New Wetsuit Technology

 

Patagonia Inc and Yulex Corporation have introduced a guayule ‘natural rubber’ based wetsuit, that is being positioned as the first alternative to traditional fossil-based neoprene. The key test will be producing a Mens Winter Wetsuit that is warm enough for the coldest of waters.
Patagonia is a leading designer of core outdoor, surf and sport-related apparel, equipment, footwear and accessories. Yulex Corporation is a clean technology company developing agricultural-based biomaterials for medical, consumer, industrial and bioenergy products.
“When we started to build wetsuits we knew that neoprene, by nature of its production, was the most environmentally harmful part the product,” said Jason McCaffrey, Patagonia’s Surf Director. “Our initial approach was to use innovative materials, like wool, that are highly insulating and allowed us to use as little neoprene as possible. But we quickly realized that we needed to create a new material that could be a true alternative to neoprene.”
He continued, “After four years of working together, Patagonia and Yulex have co-developed a unique material that allows us to make a wetsuit that is 60% guayule (plant) based. Our goal is to have the formula 100% plant based, but we feel that for now this new material is a big enough step forward to let the world know it is possible to buy something cleaner.
“This is just the first step; it’s our hope that other brands see this as interesting and join the effort to innovate and implement alternatives to traditional neoprene that is used in wetsuits.”
Yulex’s biorubber material is made from guayule, a renewable, non-food crop that requires very little water, is grown domestically in the US, uses no pesticides, and in comparison to traditional neoprene, is reported to have a very clean manufacturing process.
Essentially a desert shrub, guayule (Parthenium argentatum) is a renewable biorubber that has been identified as an alternative to traditional Hevea (Hevea brasiliensis) rubber for many years. Recently, the guayule plant has seen a small but growing resurgence due to its hypoallergenic properties. While traditional rubber contains proteins that can cause severe allergic reactions in a few people, guayule reportedly does not.
Initially, the new Patagonia suits will be available in Japan only. Given that Patagonia’s main market is in surf wear and watersports, this will be the primary area of activity. In spring 2013, surfers will be able to order custom suits out of Patagonia’s wetsuit facility in Ventura, California, with a global roll-out to follow.
The application of guayule in triathlon wetsuits has yet to be fully commercialised. Although, this could present an interesting opportunity.
Earlier this year, De Soto Clothing Inc claimed to have pioneered an alternative to petroleum-based wetsuits. Billed as a first in the industry to introduce limestone rubber into triathlon wetsuits, all T1 Wetsuits now incorporate GreenGoma limestone rubber technology. However, while it is seen as a better option than petroleum-based materials, limestone is still a non-renewable resource.

Made & Harvested in the USA
Given that the guayule plant is home grown in the US, there may also be heightened consumer interest for a ‘Made & Harvested in the USA’ product in the world’s largest triathlon market.
Yulex has developed a portfolio of biomaterials derived from the US grown guayule plant. The company’s technological innovation is designed to replace traditional tropical or petroleum based rubber for consumer, industrial and medical markets, with the residual agricultural materials utilized as a feedstock for bioenergy.
“Yulex commends Patagonia for supporting the advancement of a sustainable, low-carbon future by embracing agricultural-based, biomaterials to replace petroleum-based synthetics,” said Jeff Martin, CEO, President and founder of Yulex Corporation.
“Patagonia is guiding the action sports industry to a new level and setting an example for the importance of sustainable practices. Yulex views this partnership as a major step towards a future where use of our renewable, guayule-based biomaterials is the industry standard.”

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www.yulex.com
www.patagonia.com

Advice on whether you should buy a Wetsuit or Drysuit

Drysuits & Wetsuits for the Winter Months

Don’t let the winter months stop you from enjoying your watersport as it doesn’t matter whether your into sailing, kayaking, or kitesurfing ,the evolution of wetsuits and drysuits is enabling these sports to be taken to depths of endurance.

Winter Wetsuit

If we firstly take the winter wetsuit, over the last 6 years we have seen a revolution in wetsuit technology and the speed of change has been amazing. A top end wetsuit of 6 years ago would not considered to have enough technical features to be an entry level wetsuit. So if your now looking to buy your first wetsuit or your debating the worth of spending a little more, do you get additional features to make it worth the extra spend or are you paying for brand names. The simple and honest answer especially when dealing with winter  wetsuits is a massive yes.

The more you spend the more flexible / lighter the material becomes and the more technical warmth properties you get. So lets have a look to see what some of these technical features actually mean.

Thermal lining – a material designed to act in the same way as thermal underwear but inside a wetsuit. It wicks water away from the body whilst heating the core areas.

Air Neoprene – Small air pockets that are in built into the neoprene, the theory behind this is air is a better insulator of heat so your body heat warms up the air pockets and in turn this maintains your heat.

Smooth Skin - This is the top layer of neoprene when it is made, it has been used as the smooth layer that manufacturers have used on chest and kidney panels to prevent wind cooling down these areas. This has recently become less important due to double lined neoprene’s becoming so good.

Double Lined Neoprene – Is the double weave of the jersey that comprises the neoprene and In recent years has got so good that it now prevents wind from penetrating the wetsuit thus keeping you even warmer. It also means that rather wind and kite surfers having to buy all smooth skin wetsuits, everyone can now use the one wetsuit and use it for different sports such as surfing, sailing, kayaking etc

Super Stretch Material – This type of high grade neoprene is becoming more and more prevalent as the majority of the neoprene that makes up a wetsuit. In a nutshell it makes the neoprene extremely stretchy thus making movement in the wetsuit easier so you don’t get tired and the better it fits to your body the warmer you will be. This has been the one revolution that has made wearing a wetsuit a joy rather than a pain.

Drysuits

Drysuits are much better for surface watersports such as Sailing, Kayaking, Kitesurfing etc or diving.  In simple terms a dry suit is designed to seal the suit preventing water entering at any point. Should not be used for sports such as surfing due to the bulk of a drysuit.

The main difference between dry suits and wetsuits is that dry suits are designed to prevent water entering. This generally allows better insulation making them more suitable for use in cold water. Dry suits can be uncomfortably hot in warm or hot air, and are typically more expensive and more complex to don. For divers, they add some degree of complexity as the suit must be inflated and deflated with changes in depth in order to avoid "squeeze" on descent or uncontrolled rapid ascent due to over-buoyancy.

For surface watersports drysuits have a geo textile material that allows the material to breath so you sweat less and its generally more comfortable to use. The next choice is socked or non socked drysuits and this generally comes down to preference and wether your sport also requires boots. Generally kite and wind surfers users the non socked drysuit. Drysuits are more expensive than a wetsuit and a little more cumbersome. Usually with a dry suit they come with a thermal suit that is like thermal underwear in a front zip suit.