Rip Curl Heated Rash Vest or Quiksilver Heated Vest....Worth the Money?

So with the development of technology have we reached the next stage in wetsuit warmth for cold water with the Rip Curl Heated Rash Vest? I have tested the Quiksilver Heated Rash Vest http://www.wetsuitcentre.co.uk/products.asp?pid=882 & the Rip Curl version http://www.wetsuitcentre.co.uk/products.asp?pid=2299 with some interesting results.

Firstly the Quiksilver version is cheaper and charging of the single battery was easy and the same for assembly. I found the heat was good at the highest level so medium was more than adequate. Your whole body, especially the core was warm and weirdly i could feel the cold through the wetsuit in places that had never been felt before such as the legs. The other issue was when going under the water the cold to the head felt quite extreme, so a good hood is still a must. Battery life is about two hours but after continued usage this seemed to reduce. I also had a few issues with batteries not holding a charge which was really annoying considering £150 price tag and some of the connectors had rust on them. The other slightly annoying factor was changing the heating settings as its difficult to know if you have turned it off by mistake. Overall i give the Quiksilver Heated Rash Vest 3 out of 5....

Rip Curl Heated Rash Vest feels a looks like a far Superior construction than the Quiksilver version. They have taken the H Bomb technology (costing £800 for the heated Wetsuits) and turned it into a Rash Vest which is a pretty smart idea as you can use it in any wetsuit rather than like the H Bomb when the wetsuit has had its day you cant transfer to technology. For starters it has different temp settings up to 50c setting. The fit is comfortable and easy to change the heat settings. It heats all your back including kidneys rather than just the kidneys like the Quiksilver version. Have to say after using this i am loving this addition to my Wetsuit. Keeps you toastie in the coldest of conditions does not seem to have to cold leg / head problem that the Quiksilver product produced. Overall a more expensive product £250 but does what it should do, keep you super warm in the coldest of conditions.This product holds good battery life and is easterly re-chargeable. My recommendation is spend the extra money and experience what every water user wants.....Warmth in cold water...Overall i give the Rip Curl Heated Rash vest 4.5 out of 5.....

For these and more great products please check out www.wetsuitcentre.co.uk

Winter Wetsuits or Summer Wetsuits

When looking for a Wetsuit you should consider what time of year you are wanting to use it. For example if your looking at using it in the months of November to April in UK waters then the temprature will range from 15c down as low as 5c. You will then need a Winter Wetsuit which will be a 5/4/3 in thickness, and what this actually means is the body is 5mm then a panel from the body to the arms of 4mm and arms of 3mm. All winter Wetsuits will be glued and blindstitched which means on every seam they have been stitched then the two pieces of material glued together to form a bond which wont allow water to penetrate the seam. You should consider your budget as generally the more you spend the more features you will get on the Wetsuits making it warmer such as thermal lining and air neoprene. The wetsuit will also be far more flexible and again the more you spend the more flexible it becomes making it fit better to your body which will keep you warmer. Good makes to consider are O'Neill Wetsuits, Rip Curl Wetsuits, Billabong Wetsuits, Xcel Wetsuits to name a few.

If you are looking at a summer / spring wetsuit which are generally used from May to October then these are 3/2 wetsuits. Meaning 3mm on the body and 2mm on the arms. Same applies in terms of cost the more you spend the more flexiblethe wetsuit is and the warmer.

Hope this helps and for the best range check out www.wetsuitcentre.co.uk