This winter I'm gonna need a new 4/3 wetsuit for surfing in Vabeach and OBX. Plan on getting the excel 4/3 drylock for my winter suit but not sure if I should get one with a attached hood or one with out. If anyone on here has these suits, could I get some input from you?
I have a 4/3 dry lock and it's a very good suit. My vote would be for the hood/vest separate from suit.
Oneil Mutant 4/3 is my favorite. Has a detachable hood. Wore it this morning without the hood. Dries faster than my hyperflex 3/2.
i got a 5/4 xcel drylock and its probably best the suit ive ever owned. id grab the 4/3 without the hood and a polypro
This is what I use for fall & spring in ME. The detachable hood is a great feature. The suit works perfectly with and without the hood...so go this route.
What do you guys wear for a seperate hood on a 4/3 chest zip? Has anyone found a decent hood that doesn't flush? I've had issues where my hood will sometimes pull out from the front of the neck. I would prefer not to wear a hood attached to a vest if possible. I just bought a 4/3 e-bomb but wasn't sure which hood to go with.
It's also fun to just wear the detachable hood and board shorts in the summer months. No one f's with you.
I have the xcel drylock 4/3 with the built-in hood. Very warm, very leak resistant, and noticably lighter and more supple neoprene than 5 mil Xcels. It will be all the suit you need for VA bch/OBX. If you really plan to do a lot of surfing in January-March in any kind of waves with size you will like it better than buying the regular 4/3 and a bonnet hood.
I got the O'Neill Pyro-Tech 5.5/4 with attached hood and it basically does not seal at the neck at all if you don't zip the hood up, so if you duck dive with the hood back you end up flushing multiple gallons of water down the suit.. I did this when I had velcro-sealed my fin-socks over the legs and ended up with comically inflated balloon-legs full of water.
i surfed w/ a guy in panama a few years back to was legitimately allergic to sunlight/uv rays; he wore a full body lycra/thin neoprene suit & a hat while surfing. & he always had a longsleeve shirt & hat on while on land. any skin that was exposed beyond that was slathered in spf 1000
For a 4/3 I would get the Mutant with the zip on hood. For a 5/4 I would get an xcel with the hood attached.