...funny... my buddy just called me up and did the 20 questions thing about mine. It turned out he was on his way up to the Ironworks shop up in Ventura to go get one but he wanted my opinion of the suit. Its a great suit. They have made massive improvements in their suits in a very short period of time. I had the first generation, the second, and now the third generation front zip. Every year they made it better. This years frontzip model is incredible. Taped & glued seams, new designs in the shoulder, the knee pads, and the double gasket around the neck means almost no water getting flushed into my suit at all. The wool lets me wear thinner wetsuits as well. It feels great & super flexible btw. I can only tell you about how it does in the water here... very good. This year was the best year for them. I think they turned the corner. Regarding price... the reason I have had the last three years models is that they keep replacing them for me. At no charge. They have been trying to perfect their suits and I truley think they have. Everytime I have brought the suit in for repairs, they have just given me a new one. Hands down, the best guarantee in the business. No doubt. Same for their booties and gloves. I am able to wear the 2 mm comfortably in down to 55 degrees, from there you need to switch over to the 3mm down to 48 degrees, and for you guys... the R4 (yes, a four mil) is designed for 38 to 48 degree water. That's pretty bad ass. I can wear my R2 (2mm) almost year round out here (there is a couple months in the late winter the water will drop into the low 50's and I need to switch to my "winter" suit) . Regarding the hippie thing... yeah. No doubt about it. Patagonia was one of the “1% For the Planet” founders. 1% for the planet is an alliance of companies that commit at least 1% of their total sales to the environment. Patagonia gives 1% of their total sales or 10% of the profits, whichever is more. That's pretty cool in my book. And this wasn't a new green fad thing for them. They have always been this way. Ya gotta respect that.
omg, i forgot i even posted up here. thanks for the thoughts pumpmaster and mofosufer. i wonder what i'll get.
4'3 suit gotta 4'3 ripcurl suit in great condition only two years old, no leaks or rips if you wanna buy for cheap
Mofosurfer, that's a pretty compelling testimonial. For what it's worth, the Patagonia R4 is actually a 5/4/3. That's not a negative for me though - I've only heard great things about their suits. I need a new winter suit (5/4/3) and am trying to decide between the Xcel Infinity at $237, the Xcel Drylock at $400 , and the Patagonia R4 at $600. All suits can be found online - no sales tax, no shipping charge. If price were no object, I'd definitely go with the Patagonia. I may yet. By the way, I've seen the Drylock at a local shop in OCMD at this same price, after factoring in the 15% off sales price. If I can't bring myself to spring for the R4, does anyone have an opinion on the Xcel Infinity versus the Xcel Drylock? At a price difference of $163, it's tempting to go with the less expensive Infinity. But if it's the difference between comfort and discomfort (stoked vs. non-stoked), the money would be well worth it.
this was just posted like a week ago we cant honestly be going through another winter wetsuit thread the other one is already like 8 pages long just look at that one ________ silver surfer review
I had the hooded 5/4/3 Xcel Infinity for several years and it was the warmest suit ive owned. held up really well - no complaints - great suit. Last year I replaced it with the hooded 5/4/3 Xcel infinity drylock - they were only a few $ more expensive last year than the reg. Infinity. They have tighter fitting cuffs (the "drylock" feature) and wont leak up the sleeves no matter how bad a beating you take. Otherwise very similar to the regular infinity and IMO not worth $150+ more. The suit is ridiculously warm...last winter i surfed several sessions in water in the 30s including one session with ice on the chin and wasnt cold.
i can get u a body glove for 25%.... i have the vapor 5 mil and i love it let me know if ur interested
i just got a west wetsuit that chaz was selling and its warm and stretchy. even though they would cost alot i would recommend them to anyone.
Patagonia wearers down here wear the R2 throughout the winter, including when the water gets close to 40 degrees. That's a 2mm! I went to buy one today, but they had a left over 2009 3.5/2.5 Psycho Freak on sale for $350.
Got my boy a 5/4 O'Neill with zip on/removable hood. Very stretchy and very warm. No back zip and very warm. He loved it. Much better than my older O'Neill with less stretch and the back zip. Never TOO much rubber in the winter.
I just got my HyperFlex 5/4/3 Flow from wetsuit world in Stone Harbor. It was 216. 68 after a 10% coupon I got off there website. It has great strech and there cut fits me very well. I will post up some pics of it and do a product review as well for all who are interested . Dont let the price of the lear you away. They are a very well made suit the quailty and customer service is awsome
