Is the water the coldest it has ever been in San Diego? Saturday was incredibly cold! I have lived here my entire life and don't remember it as cold as it was that day. When I waded in, it felt pretty damn cold on the feet, but when I began paddling I had to catch my breath. I looked over at my brother-in-law and his expression was a clear "Holy shit!" I hate wearing booties, but I will have to bite the bullet.
On that note, I wrote about the wetsuit search in the early fall. I tried my absolute best to get the best suit while adhering to my eco-minded intent. Obviously, the Patagonia and Matuse suits didn't pan out. As I mentioned, the Matuse wasn't cut for my tall self. And Patagonia never got a Large Tall in stock; I'm still on their waiting list. I put in two calls to small surf shops and they told me they'd call when some other suit options (Nineplus, Hotline) arrived in-store. I called back and then never heard from them again. As such, I utilized an O'neill hookup and ended up with the Psycho 1 for $104 brand new. Hard to beat that price.
This is the first O'neill I've ever owned. Overall, it's an alright suit. The flex is fairly good and the sealed seams are nice. Still, it isn't the warmest suit I've owned. Not bad, definitely dealable, but I don't know if I'd buy another one. I know a lot of people love these suits, this is just my own opinion. Also, the velcro on the neck is from HELL! That is the meanest, stickiest velcro I have ever seen. It loves to attach itself to every part of the wetsuit when you're trying to get it on or off. I always cringe when I have to pull it apart from the skin of the suit. Still, as an anti-flush deal it does work fairly well. The suit is 3/2, which is what I have always owned. Either I'm getting old or the suit feels a little thin-skinned. I can actually feel the coolness of the water through the suit, and I've never had this before. This is the first suit I've had with material that is almost spandex-like (this is an approximation, not an experienced comparison). It makes it kind of interesting getting into the suit as it's really grabby.
Alright, I'll quit my whining. Overall, it's a good suit, but I'd love a cozier option for the morning sessions.
Hope everyone had a fun, safe New Years. Thanks for checking in and sorry for the infrequent posts.
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7 comments:
Hey JB... yeah man, it's been cold!
I got a new suit too (Xcel) and it's funny with this cold water cause it makes you think your suit may not be as warm as it really is.
See you soon!
It's not you or the suit. It's just plain cold. I'm in a 4/3. This thing was comfortable a month ago. Now? Forget about it? This 4/3 isn't telling me jack. It's just cold out there.
I think with some of the low morning temps we've had you need a 4/3 for dawn patrol, or at least booties and hood with a 3/2. $104 for a new Psycho I is a steal, nice hookup.
Sorry to hear ya can't get the Pat. suit!
Did you call all stores and ask about shipping?
My buddy RT just scored one from Oregon.
And I must say I was about to do a wetsuit post also but again praising
the Pat suit.
Surfed N in the cold Santa Ana's and actually was wearing my 2/2 Pat suit
and was fine.
Amazing suits.
Worth every penny.
JB, I was on the other side of that problem a few months back before a friend let me in on a Patagonia deal that he had going. I initially requested a 2mm, but the 3mm showed up. It was a process to just get the suit, so I decided to hang on to it as winter was coming. I've had a Billabong 4/3 solution gold from last season that doesn't come close to the warmth on my 3mm Pat.
I'm a LT as well, and you might wanna consider hunting down the Patagonia. I've taken my suit off after a dawn patrol, in brisk cold offshores, and my core temp was soo warm I didn't need to put back on warm clothes, just a t-shirt, jeans.
I can back up warmjets claims on the Pat, worth every penny.
WJ and K1, thanks for the words. I am definitely convinced. I'll attempt a hunt for the new Pat suit and keep the Psycho 1 for the warmer days.
Thanks all for checking in.
Sounds like you need something from Snugg - too far to ship and the $ / £ exchange rate wouldn't work for you but their winter suits are the warmest out there. I'm lucky to have a local wetsuit manufacturer on my doorstep where the owner will actually measure you up and tailor your suit for you with the big plus that you know the suit isn't being made in some swetashop overseas. Last of a kind though...
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