Stab Magazine | Stab's Guide To The Best Wetsuits Of The Year

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

7011 Views

Stab’s Guide To The Best Wetsuits Of The Year

Welcome to “You’ve Got Winter.”

style // Nov 21, 2018
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 3 minutes

It’s generally believed that nearly all wetsuits come from the same factory, and the point of difference between brands is a different logo and a fancy new name for the neoprene used. We set out to prove this wrong. Although, in 2018, there’s no such thing as a bad wetsuit, some suits are just better than others. 

A few weeks back, we rented a Transit 15 passenger van, loaded it with over 70 wetsuits constructed by who we believe to be some of the leading wetsuit manufacturers—Billabong, Vissla, Rip Curl, FERAL, 7TILL8, O’Neill, Xcel, Volcom, Quiksilver, Hurley—and spent five days spanning the coast north of San Francisco to Santa Cruz on a mission to find out exactly who is making the best wetsuits in 2018. 

Welcome to “You’ve Got Winter,” Stab‘s comprehensive field test and guide to the finest suits for the winter season. 

For the entire selection, head here. 

iYZSm
Noah Wegrich in Volcom’s Deadly Stone 3/2mm.

HcNPu
Jesse and the day’s batch of two handshapes and four to-be-tested wettys.
nAXWJ 1
Waggy relaxin’ in the O’Neill Hyperfreak Comp.

We sampled anywhere from three to five suits a day; getting out of the water often two to three times mid-session to put on a new dry suit with wet skin. Which proved rather difficult. 

“It’s all backwards,” Noah Wegrich would exclaim while struggling to get his feet through a recently de-tagged piece of rubber.  

We split the test up into six categories: The Warmest 3/2mm, The Best Wetsuit for Under $300USD, The Stretch And Comfort Award, The Fastest Drying, The LUX Category (or best suit over $450), and The Most Stylish. 

M239h
Mr. Guglielmana in the 7TILL8 Custom 4/3mm.

1ZZ5n
Jesse Guglielmana and a very pleasant carve in Xcel’s Comp X 4/3mm.

Our wetsuiteers, Santa Cruz’s Noah Wegrich, Stab High wildcard and 4’6 foamboard enthusiast, Blair Conklin, designer/shaper Jesse Guglielmana, and myself wore and analyzed each and every suit. The results are above.

This is the first to come in our series, “You’ve Got Winter.” 

wyUMN
Waggy off the Central Coast trampoline in the Feral 4/3mm Backzip.

C42I0259
Blair Conklin in Rip Curls E-Bomb Zipperless.

ydC1d
Five days and 70 something wetsuits later.

For our short doco, hit the triangle above. 

For a detailed analysis of each suit tested, hit this link

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