Best Wetsuits 2020: Billabong Furnace Natural - Stab Mag

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

2479 Views
Sooo Billabong missed the photo shoot. Frame grabs will have to suffice. Photo: Ben Judkins

Best Wetsuits 2020: Billabong Furnace Natural

Eco-friendly AND performance-oriented? Sign us up.

hardware // Jan 3, 2021
Words by Michael Ciaramella
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Watch the complete 2020 Best Wetsuits test here.

This suit changed the way I look at life as a whole. Sounds dramatic, but it’s true. Prior to testing the Billabong Furnace Natural, my presumption was that everything “eco” and “recycled” was inherently worse in performance than its climate-killing equivalent. Sounds foolish now that I type it out, but that’s how my subconscious was primed. 

Today, I see things differently.

Lying on the beach in the Billabong suit.
Candid photo. I do this all the time. Photo: Ben Judkins.

To be clear, the Furnace Natural is made from 100% recycled materials, most of them having been scooped up from the ocean itself. On top of that, the suit’s materials are designed to quickly and completely decompose when it finally reaches a landfill (but not a second before!) All of which sounded great when I read it, but it also made me skeptical of the suit’s wearability. Was this thing gonna weigh a thousand pounds? Stand stiffer than a sixth-grader’s tube sock? Literally disintegrate in the brine?

To both my surprise and delight, I experienced none of the above. In fact, the suit was incredibly light, limber, and structurally sound, and the Graphene lining kept me reasonably toasty despite the mid-November chill. The Furnace Natural was easily the biggest surprise in our 2020 Best Wetsuits test, and probably my favorite suit to wear for a number of reasons—not the least of which was my total absence of guilt. 

Official Scorecard
Warmth: 38/50
Comfort: 50/50
Bonus: 5 for eco-friendly
Total: 93/100

Billabong Furnace Natural 3/2 ($449.95)

Billabong's Nobel Prize-winning Graphene lining.

Billabong Furnace Natural 3/2 ($449.95)

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

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024

The Secret Behind Lungi Slabb’s Inconceivable Greenmount Funnel

Six broken boards, one leaking forehead, and five days of Superbank mysticism.

Mar 16, 2024

Cheat Codes: A Million Miles Worth Of Travel Advice From Coco Ho

Hard-earned wisdom from more than 2,000 hours in the troposphere.

Mar 15, 2024
Advertisement