Despite the onset of summer – and occasionally spring – promising warmer and more predictable weather, the sea temperature in the northern hemisphere still errs on the frigid side. As such, the best wetsuits are still very much in demand throughout the year. Here we tested three Spring/Summer models from Quicksilver, Finisterre and NeedEssentials to see which is best.
The Quiksilver 3/2mm Highline Chest Zip suit is one of the most flexible, fastest-drying and strongest suits Quiksilver has produced in a long time. Finisterre’s Nieuwland 3/2, on the other hand, is made from more environmentally friendly Yulex natural rubber but still packs some advanced features.
Lastly, we’ve selected NeedEssentials and its Liquid Taped Thermal Chest Zip wetsuit purely because the brand that likes to shun branding has delivered one of the hardiest, warmest and most feature-rich wetsuits we’ve tried in a long time - especially given the price.
We donned all of them and braved the surf in a variety of conditions to see how each one held up, delivering our verdict after months of shoulder-burning paddling and thigh-cramping barrels (read: flailing a lot in the whitewater).
Quicksilver vs Finisterre vs NeedEssentials wetsuits
What's a Spring/Summer wetsuit?
Unlike those lucky folks in more tropical climes, surfers in the UK (and much of Europe) still have to don a layer of rubber if they are to remain warm and comfortable when catching waves, even in the height of summer.
Thankfully, the modern spring/summer wetsuit, which is typically 3mm thick around the vital organs and 2mm thick around the arms and legs, now packs some seriously advanced technology, making it warmer, more flexible, and more comfortable to wear during extended sessions.
While the thicker winter suit (generally in the 5/4mm or even 6/5mm range) is the final word in cold water warmth, it’s also uncomfortably bulky, a pain to get in and out of and, perhaps more importantly, simply too hot, when the sun starts to shine and the water temperatures creep up.
Price and availability
We deliberately selected three wetsuits that broadly sit in a similar price category, with the NeedEssentials suit being the most expensive at £300. Slap-bang in the middle is the Quiksilver 3/2mm Highline at £280, and coming in as the cheapest is, surprisingly, the Finisterre Nieuwland 3/2, despite it being made of pricer Yulex natural rubber.
Alongside your local surf shop, which we highly recommend visiting and supporting (not least to try on the suit to see if it fits first), you can also head to online shops, such as Wetsuit Outlet, to see if they have any deals running.
NeedEssentials sells directly to consumers from its website. It is founded on the principles of stripping away unnecessary branding, killing off the middleman, and eliminating waste to deliver a “world-class wetsuit at a fraction of the price.”
Because of this, you won’t find heavy discounting. The same can be said for the Finisterre kit, which is built to last and priced accordingly. But if you don’t fancy investing in a new suit, the Cornish brand will always let you rent one from £20—genius!
Features
Let’s start with Quiksilver, as it is a brand that likes to label many of its innovations with fancy terminology. Firstly, it features Highlife Eco neoprene rubber in its construction, which is both very flexible and great at trapping in the warmth.
Secondly, the inner is festooned with what the company calls a Warmflight Eco Velvet lining, which is made using recycled materials. It is soft against the skin and offers an additional injection of warmth.
In terms of seams, these are triple glued and blind-stitched, which is about as secure as a modern wetsuit gets when it comes to denying water seepage via sew-throughs.
The majority of the suits here are chest entry (as is this one), which means you have to pull the neck flap over your head and zip it shut at the front. Personally, I prefer this style of suit, as it negates the need to awkwardly reach around the back of the suit and locate a zip. This is particularly important if you’ve got poor shoulder mobility.
Finally, Quiksilver says its Aqua Glue eco-friendly lamination does away with nasty solvents and harmful chemicals and instead uses a water-based make-up for a more eco-friendly approach. As you’ll see in our ‘Performance’ section, it didn’t seem to affect durability.
But if environmental responsibility is at the forefront of your buying choices, the Finisterre Nieuwland pips them all, thanks to its Yulex natural rubber construction. Inside, you’ll find a high chest pile, which is essentially a bunch of soft fabric around that area for added under-chest paddle comfort.
It is a back-zip entry suit, which I personally find more awkward, while it is double-blind stitched throughout to prevent unwanted cold water ingress. Out of all the suits here, it lacks some of the more advanced fabrics and features, but the sticker price is going towards a raft of environmental impact-reducing highlights, such as the Yulex rubber, the recycled polyester fabrics and the fact it is transported by sea.
Finally, the NeedEssentials offering is top-to-bottom lined with a rapid dry thermal lining, which makes it the warmest suit on test here. It is 100 per cent glued and blind stitched, with further peace of mind coming in the form of external liquid-sealed seams and internal taping.
There’s a chunky YKK extra-strong zipper at the front, a glide skin comfort neck, non-flush-sealed wrists and ankles, and ultra-durable, four-way stretch kneepads.
It’s an impressively feature-rich suit that performs admirably in the water (as you’ll see later), which should help justify the price.
Performance
Of all the suits tested here, the NeedEssentials 3/2 Liquid Taped Thermal Chest Zip is the heaviest and, therefore, the slightly more irksome to get into.
It’s not a dealbreaker, but the suit’s full lining and reinforced seams add a bit of bulk. The upside is that this suit can easily handle much colder conditions than the suggested 14° to 20° Celsius range. In fact, we rocked this in the winter months with boots, gloves, and a hood and had no problems with heat retention.
At the other end of the spectrum, the more basic Finisterre Nieuwland 3/2 is a little lighter and less bulky to get in and out of. However, we found the Yulex natural rubber lacked the pliancy of modern neoprene and felt fairly stiff at first.
This got better with time, although we still had to deal with the rear-zip entry, which is always more awkward than the front-zip counterparts.
The Quiksilver 3/2mm Highline sat right in the middle of the two and proved super easy to get in and out of without compromising on warmth. Again, it’s a suit that can comfortably be worn as the surf extends into the cooler shoulder seasons, yet feels light and thin enough to promote an excellent range of motion - perfect for painfully long paddle-outs.
The anti-flush wrist and ankles of both the Quiksilver and NeedEssentials suits proved great for keeping unwanted cold water out, but they do impede entry and exit a little. You have to yank the NeedEssentials over cold feet, inevitably turn the suit inside out, and get sand all over it—it’s that tight.
It’s difficult to comment on overall fit, as every body shape is different, but we found Finisterre ran with a very narrow profile, making it tricky to get an all-over snug fit for those broad-shouldered surfers. It’s either too tight up top and perfect down below or just right at the shoulders but long in the leg.
NeedEssentials offers the broadest speed of sizes, with a staggering 13 options available, where both Quiksilver and Finisterre offer nine. As we previously mentioned, it’s always wise to try a suit on, as every manufacturer differs in the shape and cut - you might find Finisterre fits like a Savile Row suit, for example.
Flexibility is an important part of any wetsuit, and after testing all three, I feel that Quiksilver and NeedEssentials have both got this element dialled in. The shoulder panels in both suits allow for an easy paddle while there’s lots of stretch around the hip flexors.
The Finisterre isn’t bad, it’s just not as performance orientated. The brand even warns that it will be a tight fit when new and will “loosen after 10-15 wears”, but I found it didn’t have the same kind of shoulder mobility as its rivals.
Which should I buy?
If you’re keen on ensuring the surf industry reduces its impact on the planet, there’s no denying the Finisterre Nieuwland 3/2 is an excellent option, especially given the work Finisterre is doing around suit rental and its drive to reduce waste.
But like the EV/ICE debate, where purists still err on the side of combustion engines for performance, the two ‘dirtier’ neoprene suits delivered the goods in terms of warmth, fit and flexibility in the water.
The NeedEssentials 3/2 Liquid Taped Thermal Chest Zip arguably pips the competition due to the sheer amount of features it offers for the price, as well as its fantastically hardy build quality. But some might find that it’s just too warm for a milder spring/summer season.
The Quiksilver 3/2mm Highline, on the other hand, is a lightweight performance suit that’s absolutely perfect for the spring/summer season (and beyond), offering a fantastic fit and superb flexibility. The only question mark surrounds longevity, as our previous experience with Quiksilver suits has seen various elements fail or rip, but the Highline seems solid.
