Wintermission: The Wetsuit For Those Who Love Accoutrements And Performance Detailing

First impressions? Stealth-black, futuristic, and… those seam lines! You can bet that Hurley has some research-based reasoning for their existence.

The same went for the Hurley Advantage Max 3/3’s ‘Paddle Assist Panels’. We weren’t sure a handful of hours in a non-controlled environment would prove their worth, but Mitch Crews put them through their paces, regardless.

Crewsey has history with Hurley, previously sporting the )( logo on rubber and the deck of his board. So, we thought he’d be a great test subject to gauge how their suits have been advancing in the years since, and opted for him to test ride their suit early in the trip.

Paddle Assist Panels got him into this one…

The crew unanimously praised the suit’s subtle colour palette (even the infamous leg stripes were blacked out). Plus the zipperless entry didn’t choke. 

Mitch tightened the pull string, waxed his graffed DHD and took off down the path. The air was chilly, especially once the sun had disappeared behind the steep surrounding cliffs. 

Spectators huddled in coats, beanies and gloves, while our rubber-clad surfers, including Mr Crews, were fine-wrapped in the season’s latest neoprene.

Mr Crews positions a blob of blue tack and enters a novel access point.

“It sucked onto me like a second skin,” he stated in the carpark after a sunset session of rebounding ramps and unpredictable tunnels. “I like the fact that there’s no zip and I felt pretty free. It’s a quality wetsuit. As soon as you get into it, it feels great.”

You can shop the Hurley Advantage Max 3/3 here, or see more suits from our Tasmanian field study here.