review Archives - Page 2 of 2 - New Zealand Surf Journal

Review: Solite Custom 3mm Heat-Moldable Booties

Derek MorrisonAug 13, 2020July 25, 20240

Love them or hate them, booties are like the necessary evil when it comes to year-round surfing in New Zealand. Solite reckons its Custom 3mm heat-moldable booties have taken winter surfing to a whole new level. We bought a pair to find our for ourselves. But before we get into...

Review: 300 Surfs In Rip Curl’s New Heat Seeker … Here’s What Failed

Derek MorrisonSep 16, 2019September 16, 20191

At the start of 2019 Rip Curl launched an all-new wetsuit aimed straight at the top end of the market and billed to incorporate technology that would change the wetsuit game forever. We got our hands on a Flashbomb Heat Seeker 4:3 and thrashed it to death. Here’s what we...

Review: Need Essentials Thermal 4:3 Steamer

Derek MorrisonAug 13, 2019July 2, 20200

We were blown away by the value for money with our Need Essentials steamer produced by a company that prides itself on stripping away the costs of traditional surf wetsuit production. By minimising packaging, branding, expensive advertising campaigns and retail markups, Need Essentials is able to deliver a high-end adult...

Long-Term Test: O’Neill Hyperfreak 4:3 Zip Less Comp Wetsuit

Derek MorrisonAug 7, 2019July 25, 20241

O’Neill has turned the technology dial right up with the material used in its Hyperfreak range and if this zip less 4:3 suit is anything to go by then they’re on to something. We’ve thrash tested ours for more than two years now. This is what we discovered … When...

Book Review: Barbarian Days, A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

Darren EadeJan 4, 2019February 8, 20191

“Surfers are self-centered arseholes sometimes.” I’m sure the surf obsessed among us recognise this sentiment. It’s in that moment when your partner catches you looking out the window at the toetoe plants for wind directions, and checking the tides at the most inconvenient times of the day. I suspect this...

Review: FCS Mick Fanning Fins

Craig HigginsNov 27, 2018July 25, 20240

There are a lot of options to consider when looking for a set of fins these days and it’s never been more important to get it right. Fins can make or break a board’s performance. Get it right for the conditions and it will seem like there isn’t a drop...

Review: FCS Freedom Leash

Brett WoodSep 29, 2018July 25, 20240

FCS Freedom Leash Review: The FCS Freedom Leash promised to be lighter, stronger, with less drag, less tangle – sign me up! Looks like I wasn’t the only one, a lot of online stores sold out quickly.