Kids' Wetsuits Were NOT Always That Great - Stab Mag
564 Views
Velamattive by Flykngimages

Kids’ Wetsuits Were NOT Always That Great

The second class citizens of the wetsuit world no more.

elsewhere // May 20, 2022
Words by Coral McDuffee
Reading Time: 3 minutes

My armpits loathe bad wetsuit technology.

Remember that dreaded size 4-16 youth rack that was littered with stiff rubber, awful seam-work, and slow-drying technology? We accepted the red holes that burrowed into skin crevices, a neon color scheme or two, and that forever wet wetsuit smell that still lingers in our parents’ cars. 

Not only did we endure the suits, we lived in them — until the holes were unmanageable or blinding. 

Nowadays, kids are fortunate enough to have access to the same high performance materials and construction as adults.

Buell’s Junior RB1 and RB2 wetsuit lines are smaller replicas of Jamie O’Brien’s and Dane Reynolds’ signature suits.

Some of the world’s best juniors have taken a liking to the high-performance materials. As a result, Buell has one of the most impressive youth rosters in surfing.

There’s Teddy Wittemann, the 14-year-old USA Surfing East Coast Champion, whose favorite suits are the JOB RB1 Springsuit and the RB1 Accelerator 3/2 Fullsuit. The Melbourne native will be putting his 3/2 to the test in the upcoming USA National Championships at Lower Trestles.

Good luck finding one of these at Lowers, Teddy.

Chesney Guinotte is fearless. The 13-year-old can be seen charging Waimea, Pipe, Sunset, Rocky, and V-Land in her girls’ long sleeve kind cut. Her sights are set on big-wave records and a college degree.

Chesney Guinotte emerges from Backdoor looking unfazed.

Athan John Robertson is an 11-year-old surfer from Jacksonville, Florida. The preteen has his sights set on the CT and has a list of accolades to back it.

Athan with a perfected podium grin

Brody Piece (aka Broshacula) is a lil beastie from NorCal. At Pleasure Point, he rocks his JOB RB1 Tiger 4/3. The 2021 NSSA Mini Grom Champion has plans to charge (more) Pipeline.

The first of a series, I’m sure.

Zoey Kaina, for Stab High Ladybird, has her sights set on Olympic Gold and World Title (or two). Lately, she’s been dominating the U12 NSSA Open in her RB1 Accelerator 3/2.

Zoey Kaina displaces more water than most men

Vela Mattie wants to land an air reverse. Undeniably, she has the potential to do so – the Santa Barbara local recently scored a perfect ten and took the win at the Rincon Classic.

Vela Matte showering her onlookers.

Buell’s breakthrough technology saves pits and stretches grom sessions to the max.

Make your kids’ day here

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Kelly Slater + Occy On Why The Returning World Champs Should Break Something

And why we’d love to see a Ryan Burch (or insert other psychedelic foam experiment)…

Nov 28, 2025

Roasted: Harry Bryant On The Edge Of A Typhoon In The East China Sea

Xi runs the state, Haz runs the rivermouth.

Nov 27, 2025

How To Order A Surfboard In 2025

Donald Brink, Chris Christenson, and Jon Pyzel on how not to piss off your shaper…

Nov 26, 2025

A New Rule For The 2026 CT Season Puts Carissa, Steph, + John John At An Immediate Disadvantage

The revamped CT format is gloriously cutthroat.

Nov 25, 2025

From The Indies Trader To Vela: How Boats Are Debunking Surfing’s “Crowded World” Narrative

Torren Martyn + the man who named Cloud 9 discuss the laziness of surf tourism…

Nov 23, 2025

“It’s A Gene Pool Of Cool, But It Comes With Every Bag Of Shit That Goes With It”

There’s a new Fletcher documentary you’ll probably want to watch.

Nov 23, 2025

Ikea Is Not A Surf Brand

Is surfing facing a ChatGPT epidemic?

Nov 21, 2025

EAST With Mikey February, Episode Three

Task: Find bluewater barrels in the USA... in summertime.

Nov 21, 2025

Did You Actually Think Gabby Medina Would Sit Out 2026?

The comeback tour just keeps getting bigger.

Nov 20, 2025

Yet Another World Champ Announces His Return To The 2026 World Tour

JJF is back. 

Nov 19, 2025

Steph Gilmore To Join Carissa Moore On 2026 Tour

13 World Titles rejoined the CT WhatsApp thread this past week. How will they fare?

Nov 18, 2025

A Brief History Of The Aerial ft. Bruce Irons, Christian & Nate Fletcher And More

Dylan Graves unearths the facts, the firsts, and the controversial debates shaping surfing's above the…

Nov 18, 2025

Who Has The Right To ‘Protect’ A Hidden Wave?

In surfing's new-age colonialism, everybody's right and everybody's wrong.

Nov 16, 2025

Watch Snapt 5: The Final Cut

After twenty-two years, this is Logan Dulien's biggest mic drop yet. Probably.

Nov 13, 2025

Guess Who’s Back

New mom Carissa Moore to make her Championship Tour return in 2026.

Nov 13, 2025

Where Is Our Mind?

Why we just filmed another 'Stab in the Dark'... before releasing Kelly.

Nov 12, 2025

The Greatest British Surf Conspiracy Of Our Time

Multiple bankruptcies, Russian oligarchs, environmental fugitives and a... wavepool?

Nov 9, 2025

Unlocked: Shark-Eyed Prince João Mendonça In ‘Same Same’

You won’t hear much from the young Portuguese surfer's mouth, but his SEOTY entry says…

Nov 9, 2025
Advertisement