I have searched the forums and seen Fuzzy Rubber mentioned over and over, but have not found a wetsuit that says it is made of the stuff. Who sells them?
In particular, looking for a shorty (no arms and partial leg coverage) in something in the 1mm to 3mm range.
I’m guessing this will be a bit warmer than the 0.5mm NRS Hydroskin.
jim
P.S. I’ve read all the “dress for immersion” lectures, so skip em
Kokatat does
Basically Fuzzy Rubber…
Similar to Rapidstyle’s fuzzy rubber (Rapidstyle gone kaput,) Reed’s “Aquatherm”
http://rockpool.reednorthamerica.com/index.php/Full-Suits/Aquatherm-Short-John/Detailed-product-flyer
Highly debatable where it is warmer than .5 hydroskin in the water. (I have both hydroskin and fuzzy rubber shortie FJs.) Fuzzer rubber just feels drier when you not immersed because of the thin fleece inner lining. The outer surface also doesn’t take water, so you don’t have evaporative cooling as would hydroskin.
sing
I couldn’t find a wetsuit on their site
much less a fuzzy rubber short/little john.
jim
Found the Reed site, but did not find
an online seller. Found that Secondwind Sports seels some Aquatherm wetsuits, but not the short john.
Any other ideas or links?
I’ve had two recommendations to try the fuzzy rubber, but no luck finding where anyone sells it in the US.
jim
Kokatat
Here’s the page for insulation on the Kokatat site - their fuzzy rubber is called SurfSkin:
http://kokatat.com/product_insulation.asp
They have farmer john/janes, but no shorties. I use their surfskin pants - it has a fleece layer inside, with various stretchy and slick surfaced outer panels. Evap cooling is reduced compared to regular neoprene. I use it a lot and like it fine - it is nicely tailored so the neo doesn’t inhibit motion or rub you raw. They have shorts and LS/SS tops also, but no one-piece shorties.
I used to have a Henderson fleece-lined neo jacket - it was well made, but not stretchy enough - it rubbed me raw under the arms while paddling so I sold it. Getting something paddle specific is important, obviously, and Kokatat has very good design and construction.
Mountain Surf?
Used to have fuzzy rubber stuff, including a two piece long sleeve/long leg set that looks absolutely fantastic on a body sleeker than mine. Just not sure if they are still around. It wouldn’t be a winter alternative for me, but the stuff is pretty warm and less rash-producing than the typical lower end paddling wetsuit.
Thanks
Taking at look at the Farmer John
Love my fuzzy rubber
I have the Rapidstyle pants and their farmer jane and love them! Even when the insides get a little wet from walking into the water or while surfskiing, I stay warm and comfy. The ‘rubbery’ outer surface does shed the water. Too bad Rapidstyle went out of business.
Carldelo: Thanks for putting out there that Kokotat makes a similar product. I’m going to get their Surfskin Balaclava and maybe a long-sleeved top.
Kathy
“Dress for Immersion” can mean
dressing for serious overheating while paddling.
Still no wetsuits
I may give up on the shorty wetsuit, but Kokatat doesn’t seem to have Surfskin wetsuits at all, just tops and shorts/pants.
Does anyone make a fuzzy rubber wetsuit that would be appropriate for cool water (probably 50 to 55 degree water temps and slightly cooler air temps). 3mm is probably the upper limits and thinner could work with layering.
Thanks,
jim
I like 2 mm O’Neil Stuff Better
I have 2 mm O’Neil shorts. 2 mm is much warmer than Hydroskin. I tend to mix and match and use my hydroskin top when it’s warmer. Fuzzy rubber stuff really not that great.
Reed Short John
We have just upgraded our on line store and don’t have all the products that we sell up yet. We do have Short John’s in stock.
Contact us at info@secondwindsports.net
Fuzzy rubber unsatisfactory
I’ve worn 2 prs of fuzzy rubber shorty Farmer Janes, two long pants, and a jacket made of fuzzy rubber. It’s nice for other uses but I’ve ditched it as paddlewear because it does not keep the body warm when actually immersed. It does not fit tightly enough to keep large quantities of water from flushing through.
That plus it stinks from sweat, a sour kind of smell. My neoprene wetsuits don’t get stinky (I wash them after each use) but the fuzzy rubber got that sour smell even though I always washed them after each use. Even when wearing other layers underneath, they get that smell. The shop where I had a Gore-tex repair done commented on the same sour stink they’ve noticed when repairing fuzzy rubber garments.
For immersion wear, I use either stretchy neoprene (surfing wetsuits) or a Gore-tex drysuit plus synthetic long undies. The fuzzy rubber is now used only for hiking on windy drizzy days–it does block the wind and water beads off of it. But I’ve been disabused of the notion that it is immersion wear.