Most of the wetsuits we all wear are built of neoprene that is coated with fabric inside and out to resist tearing, but this fabric layer impedes the uber-stretchiness of the neoprene itself, making the suit less flexible. O'Neill has dispensed with the outer fabric layer on their beaver tail, leaving a super slick, super warm outer shell that seriously feels like butter in your hands! Added benefit: that smooth neoprene outer layer resists the wind much better than its fabric-plied couterpart. At just 1mm thick, you hardly know you're wearing anything, save for the fact that you are toasty warm and well insulated from any chilly evening breezes.
Just like the beaver tails of days past, the O'Neill re-issue zips up the front, and while you might think that laying on the zipper would be uncomfortable, you'll never even notice. In fact, having the zipper in the front saves your hair from getting tangled in the velcro that's always present on back-zip wetsuits.
The cut of the beaver tail portion of the jacket is actually pretty flattering should you decide to actually button it up, but it's equally warm either way, and looks quite dynamic flapping away behind you as you are shredding along. For surfing, this is a summer-time suit. For SUPing, where you aren't as exposed to the water, it's a great winter time buffer against the wind.
A vintage beaver tail, buttoned-up and pairedwith long-johns, worn underneath.
Bernie the Beaver says:
Pros:
Very warm
Super flexible
Smooth neoprene outer skin resists the wind
Excellent retro styling from the source
Fits great even though it's a men's cut
Cons:
Careful not to tear the smooth skin with a finger nail!
And this is an actual beaver, Castor Canadensis, clearly scheming.
Great suit and, yes, that beaver does look suspicious!
ReplyDeleteI <3 the real one. He's cute!
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