Best Wetsuits 2023

For the 2022/23 winter season, we took your feedback from our previous wetsuit tests and incorporated it into a new criterium, honing in on warmth, fit, flexibility, overall comfort, and durability (check out our six-month update, linked below!) in both men’s and women’s models.
We also judged booties by similar criteria, focusing more on stability, board feel, and ergonomic fit. Between 20 wetsuits and 18 pairs of booties, Stab Producer Cori Stephens and Stab Premium member Zane Vandervort ultimately determine who makes the best wetsuits and surf boots in 2023.
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DURABILITY UPDATE: at stabmag.com/hardware/cryptocu...
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[@gabekale963]

Keep bringing Zane back 🤟🏼

[@fernchanjan733]

If that’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done, you’re clearly living a life that is too easy.

[@SURFtheEARTHguru]

thank you for showing the struggle with the eas of entry!! I thought I was the only one who struggled with this! You all covered everything. My heroes ❤

[@michaelb7864]

It’s just wetsuits dude chill out calling them heroes you weirdo

[@OspreyVision]

Great video 📹 Very informative! Thank you 🤙

[@Hobbs__]

Dude the flexibility breakdown is hilarious 😂 😂😂

[@luissampedromoix6097]

Amazing! It will be cool to also try durability and drying time in the shadow

[@chandong5409]

Patagonia should have been included

[@trrhila]

LETSGO I LOVE STAB MAG

[@joedavismusic1]

Great test vid. Do a 3/2 one please!

[@chandong5409]

New here. Love this kind of content

[@maiar5872]

I bought the billabong wetsuit after watching this video. It got a big tear around my knee after 1 week of surfing(first week of my 2 week long surf vacation), no collisions or nothing! Really crazy to pay almost €400 and have that happen. Defenitly last time I will be buying anything there. They also don't want to refund me and told me this kind of tear couldn't happen alone "it's simply impossible".

[@kembooo000]

got a feral 2 mm, in less than a month, stitching is coming off, one patch glue came off, and the freaking zipper came off its track. my care routine for wetsuits is straight from the surf to a bucket of water. it's a shame such good rubber is wasted through this level of craftsmanship

[@TheAirperri]

No Isurus? I am curious also about the Florence Marine.

[@Gavinnations]

Jonesea wetsuits are the best. Taylor made in Costa Mesa California! The best ever

[@KouSurfGuy]

O'Neill Fire is a great suit, I'm short, so the arm and leg length measures perfect for me. It does feel like the suit measures a little smaller than usual, I wear a MS, but it's pretty tight around the chest and shoulders area.

[@kromboom71]

The hyperfreak fire suit sucks, flexibility in the upperbody sucks and you need a big ass. So big ass, narrow shoulders it might work, still no where near the older Hyperfreak (which is awesome)

[@altinsilsile36]

Billabong virtually went into receivership afew years ago. Got purchased by Quicksilver but now Authentic Brands Group owns Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy & RVCA. I dont think there is enough variety in this test. What about 2XU, Helix, Blue 70 etc? Im considering a 2XU wetsuit and you didn't even have one model. One problem is body shape is a major factor. What you say is a warm suit with minimal leak, excellent fit may be a bad fit for anothers dimensions. Not all brands have Small Tall ST, Small Medium SM, Medium Tall MT, Medium Solid MS, Large Tall LT in their size range. Even though Billabong won, I can't see myself purchasing a billabong. Other issue is there are wet suits for surfing, scuba diving, triathlon and just swimming. I only require it to keep warm for swimming and the occasional body boarding.

[@PeterDennisSmith]

Good review, enjoyed Zane's comments but still no Isurus? For me, Isurus suits are simply a cut above the rest.

[@shaynesmithcomedy]

Love this shit. Thanks Stab

[@renatomarinecheverria7733]

Please include Matuse in your next review!

[@bikerboys121]

The hook surprise appearance

[@miguelvox]

Sometimes the high end model of each wetsuit brand are not the best. One thing that you have not mentioned in the test is the durability. More and more the wetsuits are more expensive and with less overall quality.

[@maiar5872]

I bought the billabong wetsuit after watching this video. It got a big tear around my knee after 1 week of surfing(first week of my 2 week long surf vacation), no collisions or nothing! Really crazy to pay almost €400 and have that happen. Defenitly last time I will be buying anything there. They also don't want to refund me and told me this kind of tear couldn't happen alone "it's simply impossible". BASTARDS

[@tdubstate]

Kind of difficult to test durability of 20 wetsuits for a video, no? Should they surf each one 50 times?

[@jonahhex9620]

Santa Cruz my old break I moved to Florida recently so I’m in 2mm territory now with gutless waves 🌊

[@kieranokeeffe7666]

O Neill is the best suit here , comfortable flexible and warm. Also will replace suit if it degrades before warranty...rip curl is most comfortable suit

[@JonahBam]

Need essentials

[@vaughnsigal4560]

Never show up in these, funny considering project blank more or less just copied their business model haha. I only use needessentials suits, they're cheap, quality, built like brick shit houses, great stuff

[@ThouPablo]

Yup was waiting for need essentials to decide whether to trust the video haha

[@dickrichardson1110]

the bigger brands r lining their pockets, everyone who knows, knows need makes the best wetsuits on the market.

[@SurferKroky]

Heaviest , most restrictive suit I have ever worn. Like carrying an elephant around with you in the water. I’ll never buy another one

[@jblo76]

@@SurferKroky Personal opinion obviously. I don’t find them heavy whatsoever. NE is hands down the best suit out there IMO. Reasonably priced, long-lasting and durable af. Sure, you can find stretchier and possibly lighter suits but, in my experience, all the top shelf suits in each of the major brands end up getting leaks in the knee, shoulder, or crotch area after 1 or maybe 2 seasons of surfing regularly. The NE suits I have are going on 3 seasons and still holding up strong. Also the super stretchy suits I don’t like because they tend to flush with water too easily.

[@FrozenSurf]

In New Zealand, you can’t beat Seventhwave Wetsuits. Or anywhere for that matter

[@DarknessYT2010]

BIG paid ad

[@theseb1979]

Where can I purchase this Stab wetsuit?

[@michaelb7864]

At a surf shop obviously by your question you don’t surf nor live by a surf shop kook

[@jamesk9087]

a end all be all trick for putting on a wet wetsuit is plastic grocery bag. foot in bag, hold bag while you put foot in suit. pops right out the other side. repeat for all extremities.

[@lahtee2x799]

Can you wear wet suits with fresh tats ? Or the suit gonna keep em dry ?

[@fquincke]

Loved the video, super informative and will definetly use it for my next purchase, but one thing that I feel was overlooked is the quality aspect, for example, rip curl and hurley (from what I've seen) have the worst zipper pulls I've ever seen, flimsy and don't last a full winter season. Seems like they where designed for a kids toy instead of a high end product. After a few bad experiences that's always the first thing I check on a wetsuit

[@leosabharwal2219]

Had one rip curl suit and it lasted a couple months before the zipper got all messed up

[@Bryan-jd7os]

100 percent! How RipCurl has not improved their zipper is beyond me! The worst!

[@ChristineDana]

Patagonia, roxy, hurley, srface 🥺

[@rjones4247]

Yes Stab. Banging out great stuff even to us tight arse non-sub masses

[@vajradev]

Love my Hyperflex suits !

[@michaelb7864]

I’m sure you do you kook

[@foxgd9117]

@@michaelb7864shut up longboarder

[@foxgd9117]

@@michaelb7864old guy😂 lost your youth and your bank

[@michaelb7864]

@@foxgd9117 sure pal

[@Coach_Rolando]

I dont understand why ION is not here...just the "straight from the back" front zip design alone would beat any "from side to front" zip designs ... and materials are amazing and in my opinion the only sjit that still play with colors and offers an amazing cut fitting then all these "square cuts" weatsuits

[@stevehix1656]

O'Neil 3/2 Excel 3/2 are total perfection for me. NO Booties, they suck. I need my toes to suck to the board,I have webbed feet😂

[@michaelb7864]

Thanks for sharing Stevie. Please just know that nobody cares. But thanks for the weird and pointless self comment

[@stevehix1656]

@@michaelb7864 Your a boogy boarder aren't you Mikey KOOK 🤣

[@foxgd9117]

@@stevehix1656your a old overweight guy who surfs middies and longboards and miss waves aren’t you stevey 🤣

[@keonisoler3936]

Next time you guys have to test the Janga wetsuit too

[@michaelb7864]

Sure thing buddy

[@tubetauk]

No love for Matuse this year. Better to keep it a secret for us anyways.

[@dickrichardson1110]

people who wear feral wetsuits r usually the most annoying in the lineup

[@SURFtheEARTHguru]

I've NEVER found a suit that fits me 😭

[@michaelb7864]

Lose a few pounds you’ll find many suits that fit at that point. Wetsuits aren’t for chubs

[@jordanj7182]

​@@michaelb7864😂

[@masolino616]

try Zion next time

[@Toubabou]

The best suits are tailor made in Japan. Anything else is mediocre. Love the channel tough

[@michaelb7864]

Sure pal whatever you say kook

[@Toubabou]

@@michaelb7864 some people think Mc Donald’s is food. Hard to know if you never tried the real thing before

[@michaelb7864]

@@Toubabou you’re a dork- calling Japanese wetsuits the real thing. O’Neil invented wetsuits you donkey. Japanese suits might be great but that doesn’t mean other suits are garbage or “mediocre” plus I would rather buy American so please carry on lecturing people about wetsuits and making idiotic food comparisons

[@michaelb7864]

@@Toubabou and btw is that you in your profile pic surfing with sunglasses? Lol dude now it all makes sense lol oh man hahaha lol

[@TheAirperri]

Yamamoto shiii' bro.. Yamamoto sshhiii'.

[@stewartcash555]

There's only one wetsuit you should buy, BOZ from Peru

[@surf.skate.ski.2992]

Where is Hurley

[@AEVMU]

Xcel wetsuits are not nearly as durable or stretchy as they once were and they used to be some of the best. Their top of the line 4/3 is restrictive, thick for a 4/3, and not durable at all, at least mine was. Also where is NEED ESSENTIALS???? Why pay $500 for a 1 or 2 season suit when you don't have to.

[@Bryan-jd7os]

Agreed, Excel used to last forever!

[@tom.northshore]

You guys completely left out the Patagonia surfing booties (R3-5 Yulex). Honestly disappointed they didn't get a spotlight with how environmentally friendly they are and how much engineering went into making a sustainable option for consumers

[@jarrettfowler836]

Hire him

[@boobtubereborn]

ive gone through 3 pairs of vans boots in 3 months. they feel good, dont let water in, and dont smell, but they fall apart. the review above is garbage and these guys havent worn them very much at all.

[@maycaptain1745]

BEwet???

[@keithdavidson8569]

Ha my O'Neill Hyperfreak fire is almost impossible to get on or off too! Warm suit, but literally feels like your gonna blow out your shoulders getting in or out

[@chrishenry9827]

Oneill reactor 2, worst suit i ever owned. The zipper leaks bad it doesn't seal around the neck good, the stitching is coming apart so bad it get caught up in my hands paddeling 3 surfs is all, the worst thing is getting gummby legs and the cold from the leaking zipper. Ive never owned such garbage, in the dumpster it goes.

[@mateogonzalezaguilar8530]

I reckon this is still a little biased... The durability aspect specially: for starters, seeing you guys getting in the wetsuits made me cringe. Stretch is a wanted feature, sure, but stretching it to oblivion every time you put it on is not something someone paying for its wetsuit would normally do, not to mention stepping on it getting it out. Don't want to sound just like an angry rant, you do get many things right... But from the perspective of someone who's looking at these vids order to decide which one to get, durability would be within the most important factor to tip the balance Cheers

[@maxfish4770]

Crap long advertising

[@tuttlespeachtree3413]

this was corny and not informative...thanks

[@adambamf9365]

had stop watching once she said tesla of wetsuits

[@OliverSolanasHeinrichs]

O neil Hyperfreak, the worst ever wetsuit that doesn’t last even 1 winter !

[@cloud84strife]

I just care that is not black.. let's be original.

[@christogillard4145]

Need essentials are prity good. For money/. ✅ Cost.. ✅ Alot of these suites .. are all the same.. My chioce nine plus .. 2x1 . Steamer back zipp. .. drys super fast.. insane rubber.. and is as warm.. as 3:2✅ im from uk grew in the cold waters . All these suites are good.. Enjoy video. .. stay high on a cool wave/ djchristo

[@wallydepina]

Patagonia should have been included