Wetsuit Tech Archives - New Zealand Surf Journal

Review: O’Neill Women’s Hyperfreak 4:3+ Chest Zip Steamer (Tested To Death)

Derek MorrisonApr 28, 2021April 28, 20210

When it comes to wetsuits, women and children usually draw the short straw: below-tier taping, average linings and warmth, comfort … seemingly not so important. O’Neill’s women’s Hyperfreak 4:3+ Chest Zip turns that on its head. The 2019 O’Neill Hyperfreak designed for women really changes the game. It takes O’Neill’s...

Watch: Lost Track, A Surf Adventure Through New Zealand

Derek MorrisonSep 10, 20200

Lost Track follows two Byron Bay mates surfer Torren Martyn and filmmaker Ishka Folkwell as they embark on the journey of a lifetime throughout New Zealand in search of perfect waves and life long memories. Their three-month motorcycle surfing adventure takes them into the depths of our great southern land...

Review: Solite Custom 3mm Heat-Moldable Booties

Derek MorrisonAug 13, 20200

Love them or hate them, booties are like the necessary evil when it comes to year-round surfing in New Zealand. Solite reckons its Custom 3mm heat-moldable booties have taken winter surfing to a whole new level. We bought a pair to find our for ourselves. But before we get into...

Watch: Solitude, From New Zealand’s Newest Wetsuit Brand

Derek MorrisonJun 30, 2020July 28, 20200

Born of New Zealand, Coastlines Wetsuits, officially pulled up a chair at the global rubber buffet when they launched just a few short months ago. NZSJ discovered they have some heavy hitters on their team and their heart’s in the right place. A few months before the brand launched, former...

Buy Local: Help Pump New Zealand’s Surf Industry

Derek MorrisonMay 28, 20200

The Covid-19 health crisis has taught New Zealanders a lot of things, but nothing has become clearer: we need to support local surf businesses. By supporting them we pump the vascular system of our very own New Zealand surf industry. And that reaches deep into the heart of our surf...

Sustainability And Innovation Key Drivers At Seventhwave Wetsuits

Derek MorrisonOct 10, 2019October 11, 20190

Lying on a table in Seventhwave’s Ferrymead factory in Christchurch is a fluffy orange wetsuit that doesn’t look anything like the wetsuit manufacturer’s flagship Yamamoto suits. Sarah smiles, she lifts the wetsuit up and explains the prototype to me. “I haven’t surfed in this one yet,” she admits with a...

Review: 300 Surfs In Rip Curl’s New Heat Seeker … Here’s What Failed

Derek MorrisonSep 16, 2019September 16, 20191

At the start of 2019 Rip Curl launched an all-new wetsuit aimed straight at the top end of the market and billed to incorporate technology that would change the wetsuit game forever. We got our hands on a Flashbomb Heat Seeker 4:3 and thrashed it to death. Here’s what we...

Review: Need Essentials Thermal 4:3 Steamer

Derek MorrisonAug 13, 2019July 2, 20200

We were blown away by the value for money with our Need Essentials steamer produced by a company that prides itself on stripping away the costs of traditional surf wetsuit production. By minimising packaging, branding, expensive advertising campaigns and retail markups, Need Essentials is able to deliver a high-end adult...

Long-Term Test: O’Neill Hyperfreak 4:3 Zip Less Comp Wetsuit

Derek MorrisonAug 7, 2019August 8, 20191

O’Neill has turned the technology dial right up with the material used in its Hyperfreak range and if this zip less 4:3 suit is anything to go by then they’re on to something. We’ve thrash tested ours for more than two years now. This is what we discovered … When...

Review: Quiksilver Highline Plus 2mm Hood

Derek MorrisonAug 7, 2019August 8, 20190

Some of the design elements of the Quiksilver Highline Plus 2mm hood have tackled the biggest issues most surfers have with pulling on a hood for winter. These features stand the Highline Plus hood head-and shoulders above conventional hoods. In our experience, most of the hoods out there only do...