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Patagonia Men's R4® Yulex® Front-Zip Hooded Full Wetsuit
3.7/5
September 17, 2021
Warm, flexible and very durable.
Ive used my R4 for two winters in Maine, surfing often and sometimes on properly pretty chilly mornings (sea smoke-type weather, around 10 degrees F air temp, low 30s water temp). The suit is good for about an hour in those conditions for me, if paddling hard etc, which it is flexible enough to do.
The hood can be cinched nice and tight which helps... Read More avoid freezing wash throughs.
The fit is perfect. Im 62, 180lbs, fairly slim, sort of a not-terribly-athletic swimmers build.
My suit shows almost no sign of wear yet after a lot of use, without babying it but always following the care instructions. Some slight marks on elbows and knees, nothing more. Its hard wearing enough that, even at full price, it is good value. I bet per surf session it works out cheaper than less expensive, less durable suits.
Getting in and out of it in the cold is work, but thats because its a thick winter suit with a front zip.
Theres really nothing Id change on it. Its ace, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to be out on cold days.
I fully Patagonia's mission statement and their use of recycled and more sustained materials in their products. This is my 4th Patagonia wetsuit over the years. Each one improves over the previous generation. Unfortunately, this suit didn't last long. In less than 20 sessions, the crotch started leaking. I couldn't identify the cause... Read More initially because the interior and exterior seam seal bead was intact. The seam pulled apart from within. Go figure. Maybe the next suit will be better, but I'm not sure I'd invest in another one. FYI: I've shipped wetsuits for repair, but it just doesn't work out well. Otherwise, the suit was warm albeit slightly large around the midsection for me. I'm 5'11" 160 lbs.
The chest zipper is backwards to any other chest zip wetsuit I have owned. Why would you do this? Why make an easy system difficult? You have to align up the zipper like you are putting on a jacket. Not like a pair of jeans where you just zip them up. Cold hands and trying to look down at your chest to get a visual to align the zipper to the track ... Read Moreis unrealistic. I will be sending this suit back and would not recommend to anyone based on this single design flaw.
Im 510 and 160, and historically Ive worn Large in Patagonia suits. This suit I ordered in Large and it seems to fit true to my size. One thing Ive noticed over the years is that Patagonia suits tend to be a tad heavier and less flexible compared to their counterparts found among the Big surf industry labels. Sorry guys - my opinion but I think the... Read Morere is some truth there. What you loose in a little more weight and less flexibility you gain tenfold in the quality of the materials and durability of Patagonia suits. I recently had an R3 that I wore regularly - 2-3 times a week during the colder months - for close to 3 years. When it wore in the knees and crotch - I sent it back to Patagonia for repair. A few weeks later for a small charge my suit was back with new panels and stitched back up. The Big surf label suits, for all the geewhiz advertising and flexible material, are toast within months - if youre lucky you get a year. Refund or warranty - stop, that really makes me laugh so hard I cant breathe. So there it is - while the whole sustainability ethos might appear rooted in the Yulex argument advanced by Patagonia, in my mind the product is sustainable because it lasts - and when it breaks it can be fixed. So yes, Patagonia suits really are all that.
Purchased a top line suit of leading manufacture and closely compared. The other suit had many features that would be considered best to have. However, hands down the quality of the patagonia manufacture came through in feel, in fit and in function. I returned the other suit and been loving the R4
Bought 3 Patagonia wetsuits for self, husband and daughter. Wow! We all love them. Northern Washington Strait of Juan de Fuca water is no match for this wetsuit. We've worn them surfing and SUPing and wow. Comfortable and warm. My daughter and I do need help getting the hood off - it's really difficult - but it's getting easier with ... Read Moretime. We used the size chart and my 5'8" 140 lb husband got the small and my daughter and I are both 5'4" / 5'6" and 117 lbs and the size 6 is perfect. Yay.
Very happy at first to hit the winter season on the Brittany coast with this suit... but the following fall (after maybe 20-30 sessions) a serious crotch leak made me cold way before the water was hitting its lowest points. My 4/3 summer wetsuit ended up keeping me warmer - sent the suit off to warranty and they said they couldn't fix it... no... Read Morew trying to decide if I want a new suit or my money back, I've seen some other posts on the internet complaining about seam durability in Patagonia suits, I just don't want to deal with a month-long warranty process again next year. Patagonia, make sure you get this sorted, as it's otherwise a great suit!