Wintermission: Hurley

Three surfers, ten wetsuits, one cold water testing ground. Welcome to Wintermission, the ultimate examination of new season rubber.

The Wetsuit For Those Who Love Accoutrements And High Performance Detailing

For the always-prepared surfer.

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First impressions? Stealth-black, futuristic, and... those seam lines! You can bet that Hurley has some research-based reasoning for their existence.

The same went for its ‘Paddle Assist Panels’. We weren’t sure a handful of hours in a non-controlled environment would prove their worth, but Mitch Crews put them through their paces, regardless.

Crewsey has history with Hurley,previously sporting the )( logo on rubber and the deck of his board. So, we thought he’d be a great test subject to gauge how their suits have been advancing in the years since, and opted to test ride them early in the trip.

The crew unanimously praised the suit’s subtle colour palette (even the infamous leg stripes were blacked out). Plus the zipperless entry didn’t choke.

Mitch tightened the pull string, waxed his graffed DHD and took off down the path. The air was chilly, especially once the sun had disappeared behind the steep surrounding cliffs.

Spectators huddled in coats, beanies and gloves, while our rubber-clad surfers, including Mr Crews, were fine-wrapped in the season’s latest neoprene.

“It sucked onto me like a second skin,” he stated in the carpark after a sunset session of rebounding ramps and unpredictable tunnels. “I like the fact that there’s no zip and I felt pretty free. It’s a quality wetsuit. As soon as you get into it, it feels great.”