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WINTER WETSUITS SUMMER WETSUITS LATEST TECHNOLOGY

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winter wetsuits latest technology

The world of winter wetsuit design has served up further revolutionary developments for this upcoming cold season.The amount of R and D going in to the wetties is crazy with an ever broadening array of different results by each manufacturer to beat the freeze.

The seal of a suits wrist or ankle has long been a big issue for UK surfers. To begin a frosty paddle out with a sleeve flush followed by an armpit full of water is the stuff that many a super short session has been made of. Excel have come up with a rolled seal that has an interior gripper that effectively makes the suit stay in place regardless of the incoming baltic flow.
Alder, C-Skins and O’Neill capitalise on the fact that air is an excellent conductor of heat using their respective offerings of Aerocore, Airloc and XDS Air neoprene. Alder’s Aerocore uses a type of nylon which creates a thermal lining to the front chest and back panels. C-Skins and O’Neill use a tripple layer of neoprene, the middle of which has a honeycombe centre to hold trapped air which is warmed by the surfer thus keeping them warm.

The boffins at Quiksilver have introduced Hollow Fibre technology to their new suit the Cypher which is proven to warm water as it enters the suit, keeping you toasty for longer.The new Merino lining being used by Sola has looked back to nature for inspiration. The Merino sheep from New Zealand supplies a wool that offers a lightweight, flexible interior, also creating compression to reduce lactic acid build up and enhance circulation. Stretch has been increased and weight reduced by Rip Curl in its new E3 suit. It uses a new weave which reduces wind chill and allows more stretch. If you find yourself in the new Tiki suit and fancy a little warmth boost just activate the re-usable heat pads and your kidneys will be instantly warmed, making your session way more pleasant.

If you find that you get knackered more quickly during the dark months one of the reasons is that surfing in a winter suit is more taxing on your shoulders and back because you have a thicker wetsuit that has absorbed more water for you to paddle around and effectively carry.The BodyGlove Vapour employs water repellant technology to keep the neoprene lighter for longer and save you more energy.

Billabong have focussed on the zipper, combining the easy entry style of the backzip with the unrestricted flex of a zip free suit in their Revolution X Series. With our seasons ever more unpredictable Gul have given the option of a detachable hood with their Syncro convertible neck/hood system. The wettie nerds have got nearly every conceivable angle covered to maximise warmth from your rubber. So take a mosey around this winters main players and get yourself kitted up for the cold.

	QUIKSILVER & ROXY Quiksilver’s latest update is HFT (Hollow Fibre Technology). They’re introducing it into their new Cypher suit which replaces The Cell. The new system reflects body heat so that water is warmed as it enters the suit, keeping you warmer for longer.
	RIP CURL The new E3 neoprene by Rip Curl offers 30 percent extra flex, is 20% lighter and 5% warmer compared to last year’s E2. The suit uses a new weave which decreases wind-chill yet allows more stretch. It feels noticeably lighter to wear and offers increased flex throughout.
	ALDER Aerocore is Alder’s biggest development for the chilly season. It uses a type of nylon which creates a thermal lining to the front chest and back panels. The material traps air next to the skin which the body then heats up. The material is aqua-phobic, meaning it repels water so you feel dry. The EVO and Plasma Fire Style winter suits take advantage of this technology.
	BODYGLOVE The Vapor by Body Glove employs water repellent technology to keep the suit lighter for longer. We poured a glass of water on the suit and watched as it ran straight off. Any droplets that are left behind go in to beads and don’t soak in. Because water doesn’t penetrate the suit as fast it stays lighter for longer, meaning you can surf for longer without getting tired.
	O'NEILL The O’Neill XDS-Air Neoprene has a 3D layer structure which traps air within it to insulate the surfer. The middle of the three layers of neoprene contains holes like a honeycomb. Air is held within the suit, thus keeping the surfer warm. The suit is 4.5mm on the chest, keeping the core warm, and 3.5mm on the arms and legs.
	TIKI Within the suit are two re-usable heat pads that slide into pockets around your kidney area. Tiki have engineered them so that they can be activated once in the water when the winter chill sets in. The heat pads are re-useable, so when you get out of the surf you can take the pads out of the wetsuit and boil them in water for 10 minutes to recharge them. Then you let them cool and put them back into your wetsuit ready for your next chilly surf.
	SOLA The Merino lining system by Sola takes an eco-friendly, natural fabric (Merino wool from New Zealand sheep) and incorporates it through the main body panels. This natural fabric offers lightweight flexibility, performance and warmth. It has been developed to create compression to reduce lactic acid build up and enhance circulation, increasing warmth.
	C-SKINS C-Skins’ Airloc System uses a tri-laminate neoprene (three layers stuck together). The inside layer is 1.5mm and the outer layer is 2mm. The filling to the sandwich is a 2mm layer of perforated neoprene which, when sealed, traps pockets of air inside. With air being a good conductor of heat, it creates a warmer suit, lighter weight neoprene and also greater buoyancy.
	BILLABONG The Revolution X series features the most innovative entry system on the market this winter. The Hybrid Zip System combines the easy on, easy off style of your regular back zip coupled with the unrestricted flexibility of a zip free suit.
	XCEL The rolled neoprene wrist seal on the Xcel Dry Lock suit is an excellent design feature to beat arm flushing. There is a 1mm neoprene gripper inside the sleeve which acts as an o-ring to stop water entering the suit. When getting into your suit you roll the sleeve up so that you can get your hand through, then roll it back into place to create a watertight seal.
	GUL The Syncro convertible neck/hood system on the Vortex suit offers the flexability of a built in hood or a hoodless winter suit. Depending on whether its a mild winter or freezing cold, the suit supplies the head protection to deal with it.

downloads

Winter Wetsuit Guide 2008 pdf