Gday, doing a road trip through France Spain and Portugal in October to early November and am unsure if ill need a 4/3, or will a good 3/2 be enough. Wear a 3/2 excel east coast winter and its warm as toast.
Anyone been over there that time of year?

Thats almost winter m8...I've been over in summer & it aint that hot. Might get by with a good 3/2, but probably want booties & a hood or cap.

Lived over in Europe on 2 occasions for a total of 4 years, the Atlantic Ocean is cold, even in there summer months, so the time of year your going I was wearing a 4/3 and booties.

Basque coast I was fine in a 3/2 at the end of September. Came straight from an NZ winter though.

Needs essentials have some descent wetsuits for cheap. Think they have ;/3 for around $200. Descent quality to

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Pedster said..
Needs essentials have some descent wetsuits for cheap. Think they have ;/3 for around $200. Descent quality to

2 seasons.

Got me searching. Ordered another oniell. While they've been my go to winter suit maker for a while, it was easy to see a needs as cheap summer option. Wrong. Paid 70GBP for a suit that I trust has got more than 2 seasons in it.

So, $60 more beer money. Yew!!

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Buster fin said..
Got me searching. Ordered another oniell. While they've been my go to winter suit maker for a while, it was easy to see a needs as cheap summer option. Wrong. Paid 70GBP for a suit that I trust has got more than 2 seasons in it.

So, $60 more beer money. Yew!!

Sorry to highjack the thread but where's you get it from Buster? I usually do something similar with xcel wetties but might give O'Neill a crack this year.

Get on board. We can share your beers too. Wetsuit Centre.

Yeah sorry to digress, but I'm very unhappy with my last wetsuit purchase. An excel 3/2 CZ. I'd only used it about 6 times & the plastic zipper pull broke. Not sure how, I went to put it on & noticed it was broken. Put it on anyway, surfed, came in & couldn't get the farging thing off. Had to use a pair of pliers to get it off. Sent it away for repair & it came back with the same cr@ppy plastic zipper pull. Havn't used it since, it was a 2nd suit I bought at the end of winter coz the seams on my quicky are going. I'm scared to put the excel on, I'm gonna have a pair of scissors ready for the next time...my first prerequisite for any future wetsuit purchases will be that it does not have a plastic zipper pull

oneil superfreaks the way to go only about $300
they call them the Defender from last year

Yeah a lot of options out there, seems like 4/3 is the general consensus for where Im going and time of year, my excel 3/2 is a great suit but going to get an O'NEILL Hyperfreak 4/3.Stabmag did a good wetsuit test and it sounds pretty good.Thanks for the input

I'm all about volte

i was a west suits kid growing up
liked sirocco back in the day than he moved to raglan
Didn't mind rip curl but they do not handle any form of punishment and the seams rip
couple o Neil's which were good but weird fit for me and always had baggy legs for the chest size ( probably my gut but I'll say chest to say more manly)

why do do I chose volte ,, down south all the local lads wear them may maynot help get a few more waves at times.
They last I piss in mine get bounced over the reef than leave it in the car for a few days in 40 degree heat before I wash it out and hang it up if I don't just put it on and paddle out.

I did that with every ripaquickbong wetsuit I owned and destroyed them in a season of 2 surfs a week

The volte just loves it, maybe 50 bucks more than a "cheap" option but so much better

They also sponsor locals , kids comps, state rounds, community events, etc etc etc

Look at the big companies quick bong and see how little they put in to grassroots surfing and clubs sweet fa....

volte all the way

if I couldn't get a volte I'd get an O'Neil

a good 3/2 will be way warmer and easier to paddle in than a poorly made 4/3 take that into account when you part with your cash.

I've got a 3 x 2 hyper freak (bought on sale) and its awesome but not even one season and the stitching is coming undone a bit and its starting to flush water / balloon on the legs, cos the suit is soooo stretchy and zipperless so you're stretching that neck area to get into it. Not sure how the 4 x 3 would go after more than one season, but if its one and done, you'll be sweet, if you can get it on sale. I'd buy a hyperfreak again but only on sale.

If you're dead set on an oneil and cold water the other option is the psychofreak which is really warm but also stretchy (less than the hyperfreak but way more durable)..I've had a 3 x 2 for like 3 winter seasons and its holding up great (unlike my old flashbombs which seemed to fall apart immediately or needed to be re-stitched).

If you want some more budget options for cold water, swellnet had a good thread on suits as well from an ex wetsuit designer giving some good info:

www.swellnet.com/forums/wax/392028?page=1

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Razzonater said..
I'm all about volte

i was a west suits kid growing up
liked sirocco back in the day than he moved to raglan
Didn't mind rip curl but they do not handle any form of punishment and the seams rip
couple o Neil's which were good but weird fit for me and always had baggy legs for the chest size ( probably my gut but I'll say chest to say more manly)

why do do I chose volte ,, down south all the local lads wear them may maynot help get a few more waves at times.
They last I piss in mine get bounced over the reef than leave it in the car for a few days in 40 degree heat before I wash it out and hang it up if I don't just put it on and paddle out.

I did that with every ripaquickbong wetsuit I owned and destroyed them in a season of 2 surfs a week

The volte just loves it, maybe 50 bucks more than a "cheap" option but so much better

They also sponsor locals , kids comps, state rounds, community events, etc etc etc

Look at the big companies quick bong and see how little they put in to grassroots surfing and clubs sweet fa....

volte all the way

if I couldn't get a volte I'd get an O'Neil

a good 3/2 will be way warmer and easier to paddle in than a poorly made 4/3 take that into account when you part with your cash.

How light and flexible are volte wetties? I'm on central coast and wear a steamer for 2 -3 months at most and hate them, the excel is the best 3/2 I've had so if I have to wear a 4/3 it has to be flexible and light.
Also only be wearing it for 6 weeks this trip then hung up till next trip to colder climates