REALON Neoprene 3mm Full Body Wetsuit

I really like this wet suit.

I don’t wear wet suits often. I’ve only worn this one once. And just in a pool because I’m a wuss with cold water (and I was wearing a full body rash guard and swimsuit underneath). Let me tell you, on a hot day (high 80s to low to mid 90s) with cold pool water, it does help you avoid that really nasty just-getting-into-the-water cold. You feel it a little bit, but not much, and only in certain places, and it’s way better than just a full body rashguard getting in (and out of) the water. The suit may get a little warm out of the water in the sun, but not hot and not really that bad (although I was only out of the water a bit and in fact only noticed being warm before I went into the water. Once I was wet, I didn’t notice being warm, and I didn’t have any chills getting out of the water, which was really nice. I was also wearing 3 layers at certain parts, so that may have helped, but I know for a fact with just the rash guard, getting out of the pool on windy days is super chilly, so this worked way better than just the rash guard). You may miss that “refreshing” feeling of dipping in a cold pool on a hot day, but that was kind of the point. 🙂

It was pretty easy to get on. I tried it on for size originally without a rash guard, and I remember being pretty impressed with the ease of on/off, and this time when I actually wore it, it was also easy to get on with the full body rash guard. I really, really love the long zipper pull. I was able to get it on and off all by myself. I also appreciate good attention to detail and usability by designers. If your wet suit zips in the back and doesn’t have a long zipper pull, buy this one instead.

Maybe it was a little harder to get off when it was wet, but not too much. Still pretty easy. They do recommend you rinse it right away, and a quick Google search tells me there’s wetsuit shampoo you can buy to help clean and condition the neoprene, so I just ordered that.

I’m 5’2″, 134 lbs., with most of the weight in my hips and stomach, and the medium (3 mm purple full) fit well and actually looks kind of good/slimming on me. I do often have trouble with socks leaving marks on my legs, and the bottom of the suit left marks like sock marks (I think. I was also wearing neoprene socks, but they were adjustable, and I don’t think they were what left the marks). It didn’t feel uncomfortable at all, though.

I can’t vouch for longevity or what would happen if I were surfing among rocks or something, or whether it would be as effective in the Pacific Ocean, but I like the thicker knee pads on the suit, and it sure worked well for what I wanted. At this price point, I think it’s a really good deal.

Bought this for an impromptu surf trip to Huntington Beach in November. 11/10, ~76F air, ~67F water temp, perfectly comfortable through 5 hours of surfing. Probably would have been comfortable in quite a bit colder water. I’m 5’10, 185, with a pretty big chest. I went for an XL (I meant to order an XLS, but looking at my order apparently I bought the wrong thing. Oops) regardless, it fit perfectly.

Overall, 10/10. What else could you want for a $65 wetsuit? Keeps you warm, doesn’t look dorky. Didn’t fall apart when I put it on. Even if it only lasts one more trip, it’ll be entirely worth the money.

I bought this for wake surfing. The first day we went out, the river was 51 degrees. Anytime I fell into the water, I felt just so comfortable waiting for the boat to circle around and pick me up.

I bought a medium and I am 5’4″, 120 lbs. It fit me great. Easy to get on. It was a little loose in the upper body but still worked great. I actually liked that it was a little loose in the upper body because I was able to layer a 2mm rash guard jacket underneath it. But based on how my legs felt in this wetsuit, I think I would have been just fine without the rash guard. We wear life jackets when wake surfing so that does add an extra layer as well.

I looked at other wet suits online and other retailers are selling the full body ones for $150 and up. This was a steal for $40. I didn’t want to spend much more than that since we only need it for a short time each year. Well worth the $40. I was the only one of my friends able to wake surf that day. My friends who did not have wetsuits quit for the day after their first plunge into the cold water. I was able to go for a bunch of surf runs!

This item worked very well keeping me warm, while baptizing people in the cold river for one hour on Sunday in 80 degrees weather. Also very light weight.

My old wetsuit (also a 1-piece jumpsuit style) was kind of old and the collar was deteriorating – possibly from sunscreen. I ordered this as a replacement. Overall, even before getting wet, I’m happy with it.
Just a few observations:
Pros
I’m 6’1″ 215 lbs., ordered a XXL (same as my old one) and it fits like it was custom tailored for me.
I don’t recall seeing this in the item description, but the knees are reinforced with a textured reinforced material.
The price is just unbelievably low for this level of quality.
Cons:
Yeah, as other reviewers have noted, the zipper tether could be a wee bit longer. Instead of bending down and grabbing it overhead, behind my neck I have to wrestle it around my arm and pull it up. A minor inconvenience.
The front chest area is black, contrasting with the colored zones (I chose grey) but that black are is also a different material that does not have the nylon tricot outer fabric layer. It does have a fine surface texture, but no fabric to impart abrasion resistance. Could be an issue…I’ll wait and see…

One more thing– as I look at myself in the mirror, it reminds me of Deiter on SHPROCKETS (Mike Myers, SNL). “Now is the time on Shprockets when we dance.” So, I got that goin’ for me…