st surf images

Well the water has just started to chill down on the mid north coast and the cold morning westerly’s have settled in (bless em) so I know a lot of you are thinking “is this old wetsuit going to get me through the rest of winter??” The leaks are getting more frequent, the rubber is getting thinner, it might be time to update. This year we’ve had a look through the wetsuit range and decided to try out XCEL’s “Infiniti X-ZIP comp” steamer. This brand has won “wetsuit of the year” 3 years running, so we were keen to try out some of their award winning technology.

First surf in this suit was as good a testing ground as you will get up here on the mid north coast. It was raining, howling southerly wind and no sun to help heat up the black skin. The suit went on nice and easy, quiet tight around the ankle area, but entry was all good with the chest zip system…. Felt like a great fit, as soon as I hit the water I was glad the weather was cold and wet without sun, because this thing was warm, really warm. Didn’t feel any cold water leaks, paddling was good, I was feeling super comfortable on a super uncomfortable sort of day.

The one I have is the 3/2mm version although it does come in the 2mm. The 2mm version might be a even more popular choice if you are only going to use it around these parts (Coffs coast). I went for the 3/2 as I am likely to go to colder climates over the next year and the added warmth while doing water photography is most welcomed.

XCEL is wetsuit range is now world class, taking on the big 3 and beating them in a lot of cases, I trialled their Jackets last spring and they were the best I’ve tried. This is definitely a brand worth considering when purchasing rubber in the future. Coopers surf stock their whole range and are just as wrapped with the quality they are out putting over the last few years.

Get into either the Jetty, Plaza or Woolgoolga Coopers stores to have a look for yourselfs

CLICK HERE to go straight to the XCEL website featuring this very wetsuit