Straight outta Montara....New wetsuit brand...Isurus

Btw, Has anybody had trouble with "fluid seam weld" cracking on the inside of Oneill Psycho Freak suits. Seems like they start cracking after 6 months or so even with a regular post-surf rinsing routine. Do I need to retrain myself not to pee after decades?

TT lent me his Matuse one time a few months ago and I had a very funny experience getting out of the water at OB. Some guy named Ruffo took one look at me and must have read "This man is wearing Matuse. He has more money than sense" because he instantly launched into a heavy Isurus sales pitch.

They are indeed some very nice-looking wetsuits. However, I have little money... or sense.

When I win the lotto you can all have one.

I'm surprised at the decent review by surflie. I tried on both the evade and elite(not in the water) and I can't disagree with what they wrote. I'll add they 'seamed' much better quality than the matuse I had. I couldn't get into the normal size I wear, though(shoulders). Told the owner he gave me another size 'for surfers bodies', isn't that the target market? still very tight.

I wanted to pull the trigger but was concerned with the warranty( since I got burned by matuse) he said 'industry standard'. Which I assume 1year... .
I decided for a Patagucci R3 because of the warranty and quality, very comfy. If anything a bit too warm. Will need something else for sunny +mid-50 water days.

i wear an mt in hotline, excel, and matuse... tried an isarus in the same size and could not get my arms thru that thing...
i'd like to think it's cause i got burly - but sadly not the case :(
nice suits otherwise.

Seems to me the surf wetsuit market is a tad oversaturated? Oneill, xcel, ripcurl, quick, billabong, hurley, hotline, matuse, patagonia, body glove-that is ten right there and I'm sure I missed a few. I know Buell is another new brand. Two things I don't like about the suit pictured are the lack of visor on the hood and the lack of "smoothskin" on the chest.

That Yamamoto rubber is king. I use a seventh wave wetty from home (NZ) made of the stuff. Its a 3/2 and can get by here in winter with it on most days, but bang a hot top under it if its especially windy or cold though. Again, not cheap though. http://www.seventhwave.co.nz/

I own an Isurus suit and could have written Surfline's review, word for word. I even had one of the little plastic drawstring pull tabs come off, same as the person who wrote the review (entirely cosmetic). Identical experience. Warm and comfortable, I love the hood, and have the same concerns about durability but so far, no worries. Probably surfed in it 30 times or so by now. No issues. Was a bitch to put on the first few times, but gets easier after a week or so.

Never tried a Matuse, but I can say that this suit is a lot nicer than what I've tried from Patagonia.

For the last 7 years all I've worn w/ my full suits is Yamamoto (Boz wetsuits from Peru), $300, super supple and they last me at least a year if you don't usually dry them in the sun (it makes them stiff if you do). Hey, check it out. I found a live enzyme cleaner at Rainbow (Bac Out from Biokleen) it has no soap and the gnarlier the smell or stain the better it works (it feeds on bacteria), try it on your suit and booties, works great and you don't have a slippery or sudsy suit after. I keep forgetting to ask Dimitri or Other Aves to stock it but they probably would considering they already carry Biokleen products.

I tried to try on an Isurus last year.

Picked the right size according to the chart.

It was a frightful struggle. Closer I got to shimmying in, the closer I felt like I was gonna tear the material or burst a seam.

I imagined trying this dance in the rain by the side of my car in February and gusty wind, and me me standing in my bucket or on ratty towel, and that turned me right off.

So I tried a larger size, and with my new limberness from getting warm trying to try on the first one, again I was thwarted when I was just this side of not being forced to buy it (you break it, you bought it).

The fellow tells me it stretches out once you start using it, and you know, I don't want a stretched out neck opening. Sure I get the form fitting thing and compression relieves fatigued muscles and all that but yikes to the stress of getting in and out.

Not even the first-year-it-came-out-zipless Billabong suit I owned was this tough...even after two years and it had started to shrink/tighten with age.

The guy then says maybe I am not an Elite suit wearer but an Executive class wearer. Maybe so, but he didn't have one of those to try. It was supposed to be cheaper, back zip and all. I wonder if it had less points of measurement?

The thing that gets me is the cost for what is just another China made suit. May as well get Japanese rubber and Peru labor with a Boz (though the short leg aspect of their sizing isn't best suited for my body type) and save some $. Or pony and pay extra and get a custom Boz or any of the others.

For that matter, there is are contacts on the internet with access to a Japanese labor pool using Japanese rubber who takes 20 measurements and gets you a custom suit and for how much? Wow, less than the Isurus.

The Montara thing...well, the company is incorporated in Montara? If so, good for the town...maybe some business taxes will help keep the roads paved and keeps the beaches cleaner.

Anyway, in the end, I always buy the one that fits me the best and lasts the longest...heck is there even any stiff rubber suits out there anymore? I like wearability and durability over "buttery", "with it", and broke.

duncan

PS

The Matuese didn't feel nice on my skin.

@sollivier from what i've heard, this is common with their newer suits. My last 4 suits have been Psychos. Most recent one is the only one that has seen severe fluid seam deterioration (about 9 months old now). They usually have good warranty support....we'll see if that is still true.

i have a custom made Yamamoto spring suit and it's ruined me. Now my xcel feels so... ordinary. it was worth eating pb&j's for a month to buy.

Great thread, everyone! I have been reasonably happy with Psycho II's now for some time, but very interested in new choices. @pistolshrimp, where do you get the Boz? is there a place to try them on around here? Good call on the Biokleen cleaner, also. Thanks.

http://bozwetsuits.com/, the pics are out of date and It seems like they have new designs every 6 mos. the US distributor's name is Harry, he's great and easy to deal w/. The size chart on the site works well for me (I'm 5'10, 150lb) shipping takes about 2 biz days. When you put your order in you can call or write him and hew will tell you what he has on hand in your size and you can choose. Harry lives in La Jolla and sells a lot a suits from his home there but you probably have been angling for a Peru or Chile trip anyway right? Then they are even cheaper.

Same with the Matuse wetsuit line. Tight, and like a second skin, but they claim to stretch out after a few uses. I wear an XL, and had trouble getting into it. My package got too tight and I became a soprano for a while. Also, way to expensive. I'll stay with the O'Neill line/Heat and Psycho 1.

I'll second tcannon's comment. I've picked up an iEvade recently and while it's def small at first it's stretched out perfectly after a few surfs. Absolutely love surfing in it, my body stays warmer than anything else I've ever worn. Also worth noting that when I surf with the hood down I don't even notice it.

@bombsquad ah seventhwave! When I lived down there I so wanted one of their suits but I was broke and living in my car. Such an excellent place, I literally miss NZ every day.

Great thread guys! We are here to help you stay warm out in the lineup. Nice pic pistol shrimp are you a sailor?

great! and we're here to help u with yr market research ;)
seriously tho: what IS up with them tight suits??
seems like a common issue... got any sizing tips? thanks!
ps we likes the visor-free hood...

@hasbro: +1 on the tight suit experience. I wanted to try that Yamamoto rubber in the Matuse, but I was unable to get the thing on by myself.

The suits require a little technique to get into once you figure it out it they don't take any longer to get in and out of. Our suits are designed to fit tight, H2O tight, but do break in quite nicely after a few sessions. It's our focus on quality and performance that dictates the design.

Keep an eye out for our blog post on techniques for getting in and out of the toastiest suit out there!

http://www.surfisurus.com/blog/

If you are going to publish techiniques on how to get in and out of the suit, just make a short video depicting the favored methods rather than some written verbiage.

Signed,

Another visual learner

Does the suit come with a bread bag?

I highly recommend the Patagonia R3 hooded suit. 3mm all through the suit with the wool lining and it is all you need here year round.

Thanks- The Beard

Where does one try on a Patagonia or Isurus suit? I've made it pretty far without a winter suit but this morning did me in. Looking for something light and toasty.

Unlike most people I really like my Matuse 4/3/2. I've been wearing it 3-4 times a week for the past 14 months and it has just started to show wear on the seams along the chest. I did have to buy a size up (XL for 175lbs / 5'11") because it fit so snug. The arms are a tad long but it hasn't overstretched in the legs, waist, chest, or shoulders during the past year.

Someone also just told me about http://www.buellwetsuits.com/ The site is kind of vague on details.

Aqua Surf Shop and Marin Surf and Sports sell Patagonia suits.

Hi team, Jared at Seventhwave here. Good to see more wetsuits using Yamamoto — the stuff really is worth the price tag.

You really do want your suits tight as it makes a huge difference to warmth. In terms of neck entry, we've found that the Yamamoto is durable enough to withstand getting in and out of a tight entry system, and as others say, it comes down to technique. Also if you get a custom fit then it's even better!

@duncan: we have a video or two on getting in and out of a neck entry suit. Check them out here: http://www.seventhwave.co.nz/How+To+Videos.html