patagonia or xcel

ive never had a patagonia wetsuit but i have one of their epoxy boards which is well made

 

i have a billabong 3/2 wetsuit, which i dint see you mentioned that, I like it but i think thats its a foil which is a good wetsuit in terms of warmth. Its not as flexible as other ones that are more expensive but if you are looking to not spend a lot of money then i would just go for the foil

 

I wear a Billabong Revolution zipperless steamer and i think its real flexible and warm. I would go with the Solution Platinum, they are very well made and probably really flexible.

 

I would go with the patinum cause it sounds like money to spend but if your on a budget go with the foil

 

Patagonia's are heavier...believe me....think wet wool......excel's are heavy too tho. I have a quiver of wetsuits all xcel everything from 2mm to 5/4/3. 3/2 I would go for an xcel ...anything higher than a 3/2 tho I would get something else. Maybe like a Vapor. Or something else. From my experience anything above a 3/2 in xcel is hella heavy. Drylocks in particular are heavier.

True story.....My buddies 5/4/3 Body Glove Vapor weights less than my 4/3 xcel. Xcel make great 3/2 suits. Anything after that that are heavy and restricting. Body Glove Vapor FTW!

 

i have a 4/3 xcel infiniti and i can't see a suit being much better than this. i have owned a number of suits and this is without question the best. highly recommended. i'm sure the 3/2 is just as good. i have an xcel 3/2 but it's just like their base model or whatever. also good, but nothing to rave about. i'd definitely go with an infiniti

 

Never had a patagonia, but I've seen one of their 5/3 models. It looked pretty sick with this stuff called merino wool material in the hood to keep you warmer. They've got a retro meets new school style going on and I've heard their suits are very good. Excel on the other hand is a very reliable company. The material is very light and stretches just enough. I'd suggest getting the ultra stretch models. they're sick.

 

ive also been lookin at the patagonia wetsuits since my stuff now is on the way out. and i have also narrowed it down to xcel and patagonia. the only big difference i can find is the materials, as far as recycled materials and less impact, patagonia uses more recycled materials. i called for specs too, mainly for the warranty on materials because i heard/read (cant recall) that they have a lifetime warranty on all materials. unfortunately my call was lost. (gotta love cell phones.) so if they do carry the lifetime warranty i would say there is no real choice. not to mention the great name patagonia has already for outerwear products. even tho a bit more expensive, im a firm believer in you get what you pay for.

 

Be thoughtful in your decision

I would definitely look into the Patagonia suits, as they are made with limestone-based neoprene which has a far less environmental impact. If you're interested in that type of material, also check out Matuse suits, I believe it's the same type of materials and all, it might just be a cheaper cost, I'm not sure.

But I strongly encourage you (and everyone) to always look at buying surf goods (boards, suits, gear, etc.) with an environmental eye. By that I mean looking at what the real cost is to produce, what materials are used in the production phases, shipping costs/impacts (it takes fuel/CO2 to get that product to you, if shipped), and how long that might last you, what you will do with the gear once it is no longer of use to you.

And with saying that.. look into some used gear. I cannot stress this enough! You can find so much cheap stuff all over the internet, and even then it is usually shipped, you won't be purchasing virgin materials, so you save that cost/effect in buying used. By buying used, you're saving landfill space, giving old gear a new fresh start, helping a bro out by buying from them, and going easy on your wallet!

Think about it. Please take my humble words into account during your decisions.

 

i can personally recomend the xcel drylock i have a 3/2 a 4/3 and a 5/4/3 and although i cannot speak on the patagonia, i work in a shop and have tried all of these suits on and i think the xcel product is superior in stretch warmth and price. The psycho 2 is way overpriced when it is outlcassed by the psycho freak and the flexibility of the drylock in addition to the watertight cuffs make it the best suit i own and i cannot wait to get into it. Try a patagonia before you make a decision, but i can personally recomend that the drylock is an amazing suit.

 

Get a Matuse... I have 4/3 and the thing is amazing. It dries super fast cause of the closed cell geoprene and the thing feels like butter. Great suit.

 

as far as flex goes, patagonia's wetsuit is probably going to be on par with every other suit out there - the kicker is how long you want it for. do

you want to buy an xcel/ripcurl/oneil/quiksilver and have it bust on you and be done for good after 2 years, or do you want to be able to have a company stand 100% behind it's product with a lifetime warranty and guarantee? We;ve all been through many wetsuits, and most of those wetsuits are ripped and done for after 2-3 seasons. I recently got a new suit, after my cell ripped - i called quiksilver when my cell split open at the chest panel and since I was out of the one year warranty they wouldn't do anything about it. Patagonia allows you to send it back, they fix it, and send it back for you, for life. Not only that, but they have the limestone based suit instead of neoprene (see above posts). Think sustainable, live sustainable. Our petroleum based neoprene suits are terrible for the earth, and completely unsustainable. Use for 2 years and then sit in a landfill for eternity? No thanks!

 

http://www.matuse.com/

Best suits out there right now IMO.

Expensive but so is Patagonia.

 

Go with

The Matuse!!!! I have two of these suits and they are by far the best suits out there. Most if not all wetsuits are made from a limestone based neoprene now We had the ripcurl rep come into the shop and do an in depth showing of their line. Their wetsuits are all limestone based neoprene. And just to clear this up the limestone based neoprene is not exactly the best for the environment either. Now as far as flexibility, Matuse suits stretch 3x's the length of your body but the psycho II will stretch almost 8 times your body length. But that does not really make sense now does it? People often confuse stretch with comfort.

Rip Curl has the best warranty in the industry hands down. (I am unsure of patagonias). They will often replace entire panels with no questions asked, and I stand by their warranty. Excel's warranty blows because to return as suit they will charge you with out a doubt and if you return your suit to a shop it requires and RA for the repairs to be free.

The Matuse wetsuits feel like butter when you put then on and feel different then regular suits. They have a silk lining which makes them super comfy. Matuse's are also made with Yammamoto Rubber which is the best in the world. It is worth the money to go with the Matuse.

 

get a matuse. all the cool kids are doing it. haha gotcha

 

hey

Isnt slater riding one of those stubby little quads? guess thats the new trend