For the last year I have been using chest zip style wetsuits. They have been a bit of a revelation in terms of the flexibility that they offer. Removing the zip from the back of the suit makes a huge difference to the level of mobility in the shoulders and arms.

 

I recently bought a new winter suit: A Rip Curl Flash Bomb Plus, and it is so warm that I thought it was worth reviewing here particularly as it can be very hard to to work out which of the surf style chest zip suits are the best for warmth and flexibility for winter windsurfing.

 

 

 

Today was a good test for the flash bomb. It was 7–8° with intermittent rain and a solid 40 knots of wind. Throughout my two hour session I was actually hot, and even standing around in the wind chatting after the session for half an hour I still did not get cold. I think this is particularly unusual for a surf style suit because nearly the whole suit is double lined (bar the chest and back panel), which is usually so much colder and subject to windchill than single-lined neoprene.

 

My previous chest zip wetsuit, an O'Shea 5,4,3 Stealth is a good suit,  very reasonably priced (nearly half the price of the Flash Bomb Plus) but nothing like as warm as the Flash Bomb. So I'll try and explain why this is and hopefully impart some useful information for anyone shopping around for a new warm winter wetsuit.

 

 

Thickness: Both my Flash Bomb and  O'Shea are advertised as 5,4,3mm. It's worth checking which bits of the suit use the thickest material. The Flashbomb is 5mm from the upper chest all the way down to the ankles. Measuring the neoprene thickness on the ankles it is clearly a generous 5 mm. Much thicker than the O'Shea body and legs bar the chest panel.
By contrast the O'Shea has a lot more material across the shoulders with polypro lining and the very thick polypro back panel finishes much higher up the back than the Flash Bomb, so unsurprisingly the O'Shea feels noticeably warmer at the top of the back and across the shoulders.

 

 

Lining: The Flash Bomb also uses a very fluffy quick drying polypro lining from the upper chest all the way down to your ankles. The lining dries incredibly quickly (in half an hour). In fact it is a bit like wearing an inside out teddy bear suit!

 

Absorbency: Double-lined neoprene absorbs more water on its surface than single-lined suits making it more susceptible to windchill. However The Flash bomb absorbs much less water than the O'Shea, and retains less - this is very noticeable when taking the suit off. The 2014 Excel Drylock suit actually repels water like a single lined suit, so check the type of double lined material on the suit you are considering. This quality will almost certainly be useful for windsurfing because so much of the time is spent out of the water in the wind. My guess is that within a year or two the lining on many suits will have become even more water repellent if the Excel is an indicator of how things will develop.

 

Seams: Like other top of the range suits from Excel and C-skins the Flash Bomb PLUS is not stitched (whereas the Flash Bomb is - and according to a friend that has one it leaks a tiny bit, as does my O'Shea) - the seams on the Flash Bomb PLUS are welded and taped on both sides. Making them completely watertight and so far I have found that my lycra shorts that I wear under the suit are only damp even when sailing in waves and being washed in the whitewater.

 

Fit: Obviously the fit of the suit is crucial and surf style suits are designed to be tight because the double lined neoprene is so flexible and relatively robust compared to single lined neoprene. Make sure the suit is it good snug fit and that the neck seals properly. One of the advantages of a chest zip wetsuit is that the neck seal is uninterrupted and should provide almost as good a seal as a dry suit preventing the worst of cold water flushing when tumbled by a wave. Of all the suits that I tried (Excel / C Skins) the Flash Bomb had the highest neck (and gave the best seal for me - my O'Shea suit also has a good seal on the neck).
Flexibility: On surf style chest zip suits the flexibility is so great (on all the models I tried on) that it is almost irrelevant which brand you buy. Both my O'Shea Stealth and Flash Bomb feel as flexible as my Neil Pryde back zip 3/2 summer suit!

 

How warm is warm: Prior to chest zip suits I used Neil Pryde dry zip winter suits, these are great, warm suits but really nothing like as warm as the Flash Bomb despite the fact they are single lined. 

 

Downsides: Usually chest zip suits are thinner on the  arms and shoulders to allow flexibility – they are, after all, primarily designed for surfing. On the Flash Bomb I definitely notice a bit more chill on my arms (it's relative though) but this is compensated for by the warmth elsewhere. After all never before have I been hot during a 7–8° Session.

 

Downsides: Getting in and out of a chest zip suit is a bit harder than a large horizontal dry zip (assuming there is someone to do it up for you!) but it is not that much harder! And is amply compensated by the flexibility and warmth that the surf style chest zip offers.

 

Overall I think that the Flash Bomb Plus is an engineering feat: encapsulating extreme warmth with incredible flexibility and whilst I won't be wearing the O'Shea Stealth in the depths of winter anymore it is also a good cheaper option, and certainly plenty warm enough for days that are 11 degrees or more.