Ocean Rodeo Surf Dry 2011
Reviews / Mens Drysuits
36,805
At A Glance
Look at the pictures and you could be fooled into thinking this was some kind of funky “dry” wetsuit. You’d be almost right too! The suit is designed to look like a wetsuit and to be as streamlined as possible. For riders out there who have always fancied a dry suit, but been put off by the cumbersome looks then this could be the answer. It was these qualities that sparked our interest in the suit!
On the Water
The Surf Dry is actually 3 suits in one, the first suit is a thermal layer that ensures you keep warm and will wick moisture away from your body. Next up is the mid layer. This is essentially a thin dry suit; you put this on as you would a normal dry suit. Last on is the neoprene over layer, this ensures the dry suit is kept in check and streamlines the whole outfit. Putting these three layers on may seem a chore, but in the depths of winter when it’s really cold it will be worth it, practise makes perfect and we can now get in and out of ours in under 2 minutes, there is a technique to it though so make sure you follow the instructions. When you’re out on the water, bone dry in what looks like a wetsuit it will be doubly worth the extra effort! The suit is really warm, we actually found ourselves getting hot on days when the temperature was barely above freezing. And once you get used to the donning and doffing procedure it’s a great bit of kit. If you rider where it is cold, and you want to enjoy your sessions, then the Surf Dry is the suit to have…
For
Ridiculously warm, more “stylish” than a normal drysuit, less bulky and plenty of freedom of movement.
Against
3 layers may put some people off, takes up a fair bit of storage space when not in use.
Overall
Despite the size of the suit when it isn’t on (three layers soon fill up your kit bag) once you have it on it is as warm as the thickest of wetsuits, whilst at the same time being super flexible and easy to move about in. The built in hood is a great feature. Kiss the cold goodbye with the Surf Dry.
This review was in Issue 25 of IKSURFMAG.
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By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
