Wow, I can’t believe it’s been almost two years since I picked up my Isurus wetsuit.
I gave this suit a review at about a year in: Isurus I-Evade: Durability Review
At a year I had a few tears, but overall was plenty toasty. At two years I have bigger tears (didn’t quite get around to fixing them) but still plenty toasty.
Here’s the rundown:
Suit: I-Evade 4-3-4, Hooded. Small-Tall.
Purchased: Feb 2011
Session surfed: ~220-250 (or about $2 a surf)
Care: Almost none. Rinsed if off after surf when I could. Often dried in the sun hanging off my car.
Me:
5’10, 150lb, female. I surf 2-4 times a week, early mornings before work. I just wear one suit rather than rotate suits in and out.
Note for other women: They’ve put the women’s line on hold. If you can fit into a men’s I’d still recommend this suit. If you can’t, well, don’t hold your breath for a women’s line 🙁 Things to watch for with fit: thighs/hips. The chest seems roomy enough but the lower body is less forgiving.
Performance:
Still good! I’m still nice and warm and I can get the suit on and off much easier than when it was new. I usually wear the hood to protect my ears, but I can skip boots most days.
Durability:
Overall, the suit is in decent shape structurally. There are cosmetic things here and there (the chevrons are a bit peeled and the logo has seen better days) but almost all of the seams are in great shape. The shoulders are still in nearly the same shape as when I bought the suit.
Where the suit needs repairs is primarily in the knees and the inner leg seams.
I’d highly suggest pulling the suit up as high as you can in the legs. Too low and the legs shift slightly while you’re surfing. I worn a hole in the neoprene just above my right knee pad and the left inner thigh seam has torn almost completely. I’m not sure if this is because the thighs are cut for men or just all around too tight. The seam along the butt did not degrade any further than it had a year ago, but if I get around to taking this suit in for repairs, I’m certainly going to repair that.
The 3 mil neoprene and the neoprene in the shoulders started to get a little thready. This has reduced the warmth a little bit. Back in October I felt a little chilly sitting in the water for the first time since I first picked up the suit. The suit is meant for you to be moving around a fair amount, but even then, this was the first time where I felt cold.
One of the ankles flushed around that same time, and was also the first time that had happened (at least when I wasn’t doing something completely stupid like going over the falls.) I imagine there’s a little bit of stretching that’s happened in the cuffs, but no tearing.
The suit also stopped drying as fast as it did in its shiny new days. When it was new it’d be dry by lunch, now it occasionally has damp cuffs the next morning.
Wearing a suit every single session is pretty hard on it. I’d say this suit has held up well given the use and abuse I’ve dished out. A cheaper suit might get you 4 years, but no suit I’ve worn has been as light or as warm as this one.
Summary:
I’m still very happy with the Isurus i-evade. In fact, I bought a second back in September. Now that it’s cold, I’m using that as my primary suit and this suit as a backup. I was going to wait till the first suit was in tatters, but with the break in at Aqua, I figured I’d give them my business and get one early.
A few notes about the new suit: they changed the chest entry to make it easier to get on. This lets in a little more water, but not a considerable amount. I noticed it more bodysurfing than stand up surfing. Also, the elastic that cinches the hood pulled out on mine. The hood is tight without it, but I’ve got a full ponytail wedged up under there.
Other than that, it’s warm, it doesn’t flush, it’s light, and it dries lightning fast. Everything I’d expected.
I’m trying to be kinder to the new suit. I rinse it after every session and have not dried it in the sun at all. I’m hoping this will help the suit last longer.
So there you go: Two years in and it’s not too shabby.
