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Patagonia wetsuits – are they worth the money?

I’ve had a wide range of wetsuits during my 20 years of surfing, from basic Sola summer suits to the high tech Xcel winter suits. My wetsuit buying mantra has always been “get a good fit”, so I keep an open mind when it comes to brand or price.

patagonia R2 summer wetsuit

Are Patagonia wetsuits good value for money?

However, whilst flicking through the Wavelength Summer Wetsuit guide, I coughed up my coffee on discovering the Patagonia R2 Front Zip Full Suit costs £399!

That’s right £400 for a summer wetsuit, and it’s only 2mm!

As a brand I like Patagonia. I like their environmental thoughtfulness, understated cool and quality fibres. But Patagonia’s pricing inspires a quality not quantity shopping strategy. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I don’t enjoy shopping, so I don’t mind paying a bit more for products that last.

The problem is: the majority of summer wetsuits cost no more than £200. Xcel 3/2 drylock summer wetsuit is the only wetsuit that gets close at £310. So can there be any justification for such an extraordinary price tag?

Patagonia claim to go the extra mile when it comes to environmental consideration. So features such as “soft, chlorine-free merino wool lining with recycled polyester” help justify the cost and consideration claims.

However the other features are variations on a theme shared by most high end wetsuits, including blind stitched and glued seams, reinforced high-stress areas and better stretch in bendy areas.

So are Patagonia wetsuits, with their recycled and wonder-wool materials, worth the money? For twice the price of an average summer wetsuit – I doubt it. But I don’t have one, nor do any of my friends, so I couldn’t say for sure.

If you work for Patagonia I’d be happy to share your defence. If you wear a Patagonia wetsuit I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you have any other neoprene notes, please share them below in the comments.

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