Current Xcel Infiniti 5/4 is getting a bit tired after 4 years coasteering in Scotland. Its been a great fit, warm and held up well. Most Xcel suits are now chest zip which I’d prefer to avoid given the choice as the back zip is just a bit less faff. No hood either thanks!

Contenders are the C-skins Wired and Ion Strike, both are around £200. Anything else worth looking at? Any great deals also welcome (Ebay is being scoured!)

Watching this with interest.
My ten year old O’Neil is getting very tired, plus I get so wound up struggling with a zip up my back.

I’ve got a C Skinz (very old) and Snugg (custom >£350). Both are very good, but getting a custom suit is a real treat. Perfect fit makes means I barely get wet inside, almost as good as a dry suit.

If you find that the C Skinz fits you well, then I can recommend it based on longevity and workmanship. The one I have is probably too old to be of direct comparison to the one you buy though.

I’ve just listed a Medium as new Cskins wired on FB marketplace. It’s crazy warm. I’ve only worn it once and can’t see me using it anytime soon so it’s going. I’m after £80. It really could be hung in a shop it’s such good condition. I use a skins summer suit. They’re great. It’s a neck entry.

Friend at work wears a needessentials – cheap and he is very impressed 5mm hooded.

My finisterre is awesome but more than £200. I have a Vissla 5/3. In skinny and fit is great, often a small is still baggy on my waist/hips and it fits great. Or worn a lot yet though to comment on longevity.

Loved my C-Skins ReWired 5-4, never got cold even in North Wales winters. Front zip, so well sealed that barely any water got in and the water that did enter stayed there and warmed up. Lining dries super quick too. Worth noting that mine was a medium but fitted me quite well at 6’2″, though in hindsight a MT would have probably fitted better. Plastic bag trip helped keep the lining in good condition around the ankles.

medium cskins just gone for £37 on ebay was the funny closure ones (looked like little zip on the chest or something and liquid seam system) and 5:3. I’m also fed up of struggling with a back closure and looking on ebay

Patagucci.

Got a hooded 4/3 in the sales and it’s awesome. Was only £200.

I kitesurf all year in the UK and have been out in the snow and negative wind chill of north easterlies. The key is a decent tight fitting thermal under fleece like this:

https://www.atbshop.co.uk/rash-vests-and-wetsuit-thermals/mystic-bipoly-thermal-rash-vest-2013

Then a 5/4mm suit with has a high neckline and “bat wing” back flush system. The suit needs rubber chest and back pannels to deal with UK wind chill and liquid rubber seam sealed (not just blind stitched!). Just bought this and really rate it:

http://www.you-love-it.eu/shop/en/kitesurf/wetsuits/1314/2014-np-edge-5/4/3-mm?c=227

Neil Pryde/Cabrinha are huge in wind surfing and have been making decent suits for years. Worked out at £170ish delivered.

I you want to buy UK then have a look at “Gul” and http://www.wetsuitoutlet.co.uk

Worth a look at Lomo, they are quite reasonably priced and pretty tough. http://www.ewetsuits.com/

The key is a decent tight fitting thermal under fleece like this:

The key is a merino lined wetsuit.

Don’t be afraid of front entry suits, once you get the hang of them they are way better/warmer. Integrated hoods are the best thing ever.

Edit: I got my Patagonia from secret spot, they’ve still got them at that price in XL

Fit is the most important feature so go to a shop and try some on.

For coasteering you want tough abrasion resistance surely? That rules out Neil pryde in my experience. C-skins sacrifice some flexibility for solid build quality and warmth in my experience.
Mrs p has just got a rip curl dawn patrol and it’s excellent for the money although the longevity of rip curl is not good in my experience. Xcel are very expensive but very warm. O’Neil have always been solid suits – particularly mid range.
Patagonia for the full DFL(down from London) look.

For coasteering you want tough abrasion resistance surely? That rules out Neil pryde in my experience

Not sure I follow you ? All suits are petroleum based neoprene and none are that abrasive resistant. If you cut of knick a wetsuit you glue it with “black witch” neoprene glue. Why would the Neil Pryde not be suitable but O’Neil is ?

Some of the top end Pryde winter suits are single lined. I use them for windsurfing as they are cut well on the arms, they are amazing, much warmer and more flexible that the equivalent Xcel ones I have IMO. However, as mentioned, if you even look at them funny you get a knick in the neoprene.

Double lined suit might be better for coasteering in terms of durability.

I also rate O’Neil winter suits but can’t wear them for windsurfing as I get arm cramps.

If you guys had looked at the link you would see it was a double lined suit 🙄

Ive an Xcell 3.2 front zip and a rip-curl flash bomb e4 4/3 zipless.

I’d never go back to a back zip, both of those suits are so much warmer and more flexible than a back zip. The chest zip is barely anymore difficult to get in than a back zip, the zipless has a knack to it, but after a few attempts you learn where your/its arm needs to be. 2 minutes to get in, wearing it for 5 hours so it’s a faircompromise IMO.

The Xcell is nice. Wore it all through the winter for a couple of years with polypropylene base layers. Not as stretchy though. I can’t fit hiking pads under it for example and the knees chafe after 3+ hours (or on day 2).

The RipCurl E4 neoprene is just incredible though, barely lets a dribble of water in, weighs nothing, dries quickly (thus doesn’t suffer windchill), stretchy as hell (and no chaffing) and surreally warm. Ive been in the (fresh) water when there’s been ice and asside from my face going painfully numb in seconds I was fine (and stayed out sailing with no windchill).

Both suits were ~£150 in the sales.

If you guys had looked at the link you would see it was a double lined suit

It’s true I didn’t look 🙂

It’s not on the torso though?? I have a np mission which i think is similar (not seen an edge tbh ) and whilst it’s much sturdier than my eclipse I’d still not want to go climbing over rocks in it

I get what you say about neoprene being neoprene but I swear my np suits knick more easily than my xcel ones however I feel the neoprene is much more flexible and better to wear so perhaps that’s the compromise

Finisterre?? They do a 5/4 in hooded and non-hooded (but I think they’re ££)

Finisterre are excellent suits, very warm , flexible and last well. I had one of the prototype suits that’s done 3 winters of (lots of) surfing. Mate has a production 4/3 that’s done two southwest winters and is still in mint condition.

Price wise they aren’t too bad in comparison to other top of the range suits.

These are a decent budget option:

ALL

kind of the same quality as an upper mid range xcel so ive been told.

You wont find many winter suits with a back zip these days.

I’m an ION fanbouy. I’ve been using them for years, I like Mystic too. Both brands make suits that flex and stretch in all the right places. Modern suits will stretch and flex, but some Brands still stick with the old rubber/neoprene shiny surface .. which has its place for shedding water quickly and attracting warmth from the sun quickly.

Depends what you want, Coasteering is a mix of climbing in/out and deep cold water so I’d go for flex but a very warm torso with thermal pads on the inner body, or/including a 2mm thermal rashie.

Currently I’m using one of these, zipless neck entry 5/4. £350 odd from 2xs.co.uk

Heard some good reports about these but they have been mentioned as too stiff for surfing.. Patagonia Yulex, has some sort of bamboo thermal pad on the inside.. £300 odd from shore.co.uk

I just got a RipCurl Flashbomb 6/4, it is awesome.

So this is where wetsuit threads live now? Check out the magicseaweed gear and whatever forum “wetsuit ffs” thread. Here we go:

http://community.magicseaweed.com/viewforum.php?f=25

Surfing the NE I’ve had a long string of hooded xcel top of range 5 and 6 mils. I think they’ve gone downhill a litte in recent years. Got through this winter in a hooded Finisterre bank breaker (I think 6 mill but can’t recall.) This was warm but a mission to get on and off. That’s my main gripe with Pradaguccia. If I can’t get the fecker on without a serious fight, my desire to buy the bugger is greatly diminished. The end.

wet or semi-dry?
ndiver semidry Not sure what the score is with the hood, 1 pic with, 1 looks without so maybe detachable.
It’s diving stuff though so maybe not too relevant

I prefer front zips, when my Xcel finally died (or at least smelt liked it had) I ended up with a Tiki – for surf and swimming though so maybe not tough enough for the rocks, but its been pretty durable so far.

Hi,

I’d avoid XCEL these days, personally. The prices (!) are becoming obscene. Their 2017 Spring/Summer suits have just been released, and….it’ll cost you £450 for their top of the range 3/2mm drylock wetsuit. By comparison, their top of the range winter, hooded 5/4 drylock wetsuit in 2016 was £430. Still eye wateringly expensive, but it hints at just how pricey next winter’s suits will be.

I’ve used a top of the range 5/4 XCEL hooded wetsuit for the last 5 years (but I only surf once every 2-3 weeks). It’s as stiff as cardboard now! Full of holes. So just invested in a C-Skins Wired 5/4 Hooded (£223 in the sale, and a further 10% off voucher code, so around £201). That’ll be for the coming winters.

Other than that, the Finisterre wetsuits are of superb quality, and decent price. O’Neill look pretty good on the flexibility scale.

As others have pointed out, Need Essentials look to be good value, no-nonsense suits.

As for Summer – had a 3/2 XCEL a few years back, but always found it too cold for British summers, as I feel the cold a lot. So I’m currently looking for a not ridiculously priced 4/3mm. Need Essentials perhaps.

As I’m sure you know Fit is most important with wetsuits warmth – so you need to try before you buy.

My current winter suit is a 5/3 O’Neill pryro-tech, 2 or 3 years old. It’s super flexible and I tend to buy O’Neill because the fit suits me – long in body. Most of my UK surfing is in the North Sea and I find it plenty warm enough.

Chest zips are much better IMO (for surfing anyway) as it improves fit and don’t get as much flush through

one of those subjects that everyone has a view on.

you are not surfing so mega flexibility is not such an issue, all modern suits are flexible anyway, so personally i would favour durability for coasteering.

i use 3 wetsuits, full winter/4×3 and a 3×2. normally i keep suits for 2 seasons. i regularly wash in oneill cleaner. i dry in the shade and fold over hanger not hand from one. so i’m pretty anal about my suits.

imho having surfed and worn suits for nearly 40 years…

i wouldnt touch any uk brand suit with a barge pole.

o’neil are very well made but a little less flexible.

rip curl are very flexible but very fragile and very cold, mostly though their customer service is appalling. i only wore rips from the mid 80s until about 5 years ago when they started falling apart after just a few months.

xcel, by far the best suits i have ever used. how the post above thinks that a 3/2 is too cold is beyond me, i too feel the cold and before discovering xcel i hadnt worn a 3/2 in years.

as for the prices issue, well if you buy this seasons models you pay. hunt about and buy previous years ones and they are bargains. last year i paid well under 150 for a 3×2 revolt and just about 150 for a tdc infiniti 4×3.

you said it yourself though, 4 years from an xcel, thats really good so i’d stick with them. and chest zips are way better and less faff than back zips not too mention warmer and more flexy.

More importantly, this flat spell looks like it might be breaking. Has it warmed up enough for the summer suit…

Has it warmed up enough for the summer suit…

Pffftttt, I was debating going with shorts and rash vest on Wednesday.

But then I only started wearing the 4/3 in winter this year!

#toughenupprincess

Waters still chilly, Devon coastline it’s still 5/3 & no boots.. just not warm enough for 3/2 yet. Even here on the Sth Coast I was out yesterday in my 5/3 but the wind was Northerly and cold.

Swell forecast shows Monday/Tuesday 2-3ft here, looks more on the North Devon coastline. Hope the Surf Champs get some lumps on Saturday..

Flat spell has been terrible…my fault for ordering a new board, sorry! 😉

But yeah, Tuesday to Thursday next week looking good. May have to book a day off work and make the trip to Wales.

looks like the north coast built to a decent size by sunset, strong SE’lys most of the day tomorrow. off for a early one tomorrow I think.