best boardshort/wetsuit company [Archive]

...LostInFlorida

Jul 25, 2008, 11:13 PM

i'm posting this in this section, as it seems to get the most visitors...

basically, in your opinion, who makes the best/most comfortable BOARDSHORTS.

and the best/most comfortable WETSUITS.

personally, i think RVCA makes the best boardshorts (i've yet to bring myself to pay 80 bucks for hurley phantoms, but i'm told they're great)

and as far as i'm concerned, XCEL INFINITI is the best wetsuit on the planet.

what do y'all think???

JaYbLaZeE

Jul 25, 2008, 11:22 PM

Im an XCEL wetsuit guy and i agree about them having the best wetsuits... Boardshorts i wanted the phantoms but like you said 80 is too much, but i have heard they are the most comfortable.

tbing

Jul 25, 2008, 11:24 PM

I'll wear almost any kind of board short. I like Xcel wetsuits too though.

South Bethany

Jul 26, 2008, 12:15 AM

Xcel infinity - have a 5/4/3 and and 3/2 - are the best wetsuits i've owned in 21 years of year around surfing.

...LostInFlorida

Jul 26, 2008, 12:26 AM

Xcel infinity - have a 5/4/3 and and 3/2 - are the best wetsuits i've owned in 21 years of year around surfing.

5/4/3 !!!!!

good god that is a thick suit!!!!

i wear a 2/2 here in pensacola..... if it get's really cold (54 degree water, 30 degree air, 20+ mph offshores) i'll wear a 3/2 and some booties...

i'm actually more comfortable in a wetsuit than i am in boardshorts...

during the summer we get jellyfish, and this year has been the worst in recent memory... it sucks.

South Bethany

Jul 26, 2008, 12:38 AM

5/4/3 !!!!!

good god that is a thick suit!!!!

i wear a 2/2 here in pensacola..... if it get's really cold (54 degree water, 30 degree air, 20+ mph offshores) i'll wear a 3/2 and some booties...

i'm actually more comfortable in a wetsuit than i am in boardshorts...

during the summer we get jellyfish, and this year has been the worst in recent memory... it sucks.
yeah it is...but the Xcel is surprisingly flexible.
a really cold session in Maryland would be 38 degree water, 25 degree air, 20+ mph offshores. That 5/4/3 Xcel is the first wetsuit i've owned that just kicked ass in those conditions.

...LostInFlorida

Jul 26, 2008, 02:09 AM

yeah it is...but the Xcel is surprisingly flexible.
a really cold session in Maryland would be 38 degree water, 25 degree air, 20+ mph offshores. That 5/4/3 Xcel is the first wetsuit i've owned that just kicked ass in those conditions.

i'll pass on the 38 degree water:eek:

rgnsup

Jul 26, 2008, 02:26 AM

5/4/3 !!!!!

good god that is a thick suit!!!!

i wear a 2/2 here in pensacola..... if it get's really cold (54 degree water, 30 degree air, 20+ mph offshores) i'll wear a 3/2 and some booties...

i'm actually more comfortable in a wetsuit than i am in boardshorts...

during the summer we get jellyfish, and this year has been the worst in recent memory... it sucks.

Enjoy that warm water!! The winters have been warming up with some 60 degree days.. but when its cold, its ****ing cold. I wear a 6/5/4..keeps me warm!

We just had a little swell here and had to wear my 3/2 because the water went down to mid-upper 50's at the end of JULY!!!!

...LostInFlorida

Jul 26, 2008, 02:40 AM

Enjoy that warm water!! The winters have been warming up with some 60 degree days.. but when its cold, its ****ing cold. I wear a 6/5/4..keeps me warm!

We just had a little swell here and had to wear my 3/2 because the water went down to mid-upper 50's at the end of JULY!!!!

dang, here it's 88 degree water, 95 degree air.... and partly cloudy

sweatin' my balls off.

steelwave42

Jul 26, 2008, 03:33 AM

RipCurl 4/3 w/ the insulate has got me thru the past two winters in MD fine. The thinsulate really helps with warmth, but there have been days where my thighs and hips got numb, but only after long dead of winter sessions. Really a great, comfortable suit which has held up beautifully, I would think it would be Ideal for the winters in the carolinas.

I rocked an OLD 3/2 for a while, and used it my first winter... my boys hand me down, holey as hell, sometimes layered in the chest with an old vest. Miserably cold and heavy from the layers, but doable. I think after going thru that it built up my tolerance for the chill...

steelwave42

Jul 26, 2008, 03:40 AM

Xcel infinity - have a 5/4/3 and and 3/2 - are the best wetsuits i've owned in 21 years of year around surfing.

Damn, 21 years of winter ey? I would think those first couple of years you were pretty cold with the gear they were putting out those days, but in all honesty, I don't know. I'm always reading how far we've come with wetties recently, is what I'm reading true or were you still pretty warm back then?

chilli21

Jul 26, 2008, 03:56 AM

i wore ripcurl suits for 10 years until now, i absolutely ruined one in 4 months and that was it for me. i've switched to xcel, and for good reason. they make unreal suits, rated best wetsuit 2 years in a row. as for boardies, the hurley phantoms are THE suit functionally, but volcom and rvca hold it down as far as styling.

JerseySurfRat89

Jul 26, 2008, 04:30 AM

5/4/3 !!!!!

good god that is a thick suit!!!!

i wear a 2/2 here in pensacola..... if it get's really cold (54 degree water, 30 degree air, 20+ mph offshores) i'll wear a 3/2 and some booties...

i'm actually more comfortable in a wetsuit than i am in boardshorts...

during the summer we get jellyfish, and this year has been the worst in recent memory... it sucks.

more comfort in wetsuit than boardshort!!! after 9 months of surfingn with a load a 5m on you its nice to have a little freedom.....but i will admit the jellies are starting to get annoying

jay cagney

Jul 26, 2008, 04:40 AM

i tend to like quiksilver board shorts probably because i love their winter stuff for snowboarding so much

GnarActually

Jul 26, 2008, 05:13 AM

superfreak boardshorts r great, cheaper than phatoms and feel the same 2 me, the worst boardshorts are billabongs. i have a 4/3 xcel infiinite which has been fine for winter in jersey, i did get a little chilly in the hips in feb. it has awesome seams that keep the water out great. . but i just got the billabong revolution 3.2 and thats awesome, if you need a 3/2 for fall/spring (and this summer) give that a try..its only 130 on sale at hsssurf.com i believe. product google it. it will come up at 180 but when u get to the site its 130

Aguaholic

Jul 26, 2008, 09:51 PM

phantoms and xcel inf.

South Bethany

Jul 27, 2008, 12:58 AM

Damn, 21 years of winter ey? I would think those first couple of years you were pretty cold with the gear they were putting out those days, but in all honesty, I don't know. I'm always reading how far we've come with wetties recently, is what I'm reading true or were you still pretty warm back then?

Yeah my first 5 mm. suit was in 1987. O'neill from Sunshine House (shop on Baltimore Ave @ Division St.) crappy stiff rubbery booties and hoodie that didn't actually connect to the wetsuit - just a long flanged neck that stuffed down inside the collar of the wetsuit. The back zipper was heavy and no inside barrier - every duck dive felt like an ice chip slid down the spine. It was warm enough to be tolerable for an hour or two in the dead of winter but the rubber was super stiff and the whole outfit cost well over $300 which was more than a new shortboard cost back then:rolleyes:

ivan

Jul 27, 2008, 01:47 AM

oneill boardshorts are definitely the best. way cheaper than phantoms too. if you know someone that works at a surf shop, get them to hold the shorts for you until they have a big sale, and then get their discount on top of the sale. i do that at my surf shop and get superfreaks, psychofreaks, and goorus for like 35 bucks.

as for wetsuits, nothing tops xcel with infinity. back zippers and velcro are a thing of the past. infinity has created a comfortable, durable, elastic, and warm wetsuit that is untouched by any other suit....no comparison at all. ive worn suits from every company and the only ones that come close are the billabong solution platinum and the new oneill animal, aka 'psychofreak' both of which are expensive as hell, but they both have velcro and back zippers.

schrader

Jul 27, 2008, 03:02 PM

i do enjoy rvca boardshorts still wanna try out the phantoms though. as for wetsuits i have o'neills but i think quiksilver makes better suits.

TomTruck

Jun 16, 2011, 05:50 AM

Check out www.TruckerDeluxe.com

They carry a lot of clothing from RVCA and other famous surf brands for cheap.
You can save shipping on orders over $75

Mens Clothing (http://www.TruckerDeluxe.com)*|*TruckerDeluxe (http://www.TruckerDeluxe.com)

quiksilver1231

Jun 16, 2011, 06:54 AM

brek

Jun 16, 2011, 07:27 AM

i got hurley phantoms for a real discounted price and i love them and my quiksilver diamond dobby boardshorts are equally as good and as for wetsuits i have a quiksilver wetsuit and it works awesome for me i love it

I had a pair of Hurley phantoms... they were awesome until the leg seam ripped on my second session with them.

15stwr

Jun 16, 2011, 01:12 PM

xcel wetsuits are the best, the infinity drylock is easily the best winter suit for jersey. you do not want to go cheap when the water is 38.

i have a couple pairs of phantoms and the stretch is great and they are uber light even when wet, but will rash you up with after prolonged use. the quik diamonds are also good.

it so nice to have finally shed the rubber in jersey...

MATT JOHNSON

Jun 17, 2011, 04:06 AM

I have worn Birdwells since I was a little kid and thats the only boardies I were still.

When it come to Wetsuits all I use is HyperFlex but for boots and gloves I have Xcel Drylocks. You just cnat beat them . Even though I just got a new amp 5/4/3 this past march cause it was a super good deal . I just might get a 5/4/3 drylock and use it on the coldest of days or use the hyperflex as a back up . I just wanna try a xcel cause of how much ppl rave over them . My Hyperflex stuff has never let me know , kept me toasty warm even on the coldest of day and they dont break the bank to buy. Cheap alway dont mean bad product

GnarActually

Jun 17, 2011, 05:56 AM

i'd been a O'neill person most of my life, now I LOVE quiksilver boardies (diamond dobby, of course). they're not too strectchy, just perfect. And for wetty's, i love my quiksilver cypher 2mm short sleeve full, and i used to be a O'neill and xcel guy, but I'm going with BUELL Wetsuits next year, (they make the nike 6.0, rusty, reef, fox, ect. suits). best suits on the market for sure. I also like billabong suits. But to make myself clear, Billabong makes the worst boardies out of all the brands, but good wetty's. xcel is too tight and inflexible.

spongedude

Jun 17, 2011, 01:13 PM

my oneill spring 3/2 is over ten years old and it is still working great. i wear mine year round (except in dead winter 50+ degree h2o when i wear my 4/3 psycho) and i have warmth and durability (has survived south america and hawaii several times). the price has been worth it. fit is perfect.

Ray F.

Jun 17, 2011, 06:14 PM

O'neill gets my money for wetsuits and board shorts. The 3.5/2.5 Psychofreak takes me through the winter here in VA & it's really flexible. The goorus are super flexy, too. I've had the occasional small leak at the seams, but they hold out through the season and I've never been charged for a repair, yet. My newest one is 3 years old. When they stop doing that, I'll probably starting drinking the xcel kool-aid. They seem to make a lot of people happy.

The board shorts stretch & are the cheapest I can find.