetsuits were the best.. but ever since Billabong took over i have been lucky to get a season out of them.. I now recommend the smaller brands like Tiki because you seem to get better quality without paying for the brand..

aussiefreebs said...

My billabong is 12 months old and fell apart at the seams literally about 3 months ago, I will take it back but havent as yet because I got the rip curl E-Bomb and since I did I just can't see myself wearing anything else. My weight rarely goes below 104 or above 107. It's the most comfortable, and the warmest wetty I've worn. We are in the middle of winter pretty much, and I surfed at Bell's in reasonable comfort in my 3-2 E-Bomb last weekend for nearly 5 hours. My wetuits are obviously steamers in this instance, but my springies are equally as good in comparison if not better.

Hazza my 17yo 6'5" unit has a bomb and it seems to have lasted - basically all I need is something flexible, so prob thin 2mm ish? just to keep the chill out. Are you short sleeve? What is the thickness? Looked at the site - great marketing etc but want in water, digger type review
M

worrier said...

I've tried but can't get anywhere near the paddle power while wearing a steamer or springy(short sleeves).Tried it the other day again and had to come in after half an hour and change back to my way over sized set of short sleeves. They keep the wind out which is the main problem for me
Im a bit lighter than you but I would give it a go before ya lash out on a overpriced spring suit you may not need .(IMO)
W

Has anybody else had this problem with sleeves

This is my first winter of SUP and was about to spend a lot of money on a new stretchy steamer. A few surfing mates rave about them. I also surf (after a 5 year break and now all old wetties don't fit) and was going to use it for surfing as well.

I can't see how you can have less power for SUP where your arm doesn't get much above shoulder height than for surfing where your arm stretches further forward. Maybe I'm missing something

Thanks

Shane

I too have used Rip Curl suits for the past 20 odd years. Super warm and comfortable and the service is outstanding. They really do seam repairs for free forever.

I think they are doing a little cost cutting in the service department. I had to pay for the last couple of repairs that I don't think I would have been charged for in the past. One was a zip replacement that I think they should have covered. The other was fixing a tear that was my own fault.

The Elasto fabric is super stretchy and very comfortable. It can be a bit fragile. Definitely be very careful pulling on the legs with finger tips or longish fingernails. You can easily damage the material.

Avoid the smooth skin suits. It doesn't last as well as the lined fabric.

I always bought suits at the 40% end of season sales. You could get an Elasto 4/3 for about $400. This last year the sales have gone down to 20% so it's not so cheap.

I have recently switched to Radiator suits. They are quite cheap and pretty good. Rip Curl are better but much more expensive. The Radiators are a touch basic in that they don't have fancy zips and stuff but they work very well. I am still using my Radiator 3/2 in Melbourne for kiting. It is fine for winter surfing as long as you don't have any long hold downs.

The Radiator suits have a shiny inner lining. It's a bit cold when you first put it on but it warms up fast. It is the fastest drying suit I have every owned. Great for weekend surf trips with multiple sessions over multiple days. A Rip Curl 4/3 takes about a week to dry.

Thanks team - Gooru it is - will see how I look in the batsuit 630 @ Queensie

M

Picked up new wettie this morning
Toes were still cold but warm as toast!

The world has moved on since 1998 so reckon all the new ones are pretty good but Gooru pretty fine!

Forgot paddle so looked pretty stupid paddling Matty's old starboard but warm as

M