I am about done with my 4/3mm wetsuit as the water is warm. I was rinsing it after this mornings session and there is a worn through spot near the elbow, a small worn hole. The suit has a year warranty. I wore it every Saturday morning since early November. Geesh, wouldn't a well cared for suit last longer? That's about only 24 sessions. What can you expect? It's a BG liquid seams. Hole is not at the seam. I take really good care of it.
Betty, Six months of once a week use should not cause the neoprene at the elbow to be worn through. I've never had any wetsuits that did anything remotely like that. If the suit has a 1 year warranty, and you've taken care of it, BG should fix it or replace it under the warranty. 24 sessions in six months is a lot less use than i would expect to get out of a quality wetsuit before failure.
Ditto to what mitchell said. It should last alot longer, I've had my 4/3 for 2 winters, surfing pretty consistently and its still going strong. Can probably use it another winter at least
failure at knee/crotch seams and punctures maybe...but worn out no. just finished my second winter on my oneil mutant 5/4 and had to aquaseal the knee pad. Maybe 40-50 uses.
i think you've used it a lot,and if you're rough on suits this can happen,but if it's a top of the line vapor body glove i'd consider sending it back.i've been using way less expensive hyperflex and just buy new suits more often.24 surfs is a lot,so,is it a vapor or a cheaper body glove?
I used my 4/3 Psycho for 7 years. Had a small hole near the knee and covered it with Aquaseal. Now its just worn but still works fine. However my girlfriend said she doesnt want to see me wear that ugly thing again sooo I've replaced it with Xcel hooded 4/3 for winter and Xcel 3/2 for the rest. Talk about great suits! I always wash out my suits after every session and take good care of them when not in use. Makes a difference for longevity.
who's the Manufacturer? I love O'Neils. took a lot of abuse from being slammed and drug across bars. I'm 6'5" and was 225 when I was using them(bench pressing 875 lbs while asleep).The problem was that their 2xl's were for 6'2" 190lbs guys. They did extend the legs but the shoulders were way narrow. Just looked at the size chart here, and found they make a 3xl. for 6'2" fatties.
All helpful comments . I paid $259 for chest entry liquid sealed seams Body Glove Fusion 4/3 suit. Not a fortune, but a lot of money for only one winters once a week sesh. I long board, so maybe I am resting my elbows on the deck more than I realize, but I didn't think so. I use pink wax on my board and there is no wax on the elbow area, I will notice when I go out next time how much i rest elbows. It's too hot now for a 4/3 so I don't mind sending it back to BG. The stitching on a seam is coming undone too, so, will also ask them to fix it.
Yeh. Send it back. Wetsuits shouldnt fall apart that quick. May want to look into a different brand. BG is near the bottom of my list.
i mean the only reason i surf in the winter is so i can pee in my wetsuit. growing up surfing new england, i can handle a couple holes in my suit and the resulting cold water that comes in. My rule of thumb is this: if it can hold the pee, its good enough for me!
