A research suggestion that for surfing wetsuits, there's less need for thickness around the shoulders and maybe more in the legs.  I think that might already be the case for triathlon/swimming wetsuits, but those people don't need to flex their legs so much.  Inertia.

 

 

the thing that sticks out to me in this article is that they aren't
testing the surfer in a pool and in various conditions within said
pool... think surface wind direction with swell direction coming
into play as well. being on a board that's in a room isn't going
to determine a wetsuits flexibility patterns and also determine
the added drag associated with water and the weight of a soaked
wetsuit.

another thing to consider is the added displacement due to weight
and the volume of the board while wearing a wetsuit.

there are so many variables that they haven't even touched as
researchers/ scientist.

they have answered some easy questions about volume and
rash guards but that can't be the only things that they find because
as surfers, we do determine, for ourselves, the things that work best
for us on an individual basis.

i am interested in seeing what other research is done on the topic
at hand.

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hey, i don't know if you read this yet ----------> I <3 16streets.com

thank you Sean O'hare

Delicious beer comes from here

Used to be you jumped in the water with a wet suit and you froze as the water filled in until that thin layer of water between the suit and your skin warmed up. Now they are so "dry" a good tight fitting wetsuit you don't even feel that event of the water filling in. When I go in with my latest Exel wetsuit I swear I stay totally dry for the first minute or two and then gradually get wet but by then the suit and water is warm. It's amazing.

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Replace turf grass with native plants that don't need irrigation and synthetic fertilizers or chemicals that can go into our waterways and ocean

Daner, you bring back memories of Oregon, circa 1998.  

I think the next revolution in wetsuits will be custom designed wetsuits. We're all a bit different shaped.

I agree with the need for custom. The sizing on these things is ridiculous. I wear size large T shirts, have a 33 inch waist and a 42 inch chest and weigh 185 pounds and and I cant breath in an extra large fullsuit. I have to wear a double xl just to be able to feel blood flow to my extremities. This leaves me with a bunch of extra neoprene since I am only 5-9 and these things are made for 6-2. Manufacturers must think we all have the body shape of Mick Fanning or something...

There's quite a few small scale custom wetsuit businesses around, a few I know of:

https://7till8.com/pages/why-custom

Carapace changed their name recently to 7till8, but old write-up on them:
http://gizmodo.com/this-custom...sports-gear-510266460

https://www.facebook.com/joneseawetsuits/

There are a few more I know of but couldn't find links. Custom is pricey though, in Florida where you only need a 3/2 for a few months out of the year it's hard to justify the cost.

Different business, but it seems at least a few outfits are using body scanners for custom suits of the business variety, so customers have to come to the store or to a scanner van.  Evidently big for high-end, big-city weddings.  

Wetsuits sales are probably heavily concentrated in a few places.  If I was a wannabe custom wettie entrepreneur, I'd likely want to set up in Sydney (except maybe it's as expensive as New York or San Francisco) or how about Melbourne or Perth?  Closer to home, Jack's Surfboards suggests Huntington Beach might be as good a location as any.  Maybe SD?  SF seems too frigid to have a big market.  Atlantic coast doesn't look promising.  Europe, I doubt Biarritz or the Lisbon area.

I'm amazed Balsa Bill is still selling made-in-Florida board shorts, and Birdwell made in Santa Ana.  Katin?

Edited: 12/08/2016 at 01:47 AM by ww

 

sounds like my pos quik syncro 3/2--with cold storing technology. i got it out of immediate necessity 2 or 3 years ago after discovering a hole in the pit of my 7 year old ripcurl core fireskin. back home and in gulf its not fun when it gets legitimately cold but central fl is never all that bad .

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sneedeker

Xcel's joining Patagonia in selling natural rubber suits.  Evidently only at "core retailers."  Their blurb from today's email:

Comfortable, Lightweight, and Durable, with 100% STRETCH and Super soft hand, these are our MOST ECO-FRIENDLY WETSUITS EVER, featuring NATURALPRENE foam harvested from renewable rubber trees, SOLVENT-FREE WATER-BASED GLUE, and an up cycled WATER-REPELLENT ULTRASPAN jersey lining made from recycled plastic bottles.

(they were big on caps, so I added a Christmassy red)

 

 

https://www.xcelwetsuits.com/shop/product/mens-fullsuits/polar-thermoflex-fullsuit-9-7-6?color=BLK

You are all welcome to come up and surf non shark infested, freezing cold barrells with me. Just make sure you have some real rubber. There is drylock, and then there is everything esle.

 

 

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Internet Stuff Matters

9/7/6, ho lee chit!  I was warm in my 4/3 Flashbomb, 5 mil boots, 5 mil gloves and hood in 38 degree water.  Air temp plays a huge part, too.  Warmer days extended the sessions, those days with 25 mph winds and air temps in the 20's, an hour and I was done.