Patagonia vs RideEngine wetsuits

[Kitemanmuc]

Im moving from sunny Florida to the frigid waters of New York and i'm looking to get a new wetsuit.
I have a 3/2 Ride Engine but am looking to add a 5/4 most likely for those....cooold....coold...days. Have heard a ton of great things about both, but wanted to see if anyone could shed same more detailed light on both. Which is better, which is better for kite.

Thanks!

[Starsky]

I have the R4. Two things I like that you are not going to find in other suits.

Full merino wool grid fleece lining the torso down to the knee with polyester grid fleece lining the head, arms and shins. Essentially the whole suit is lined with furry air trapping warmth and you just can't beat wool where it counts. I think the RE is polyester fleece in the torso down to the knee, but not in the head arms and lower legs.

The super bomber way they do their cuffs both at ankles and wrists. They are the same material as the knee pads. Fantastic areas for that kind of reinforcement.

All in all, its a great winter suit. Very comfy. Their sizing chart was bang on and I'm very happy with it for cold Canadian conditions. Have read many times they have a very good warranty department.

PatagoniaR4WetsuitImageInside2.jpg (64.31 KiB) Viewed 2329 times

[Kitemanmuc]

I have the R4. Two things I like that you are not going to find in other suits.

Full merino wool grid fleece lining the torso down to the knee with polyester grid fleece lining the head, arms and shins. Essentially the whole suit is lined with furry air trapping warmth and you just can't beat wool where it counts. I think the RE is polyester fleece in the torso down to the knee, but not in the head arms and lower legs.

The super bomber way they do their cuffs both at ankles and wrists. They are the same material as the knee pads. Fantastic areas for that kind of reinforcement.

All in all, its a great winter suit. Very comfy. Their sizing chart was bang on and I'm very happy with it for cold Canadian conditions. Have read many times they have a very good warranty department.

PatagoniaR4WetsuitImageInside2.jpg

Thanks for the feedback! Do you get elephant legs with this suit?

[deniska]

Any particular reason why you are not considering a dry suit?
I had 10 sessions in NY this January (all in dry suit)....
Seeing my friends getting in/out of their wetsuits in 38 degrees / 30kts is a both painful and entertaining

[Kitemanmuc]

Any particular reason why you are not considering a dry suit?
I had 10 sessions in NY this January (all in dry suit)....
Seeing my friends getting in/out of their wetsuits in 38 degrees / 30kts is a both painful and entertaining

Never tried one!!

[joe_mgh]

Zero wool in Patagonia suits these days. It just takes on too much water and also gets stinky...

[VB705]

Has anyone tried the R5 yet?

[BrunoC]

I consider a drysuit if you are exclusively kiting.

[dswebb]

I wasn't all that impressed with the Patagonia suits durability. I bought one of the original Yulex r4 wetsuits, and since they didn't externally stitch them and just welded them I had issues with my harness having rubbed off the weld. I'm only 2 seasons in and it looks like I'll have to get a new one early next year. For the price they came in at I expected more.

[ThickAir]

I've never tried a Patagonia, but I'm super happy with my Ride Engine 4/3. I wouldn't think it is quite as warm as the equivalent Patagonia, but in terms of comfort, the RE is absolutely the most cushy suit I've ever had on.