4/3 Wetsuit Reccomendations

[SPQR]

I have O’Neil, Excel and Patagonia wetsuits. Two are great for summer and two are great for surfing in the winter in Santa Cruz. But I miss the no longer made Victory wetsuits from the 80’s, that was my favorite windsurfing wetsuit with the zipper all the way across your chest, easy on and easy off not like these suits today with the short chest zipper on a diagonal.

[isobars]

[dllee]

Victory, Hotline, and Oneill all had front horizontal zips.

[sa_al]

[rtz]

Usually good deals can be found here. I've bought several over the years.

https://www.wetsuitwearhouse.com/

[killeen_john]

Thanks again for all of the responses, recommendations, and feedback. I'm finding more options available in the 5/4/3 size vs 4/3 suits and hope to try some out next week while traveling.

I was originally looking for a 4/3 figuring that was a better step down from my drysuit whereas a 5/4/3 probably would overlap with drysuit conditions. I'd be curious to hear feedback on using a 5/4/3 vs a 4/3.

Thanks again,
John

[dllee]

Most suits, the 5 is only on the chest.

[isobars]

I'm more picky about getting the danged things on and off than I am about a millimeter. We can always adjust any suit's warmth by unzipping it, adding a hood, adding a fleece or neoprene neck-gaitor/neck-up, adding extra insulation beneath or over it, etc.

Another option is acquiring a pile of them. I buy them when I run across a great deal on one I don't have, keep notes on which one best suits today's conditions, and try to dress juuuuust right for the day. I seldom pay triple digits* for anything short of a 5 mil suit, and I LOVE being dressed just right because I overheat easily but I dress for the swim for safety's sake.

* e.g., Wetsuit wearhouse, 2nd Wind Hood River (I've bought MANY suits there), seasonal sales at a wide variety of stores from WSing shops to Walmart to ACE Hardware, swap meets once in a while if it's new-looking (such as factory blems or worn-once), and more. What's not to like about a new 3/2 for $35 or a new 4/3 for $60?

[killeen_john]

Believe you me, I am very much looking for a bargain deal. If money were no object, I'd probably have a Neil Pryde Combat for the Armor-Skin (wind resistance, durability, and Yamamoto neoprene) if the marketing hype was to be believed but, can also buy a whole bunch of wetsuits for that price.

A lot has changed since I last purchased a wetsuit with more front zip models and stretchier materials so, I am planning to check out some clearance/previous year suits in person while traveling later this week to get a better feel. On the list to look at includes:

NP Mission 4/3 back zip

NP Recon 3/2 front zip (claims to cover the same temperature range as the 4/3 Mission model but, not sure about that or the front zip aspect)

Mystic Majestic 4/3 back zip

O'Neill Men's Epic 4/3 back zip

Zhik Superwarm Steamer (dinghy racing rather than windsurfing brand)

[isobars]

Most suits not designed for WSing bind when we're reaching for the booms. You're likely to want a LOT of stretch and/or a lot of extra material behind your shoulders.

Realize that the chest zips in today's suits are nothing like the old chest zips Lee mentioned. The latter were shoulder to shoulder and very easy to get on and off. I call the modern contortion suits "wrist entry" because that's about what it feels like to get into many of them.

Don't overlook the extremely popular, stretchy, comfortable, warm, tough-skinned, almost dry O'Neill Super Freak Technobutter 3 wetsuits. I love mine once I get it on. Ignore their size chart and try on the HUGE size. If you ever wear out your extremely versatile Kokatat, I also really like my Promotion "Dimension" drysuit for its breathable and tough bagtop/neo legs combo.