Stab Magazine | Wintermission: This Is The Wetsuit For Those Marathon Super Sessions This Winter

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

533 Views

Wintermission: This Is The Wetsuit For Those Marathon Super Sessions This Winter

At ease on high seas.

style // May 5, 2018
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

A warm suit is your best defence against premature sessions.

Of course if conditions appeal and you’re desperate to satiate, your tolerance for resisting the elements elevates.

However, when you’re cold, your body’s burning more fuel to stay warm. Enter dehydration and exhaustion, and the simplest of roll-ins can become monumental challenges. Eventually, you can no longer take the humiliating beatings, the shivering chills, and the towel is thrown.

Jack Lynch and Mitch Crews both gave Xcel’s Drylock 3/2 steamer a spin during our stay down under the land down under. It was, after all, Tasmania, Australia’s coldest reaches, and according to our intel, Xcel’s rubber candidate had emphasised heat retention in its design.

Excel Nick Green Hero

Stumbling upon a crisp, deserted wedge, last thing you want is be forced out prematurely by the chills.

It was a shock to the system facing colder waters and chilly winds, coming straight from Antarctica – not to mention our talent had been surfing in boardshorts days before around their balmy Byron Bay and Gold Coast homelands.

The suit’s debut was in textbook winter conditions. We needed to bank clips early in the trip. What we didn’t need was cold, exhausted talent. The sun barely broke through the rain. Our test subjects we’re satisfied their core temp remained unaltered.

Jack noted a lack of water entry, praising the tightly-taped sleeves and Drylock chest zip system, that his chest felt noticeably toasty blanketed in their so-called ‘Hollow Fiber Internal Thermal’ lining. Mitch got a kick out of the magnetic zip seal.

You can shop Xcel’s Drylock 3/2 here or see more from Stab and SurfStitch’s Tasmanian wetsuit field study here.

Xcel Jack IMG2

Keeping the chest warm is vital because “that’s where the heart is,” proclaims Jack Lynch.

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