My ol' Ripcurl Trad steamer is so old, it was Made in Australia! Been a great wettie, very durable, had 2 back panels replaced for $50 (they'd perished) a few years back, but it seems to be shrinking as the years go by (funny that 
).
Thinking of going chest zip or zip-free, but some reviewers say "easy to get on, difficult to get off", "chest zip easier to get in & out of", "zip-free more comfortable", etc.
Just wondering what experienced users think out there?
Don't want to pay a fortune, Adrenalin seem to be around the $200-$275 mark for both styles, any thoughts?
3/2 steamer suits me fine for WA in the middle of winter.
If this topic has been raised before (don't regularly read forums), apologies, & please point me to the old (but not too old!) topic, cheers.
I must be a freak at 6'3" and 90 kg because I tried a lot of wetsuits and really struggled to find one that was comfortable and easy to get on and off. I settled with a chest-zip but I find it annoying so most of the time I don't zip it up. (Billabong Xero series with Furnace lining.) My old Rip Curl was very easy but it decomposed 
I have 3 chest zip suits , Matuse, xcel and recently an O'neill ( get them when hot deals) all great suits but definitely not the easiest of things to get off.
My son got a quicksilver zipperless steamer which is perishing in the shoulder, neck area after 4 months, he said its very comfy but would go back to chest zipper.
chest zip works for me, can be hard to get out of when new but i find they are fine when they stretch a bit,
i have a rip curl f-bomb that i picked up on sale for a couple of hundred cheaper, use it if it actually get cold
but lately i have been using wetsuits from www.sanctumsurf.com.au/shop/wetsuits/
ive had a couple now and they go alright, pretty much just been buying a new one for the last couple of winters
Jarryd
If your big in the chest or shoulders a back zip is much easier to get on / off.
A chest zip typically will be easier to get on / off over a zip free. but still way harder than a back zip.
The general concensus is chest zip / zip free allow more movement when paddling prone. I have both back and chest zip and do notice a difference whilst prone paddling. On my sup however i'm more than happy to ride a back zip as I can't feel the difference there.
Back zips now let in less water than other types also.
If you have a bit of a belly, like me, back zips are a pain. very hard to zip and unzip. Plus, if the flap get caught in the zip you are hosed.
Chest zips are my favorite. very flexible, but still somewhat easy to get in/out once you get the trick of removing first an elbow. Rip Curl ones are great, first with their flexible neoprene, second with the trick of zipping from the outside to the inside: the tension thus cannot not pull the zip open!
I hate zip less suits because of the velcro: they are hell to rinse with the loose velcro catching of various parts of the suit.
I struggle to get in and out of any steamer.
I'm too old and fat, but I'll dislocate something trying.
Has actually turned me off surfing when it gets cold.
I've gone to wetsuit pants and a front zipped jacket - lets me dress warm but maintain my dignity.
And not injure myself getting dressed.
Don't know if it will be warm enough through winter - current jacket is 2mm.
But I'm shopping for thicker
I have several friends with zipperless wetsuits, they all hate them for the same reason, they can get in, but they can't get out w/o somebody helping them.
If your under 20 zipper less are ok, had one, never again just had to about dislocate a shoulder to get in and needed help to get out. Went back to the back zip and it's great. But spent the money and got a good fitting custom from NZ company (7th wave). 5 years on still great and pleasure to get on and off
I like long John style wetsuit with a front zip jacket when its cold, nice and warm on the sup and easy to remove.
Recently picked up an Oneil 2mm long John with a front and leg zips ($120 from local surf shop) and no velcro anywhere to destroy the lining, goes well with the Quicksilver front zip jacket. Its not a good combo when I surf prone as to much water comes in around the neck but fine on the sup.
At 50 years old and 88kg I couldn't even get in to a modern one piece wetsuit, tried, I just don't bend that way 
Shark skin wetsuits are great and very easy to get in and out of. You can get them with a front or rear zip.
The chest zip wetsuits certainly are a mission to get out of! If you don't want to break the bank try needessentials.com/ been very happy with my two.
Google Need Essentials,
I have one of thrir front zip wetties and good for the money.
Thanks for tip re Need Essentials, but out of Medium, & after trying some new wetties on have decided to stick with the back zip. The new chest zip steamer tried on in the shop was easy to get into, but verging on Houdini-esque to get out of the f*%@ing thing. Also, I found the zipper to be really fiddly when slotting the tongue into the groove to do up. Maybe it was just that brand. It undoubtedly would end up becoming second nature, & the suit would become easier to get off as it stretches with usage, but judging by the number of comments on other forums, there's a fair number of chest-zip debutantes that drive home from the ball in a wet wettie!!
One of the back-zip steamers I tried on (around the $300+ price bracket, but have seen them approaching adrenalin or need essentials prices), was so light & flexible, easy to get on, rear zip slid up smoothly without catching, great seal around the neck, & ultra-comfortable. Needless to say, it came off in seconds, bliss!
Would it be as warm as a chest-zip & flush-free?? Who cares when you're on a sup! Happy to sacrifice a little warmth for better ease-of-use, can always do a flat-paddle sprint to warm up! 
cantSUPenough. I;m 6`2", 95kgs and the sharkskin is the easiest wet suit to get in and out of i:ve ever had and have had a few. I use it for snorkling sup and kite boarding in winter. Its 2 years old now and still like brand new. I do wash it in adrenalin wet suit wash after every use and dry in the shade. Whatever wet suit you use the adrenalin wash will make it easier to get on and off, just soak for about 20 mins in a tub after use. I thought i was going to need a new 5mm for diving as was getting to hard to get in and out of, the adrenlin bought it back to life, softer and easier to get in and out of. It costs about $12 for a 250ml bottle and you only use 2 caps full in 25l of water and no need to rinse afterwards. After i used the first bottle i opted to just by a 4ltr bottle which cost about $70. much better value as i use it on all my dive gear as well.
