So my 4/3 rip curl is ripping on the seams everywhere after only a year... Any suggestions on good reasonably priced 4/3s?
Have had good luck with Billabong Foil 4/3 - used for almost 3 years. Body Glove Legends 4/3 is what I have now - so far so good.
Rip curl has one of the best warranty policies, send it back they will re glue and stich the entire thing
I've owned nothing but rip curls for over 20 years. Never had a problem. I'm mental about caring for them, fresh water rinse each session, wash them in baby shampoo 1x a month, never dry in sun, hang dry properly. My suits last for about 4-5 seasons before the seams wear enough that I have to touch them up with repair glue. That said, I just shipped my 3yr old winter suit back to Rip Curl for a major neck seam tear, I caused by rushing one morning. Was quoted $35. Although I do find newer rip curl and oneill gloves and boots don't last at all, they leak after one season. I used to get 10+ years out of boots and gloves - would only replace them because of stank. Now they're crap.
like Gfootr, i've worn only rip curls for the last 10 years or so & never had a problem (& while i take good care of my suits, i don't go to the lengths he does). their warranty policy is second only to patagonia's. send it back & they will fix it. what rip curl suit is it, out of curiosity?
Ripcurl didn't honor my warranty when I sent it back for a bad seam after two years because the store I bought it at issued a handwritten receipt instead of a printed one. Bogus. Went Xcel after that and I've been extremely pleased with the ones I've owned, including the xzip2 4/3 I wear right now.
Quicksilver cypher - I got a hooded 4/3- lasted me years and was cheap. It still doesn't leak! It's fairly light and really warm and fairly flexible- for the price.
my winter suit is a ripcurl ( Fbomb zipperless and its about 5 seasons old with heavy use and this is the first year that the seams are failing. The rubber is still pretty supple so maybe i'll might just repair them to save money. i do all the same things you do with my suits except the baby shampoo. why are you shampooing? is it just to clean them or does it condition the rubber or something?
My suit is a a rip curl dawn patrol I think is the type it's a cheaper suit but still I've only used it 20 ish times
yep...baby shampoo/wetsuit shampoo conditions the neoprene & makes it all nice & soft & supple again. it's like having a new suit that doesn't smell like 3 month old cat piss.
dogfunk.com or whiskey militia, bought a 4/3 excel infinty for $180. toasty warm, flexible w/good neoprene and durable with taped seams.
Wetsuit shampoo is like $10+. Baby shampoo is like 2buck chuck. But yes, the shampooing helps keep it flexible and of course kills the cat piss smell. Too much asparagus...
My O'Neill epic 3/2 kinda sucks. Have had it for a year and it is already peeling of seams on inside shoulders.
