Which wetsuit brand has the most durable seams?

[Jdizzle]

I've been through way more wetsuits kiteboarding than I did when I surfed. So far I have trashed 1 suit from each of these brands: Billabong, Quicksilver, Bodyglove and Excel. All of these suits suffered death by seam wear. Kiteboarding puts major strain on wetsuit seams from hard slams and harness wear

Please could you seasoned wetsuit riders out there give me advice on a new suit, before I have to go through every brand 1 by 1. Or is this going to happen to all the brands and should I just buy cheap suits and wreck them each season.

Many thanks in advance

[alexeyga]

Looks like you've got only one brand left to try - O'Neil... Give a shot to the Psycho series...

That said, I wish I was living in a place where I'd be trashing wetsuits on a seasonal basis... Took me 5 years to wear out a rather simple 4/5 Bare which is still good for at least another season... just sick and tired of it being too cold for a 4/5.... didn't know sh#t about wetsuits when i've got it, so it has simple glued/stitched seams and no doubling on the zipper... Worst, but most durable 200$ ever spent....

[whabbits]

I would recommend trying a Patagonia suit. Try finding on on sale if you can as they can be pricy.

I have both the R3 and R4 from the original series. The new ones are even nicer and built stronger.

[Peter_Frank]

Looks like you've got only one brand left to try - O'Neil... Give a shot to the Psycho series...

snip....

You forgot one of the big ones: GUL

Really amazed to hear about the seam wear - as this is usually not a problem IMO, at least never in only one or two single seasons

What "warmth" are you talking about ?

As thin wetsuits are VERY prone to seam wear, of course - so summersuits 2-3mm will often have lots of wear compared to the thicker ones.
Especially the "cheap" ones not closed and glued flat on the inside seam.

Or is it the 4-5mm wintersuits you are talking about ? Shorty ? 2-3mm summer ? 2-3mm full arm ?
3-5mm ? Or thicker ?

I have tried a huge number of suits, since 1978 when starting windsurf and surfing, and later kitesurfing.
Usually they "wear out" either in the "corners", where they open (can be glued though) - but more often because of "age" - as every suit will get colder (and more stiff), even after one single season.
Hardly noticeable after only one season - but after 3, your suit will typically be a lot colder, even if it got not holes or anything

I just invested in one of the new super flexible 2/3mm full suits - and the first times I used it, it was "way too much" because it was too warm/tight, and no water entered so hopping in the water did not cool you down really - so had to wait for colder weather and a rainy evening, where it worked perfect.

So looking forward to having a "free" (thin) suit for the cold days now


A bit off topic though - just to state that mostly your suit becomes colder out of age, before the seams dies !
That goes for my friends too, not just me.

Regarding the harness wear - I always wear a lycra on top, to protect the super soft neoprene (although, I have never tried without, but can imagine and have heard it will wear the suit), and to avoid the zipper line from dangling or hitting your eyes - and to be sure you can be seen in the rare case of an emergency where you have to be rescued maybe in darker weather, thus seen because of a bright lycra and NOT BLACK on top

Peter

[Vinny]

Both ION and Mystic make kite specific wetsuits.

I'm just about to bin my ION after 3 years of abuse.

[john a]

Mystic has good durability - I´ve had one for many years and ride a lot. I tried o´neill this year, but did not like the psyco, cause felt like it was harder to pull the bar towards the hip cause of the rubber seems so I bought the o´neill epic. But haven´t had it long enough to say anything about durability of the seems, but found reviews on the net telling me bouth good and bad. It´s a bit more strachy than the mystic at least...

[FBKC]

2nd vote here for O'neill! I still have an O'neill Psycho II from 2006 using it a lot for surfing and kiteboarding and still no failures. By far the best wetsuit I have ever owned. Look for the "double fluid welded seams" this sets them apart from normal stitched seams. also, since the seams are basically water tight, you can use a 3/2 where you'd normally go with a 4/3 and so forth. Go with the original, you won't be disappointed

[Jdizzle]

Looks like you've got only one brand left to try - O'Neil... Give a shot to the Psycho series...

snip....

You forgot one of the big ones: GUL

Really amazed to hear about the seam wear - as this is usually not a problem IMO, at least never in only one or two single seasons

What "warmth" are you talking about ?

As thin wetsuits are VERY prone to seam wear, of course - so summersuits 2-3mm will often have lots of wear compared to the thicker ones.
Especially the "cheap" ones not closed and glued flat on the inside seam.

Or is it the 4-5mm wintersuits you are talking about ? Shorty ? 2-3mm summer ? 2-3mm full arm ?
3-5mm ? Or thicker ?

I have tried a huge number of suits, since 1978 when starting windsurf and surfing, and later kitesurfing.
Usually they "wear out" either in the "corners", where they open (can be glued though) - but more often because of "age" - as every suit will get colder (and more stiff), even after one single season.
Hardly noticeable after only one season - but after 3, your suit will typically be a lot colder, even if it got not holes or anything

I just invested in one of the new super flexible 2/3mm full suits - and the first times I used it, it was "way too much" because it was too warm/tight, and no water entered so hopping in the water did not cool you down really - so had to wait for colder weather and a rainy evening, where it worked perfect.

So looking forward to having a "free" (thin) suit for the cold days now


A bit off topic though - just to state that mostly your suit becomes colder out of age, before the seams dies !
That goes for my friends too, not just me.

Regarding the harness wear - I always wear a lycra on top, to protect the super soft neoprene (although, I have never tried without, but can imagine and have heard it will wear the suit), and to avoid the zipper line from dangling or hitting your eyes - and to be sure you can be seen in the rare case of an emergency where you have to be rescued maybe in darker weather, thus seen because of a bright lycra and NOT BLACK on top

Peter

Maybe I just have a beastly physique and wear seems out quickly

But seriously, I have a Bodyglove Matrix 3mm short arm suit, full liquid seams that is only 3 months old, and it is already coming apart at the seams!

I'm really amazed to hear that you have not experienced seam wear like I have (with many different bands) WTF I am I doing wrong????

[OzBungy]

RipCurl have a lifetime warranty on seams. If you have any problems at all with the suit they will repair it free of charge and pay the cost of shipping. You just drop it in at a RipCurl shop and they send it off and repair it and return it. No charge.

Lifetime means forever. A mate had a 17 year old suit and they refurbished it.

They have got a little bit cheap recently. In the past if you had a seam problem they would do all sorts of other minor repair for free at the same time. I had to have a zip slider replaced and they charged for that.

[Lanc]

I've had 2x billabongs (oscillator and a ???) in the past that have lasted around three years each. Both eventually came apart at the seams and rubber around the shoulder area. 3 years it what I'd expect my wetsuit to last. I used them for kiting and surfing and I'm in the water almost every second day.

The ION wetsuits always interested me so 2 years back I purchase an ion Quantum. The thing started coming apart at the seams after the 4th session with it and within 6 months it looked worse than my 3 year old billabongs. The shop reluctantly gave me a full credit and I got myself the ION Strike next. I've had it about 9 months now and its still in perfect condition, no signs of seems coming apart. Its also super comfortable.

I have never worn a lycra between my suit and my harness. I think I will try that out sometime.

My brother has the oneil psycho and that still seems in perfect nick after about year of use.

My advise would go find a kiting specific suit. Mystic also had one that got my attention only after I purchased the ion and they were quite a bit cheaper for the same style/size. I've also found that if the suit is one size larger than you normally use, for surfing, the wear is a lot less than a suit that fits like a glove because there is a lot more movement happening while kiting.