Surf Talk Guru

Quiksilver has just come out with a battery-powered heat vest to wear under any wetsuit. Actually, it isn’t available in stores quite yet, but can be pre-ordered if you’re interested. Quiksilver is not the first to think of such technology, but since it’s been tried before, it’s probably safe to say that this latest product will be an improvement over earlier attempts at the heated wetsuit market.

Last winter, Rip Curl came out with the H-Bomb electric full wetsuit. After the initial fear of electrocution subsided, reviewers tried it and reported that while it did keep them warm in frigid conditions, it didn’t outperform a 6/5/4 fullsuit. Collectively, it was decided it wasn’t worth the $1100 price tag. At the same time, Billabong came out with the SG5 steamer, which used solar energy to heat itself. The price was a lot lower, but the problem was that it warmed up in the sunshine, and not under cloud cover. This wouldn’t work too well for Oregon surfers, who know the sun can’t be counted on.

So now it’s a year later. Neither of these two breakthrough wetsuits have posed physical dangers, nor have they become mainstream. I’m willing to bet that Quiksilver has learned from others’ mistakes and has come up with a superior product. For starters, the Cypher Electric Heat Vest is just that–a vest. It’s not a fullsuit, it just gives extra warmth to your core, which is all that’s important, anyway. Also, the price is affordable at $200. I’m not usually the first person I know to try a new technology, but in this case, I am going to buy early and make the most of my winter sessions.