Winter Wetsuit Guide for New England

It's that time of year again, time for flannels, puffy jackets, and yes.... winter suits!!! As the air and water temps begin to drop I wanted to do a quick preview and update on our winter suit line-up for this year. We've currently got the following four suits in stock and well have em' here all season long.

O'neill Psycho RG8 5.5/4mm Hooded Wetsuit

The Psycho RG8 5.5/4mm Hooded Wetsuit is bound to keep you warm in cold conditions. It offers added warmth from the RG8-Air Firewall without sacrificing flexibility and has been tested by O'Neill's most intense team riders in the most frigid waters across the globe.

MSRP: $430
Max Thickness: 5.5mm
Zipper: Chest
Sleeves: Long-sleeve
Hood: Fixed Hood
Thermal Lining: Chest, Back
Seams: Single Fluid Seam Weld
Material: Limestone-based neoprene and recycled plastics on the inner and outer layers
Chest and Back, Lining: RG8-Air Firewall is an Eco-Friendly version of the XDS-Air Ultra stretch neoprene

Neck Facing: Glideskin
Details: Plasma Wrist and Ankle Seals
Krypto Knee Pads
F.U.Z.E. closure system
Dual drain holes in the arm and back
Code red zipper
Exterior single fluid seam weld
Super minimal seam design
LSD - lumbar seamless design
External key pocket with loop

O'neill Heat 6/5/4mm Hooded Wetsuit

The Heat 6/5/4mm Hooded Wetsuit from O'neill. The updated Heat for 2010 comes with many of O'neills high end features.

MSRP: $380
Max Thickness: 6mm
Zipper: Chest
Sleeves: Long-sleeve
Hood: Fixed Hood
Seams: SuperSeam Stitchless Weld
Thermal Lining: Chest, Back
Neoprene: Ultraflex DS
Lining: Firewall Insulation
Product Features:
Strategic Seamless Paddle Zones
Double Super Seal Neck
Krypto knees
Covert red zipper (high end zipper stands up to salt and abuse)
External key pocket with loop

Ripcurl Flash Bomb 5/4 Hooded Wetsuit

The Flash-Bomb is the next generation in Bomb technology, resulting in the world's lightest, warmest, most flexible AND FASTEST drying wetsuit.

Dry in a flash-Flash Dry is an exclusive New Wave Technology with 2 Engineered Layers. The first layer is designed so the water passes through it directly into the 2nd layer. The 2nd layer then funnels the water rapidly out of the suit once it is hung up.

MSRP: $440
Flash Dry lining is one of the warmest, most comfortable linings available.
Stitchless Technology for a strechier and warmer suit
E3 Tape plus Aquaban Combo provides the ultimate waterproof seal
Aqualock Waterproof Zipper
4 Wat Stretch Panels
Hydro Lock Collar
Drainage System
S Flex Knees
Stash Pocket
E3 Plus Action Panel Hood - Reduces hood snap back
Engineered Chin Cup - To be comfortable as possible
Cord Lock Down
Improved Peripheral Vision

Rip Curl E-Bomb 5.5/4.5mm Hooded Wetsuit

The E-Bomb hooded full suit is the ultimate performance hooded suit for the Surfer who wants to stay warm in exteme cold conditions but also wants to be as flexible as possible...... It's true that the thickness of the neoprene dictates the warmth of a wetsuit. Rip Curl has upped the thickness an extra 1/2 millimeter to allow maximum warth as well as maximum flexibility! Designed for water temperatures under 50 degrees.

MSRP: $340
Elastomax 3 Neoprene
4 way back stretchBluesteel Zipper
E3+ Tape
External GBS
Chest Zip
Lock slide design zipper
Bluesteel Zipper
Drainage system
Seamless underarms and shoulders
S Flex knee pads

The most flexible wintersuit for the money on the market!

We've got an insane lineup of boots and gloves too. 3mil to 7 mil in round toe/split toe and five finger/3 finger/mittens. Want to be warm? Stop in and we'll make it happen for you!!!

Time for an UPGRADE: The Ripcurl FLASH-BOMB IS IT!!!

You might not guess it but ESPN has one of the best surf blogs going staffed by some telented writers and surfers. This blog comes to you from Jake Howard and this dude knows his sh*t!!!

"This fall you could wear your wetsuit from last year. You could. You could dig it out from the back of the garage, dust it off, check the sleeves for black widows, and you'd be good to go. Oh, but the glory of a new wetsuit. It's hard to resist.
Coincidentally, Rip Curl reached out to us a couple of weeks ago to see if we'd be interested in "field testing" their new Flash Bomb wetsuit -- a solicitation that just so happen to coincide with a dramatic drop in the Pacific Ocean's temperature. Due diligence in mind, we entertained the offer and went surfing. The result: think furry convention meets Mick Fanning.

The immediate reaction upon first climbing into the fuzz-lined 3-mil: "Mmm, cozy." It's like putting on a pair of fleece pajamas, or maybe a mink coat, or maybe if you're Matt Wilkinson a cheetah costume you can surf in. It's got all the flex and comfort of a normal top-of-the-line suit, but thanks to Rip Curl's "Flash Dry" lining, it has an extra little tickle in it. The claim to fame is that the Flash Bomb dries in 30 minutes or less. The selling point is that you won't ever have to sling on a soggy suit again. Does Rip Curl pull either off? Pretty much, yep.

"The Flash Dry lining is what we call a double-layer knit fabric." says P.J. Elbing, Rip Curl's Director of Technical Products. "When water hits the top layer it wicks to the second layer of the material. When the water hits the second layer, gravity allows it to drip down and out the bottom of the panel. The result is a lining that is dry and warm to the touch within 30 minutes."

Why it rules:
The idea of never putting on a wet wetsuit is pretty dang enticing. As Taylor Knox says, "I used to have to have a quiver of wetsuits, but not any more." Because you can take the suit off, and literally in 30 minutes it will be dry to the touch (I timed it, mine took 18 minutes in the sun before it was good to go again), the worry of cold dawn patrols and shocker lunch sessions is severely mitigated.

"Our development team spent over two years testing and refining the new Flash Dry material," says Elbing. "We went through six versions to arrive at a point where drying time, flexibility, weight, and durability were up to our highest standards. We performed both in-field and lab tests on new developments to quantify key variables such as stretch, weight, warmth and durability. Once we fine-tuned these attributes, we were ready to release the suit."

The seams are taped on the inside and out, so not a drop of water leaks through, which makes the suit all the more toasty. And with the chest zip version you don't get any seepage from the zipper. (A back zip model is available for $30 less, and I'm sure it works fine.) All told, it's a very warm, very well designed suit that feels like it'd would keep you warm even when the water temps start to dance in the low 50s.

In about a dozen sessions the suit was never once rash inducing, which is nice. It moved well in the water, although to be fair, I'm deathly scared of peeing in it. Growing up in colder water I'm a huge proponent of the sacred ritual, but this double-knit fabric and water tight fit has me worried. Otherwise, stoked, it's a great suit that I'd recommend to any one of my gainfully employed friends. At $400 it's not cheap, but then can you really put a price on creature comforts?"

Where to find it:
Support your local surf shop. Buy it here at Pioneers, 3/2s and 4/3s in stock with 5/4s on the way!!! We are your number one resource for Surf, Skate, and Snow on the Seacoast!!!!

Rip Curl Flash Bombs in @ Pioneers in NH

The NEWEST, LATEST, & GREATEST wetsuit from Ripcurl has ARRIVED!!!!!

The Ripcurl FLASH BOMB is HERE!!!!

Here is the suit both right side and inside out!!!

There is SO MUCH amazing Technology in the new Flash Bomb so I'll try and highlight the key features!!!!

-Flash Dry Lining -two layers that when combined allow the suit to drain and dry in a flash! Super awesome when your planning on a multi session day.

-E3 Neoprene- Ripcurls highest quality neoprene. Lighter, warmer, more flexible.

-Stitchless Seam Technology- Double taped, stitchless seems eliminate pinhole leaks creating more flex and the most waterproof durable seams.

To sum it all up here is a great video both explaining the suit and showing some of it's keep features.

Here is the proof....

And because we never doing anything half ass we've got the Flash Bomb Boots, Gloves, and Hooded Vest to keep you warm and STOKED all season long!!!