SUP8383 said...

Am about to buy purchase a new wetty for winter. 3 by 2mm short sleeve steamer; any ideas would be much appreciated as to which brand / model is more conducive to SUP'ing (mainly surfing) - allows for easy paddling i guess - cheers!

hi, i'm a bit of wimp with cold, ive been using a billabong gold solution 2mm steamer and have had no problems at all.

You need to tell us where you live. Victoria and Tasmania requirements are way different to other States.

Realistically suits from any major surf brand are ok. The important thing is that it fits properly.

In Victoria I wear a Rip Curl E-bomb 2/3 steamer with unsealed seams. This is fine for all fair weather SUP surfing all year round. Sometimes I wear a Radiator 0.5mm rashie underneath.

For flat water, fair weather paddling I would not bother with a wetsuit at all.

For bad weather SUP surfing I wear a 4/3 Rip Curl Fireskin with sealed seams. It's warm as toast.

Both suits are the Ultimate Elasto material, which is fragile but super comfortable.

I would avoid smooth skin wetsuits. The rubber is fragile and perishes relatively quickly. The problem of wind chill on nylon double-lined rubber (nylon inside and out) is a bit of a myth.

Avoid non-black wetsuits. The colour usually fades. I had a blue wetsuit that ended up a pooey beige colour. Nothing looks worse than a man in a beige wetsuit (think about it).

Rip Curl suits have a lifetime warranty on seams. Unfortunately/fortunately every suit I have owned has had a warranty claim. They honour the warranty very well.

If it's really cold and windy you want a rubber hat that covers your ears and high ankle booties that you can tuck the suit legs into.

www.ripcurl.com.au/?wetsuitwarrantyinfo

I usually take the suit back to the shop I bought it from along with the receipt.

A friend took an old suit to the Rip Curl store in Torquay and they took it and repaired it for free. They were impressed that such an old suit was still going.

I used to do my own wetsuit repairs but professional repairs are much better.

I've recently had a bit of damage repaired (ie not warranty repairs) and Rip Curl charged a little more than I thought was reasonable. In the past they've done everything for free. It was still not too expensive and is easier than hassling around finding someone to do the job.

Great advice - many thanks. I am in WA > generally not too cold unless down south around Margs. I managed to survive in a short arms and legs all last Winter. Always nice when a manufacturer stands by their warranty.

I have a 2mm short sleeve steamer and 2mm long sleeve jacket.I managed to go through last winter wearing my jacket,but mind you I live in QLD.Both are Quicksilver cell.They are both like a second skin and I don't even know I am wearing a wetty.

mac