mdac trip report

Gul Viper 3/2

I’ve had this suit since April, and have been wearing it right through the summer and only changed to my winter suit when the recent cold snap arrived. So I’ve gotten 6 months of the year out of it. First off, the construction is quite impressive with lots of well thought out features, the grippers at the wrists and ankles are really good at preventing flushes, and zip-over flap/collar with smooth-skin neoprene lining is also well able to keep out the flushes. The neoprene is nice and soft, and even for a summer suit it’s very easy to move in, so much so that I spent an awful lot of the summer doing open water swims in it (upto 2km, and I wasn’t holding anybody up), as I was training for a triathlon. I eventually bought a tri-suit, but the vast majority of them were really stiff and fitted badly in comparison to this suit – the tri-boys could learn a thing or 2 from Gul!! I also really liked to liquid seams, as you can see that they’re never going to let water in.
In terms of keeping me warm, zero problems – I got 6 months of the year out of my summer suit – Happy Days!! If anything, it might have been a bit too toasty on some of the very warm days, I’ve been meaning to get a new shorty for a while now, and hope to sort it out soon - Gul Profile 3/2.
If you’re going to surf all year round in Ireland, then having 2 suits is the way forward. Wearing a winter suit all year round will only mean you’ll overheat in the summer, and not feel warm enough in the depths of winter (making you less likely to get out there, and we often get great days during the winter, way more so than in summer!!).

Brendan Barry.