WINTERMISSION 2.0: BILLABONG

As he did last year, Mitch Crews snatched straight at the Billabong skin and accompanying accessories the moment they fell from the back of the van. He’s unashamedly a fan of the Bong’s rubber, citing all-round excellence – so much for our non-bias agenda…

“It’s a beautiful wetsuit,” he said on first impressions. “The logos are nice and minimal, there’s not too much going on with it.”

While pop colours and vibrant panels can be fun wrapped on certain people, most of us aren’t in the water to seek attention from others, particularly in a foreign lineup. Sometimes it’s best to play low key and let your surfing do the talking (or whispering).

This suit isn’t all sleek appearances, it’s got plenty of top-tier performance features to back it up, mainly its Airlight Stretch fabric, which is reportedly engineered to stretch 350% of its resting state.  

Wrapping your hands around and giving it a tug confirms its elastic nature. For a three mil suit, made of upcycled car tyres, the thing is super light. 

“All in all this was the favourite suit that I wore.” recounted Crews in our suburban backyard. “It’s flexy, warm and pretty affordable. With the hood and boots you can battle some pretty gnarly elements.

“I’ve got a fair few Billabong wetties at home and I wear them all the time, this new one is even better!”

SHOP IT HERE.