Like all cold water surfers, when announcements and teasers first surfaced regarding the H-Bomb, I turned the internet upside down, clamoring for more information on the suit. Proposed release dates were repeatedly pushed back, as I and others around the world anxiously awaited the suit’s arrival. Meanwhile, Rip Curl was putting years of serious research and development into the suit, sending teamriders to the coldest corners of the globe to test the suits. The concept seemed like such a natural evolution of where wetsuit technology was heading, but Rip Curl was the innovative force to bring it to market. In the fall of 2008, the suit was finally released. We tapped Rip Curl for a test of the suit in our coldest conditions and they delivered in February.
First Impressions
Upon unboxing, I quickly realized that Rip Curl sent a 3/2 hoodless H-Bomb, rather than the 4/3 hooded suit I thought they would send. The thickness had me a little worried, but I knew I could at least keep my head warm by wearing a hooded rashguard underneath. The suit itself is a true work of art. The 3/2 was every bit as light and flexible as the rest of Rip Curl’s wetsuit line, but with a more solid feel. Stitched, taped, glued and sealed in every way, Rip Curl did not skimp on building a superior suit. The heating coils, as evident on the video, are on the inside back of the suit, allowing for a three-temperature core heating element which was easy to toggle via a switch on the left hand hip, both in and out of the water.
Rip Curl put together an impressive case for the battery packs, complete with dual chargers, a battery tester and an informative guide on the suit. The batteries are slim, credit card sized power supplies that easily plug into two zip-close pockets on the interior back of the suit.
Testing Conditions
I had the opportunity to test it in a variety of weather and wave conditions, from knee high sunny winter days to overhead and thumping with icy offshores. The first time I used the suit presented an ideal opportunity to put it to the test. Waves were in the waist to chest high range and reeling, water temperature was in the mid to upper 30′s Fahrenheit, and the air temperature was colder still. I took my initial plunge with the heat on the lowest setting. Amazingly, I was no colder than I would have been in my 6/5/4 winter suit. If anything, I was even more comfortable since I was only wearing half the thickness.
By mid-March, while others were still fully suited for battle in their hooded 6/5/4’s, I was surfing in the 3/2 H-Bomb with boots and gloves, sans hood. Sure the duckdives gave me legendary ice cream headaches, but the suit itself kept my core warm enough to ward off the onset of the chills. On the lowest power setting, I could easily squeeze out two-and-a-half to three hours of heat. The center setting allowed me a solid two hours, while the highest heat setting only allowed around an hour-and-a-half of heat. Fortunately, the lowest setting offered plenty enough heat for a solid session. On a few days with warmer air temps, I even surfed a few two to three hour sessions without ever turning on the heating element. That served as a true testament to the excellent construction of the suit itself, regardless of the heater.
Conclusion
Since this is the very first iteration of the world’s first battery heated wetsuit, I kept my expectations relatively low, but was absolutely blown away by just how amazing the suit is. All I can say is WOW! Rip Curl really hit the ball out of the park with this one.
When I purchase my very own suit for next winter, I’ll likely opt for the 4/3 to allow for a bit more all around warmth for the coldest of cold days and my next trip to Iceland. But, I’m also likely to pick up a 3/2 for the added warmth it provides in less than arctic conditions.
Twenty years of winter surfing and never have I used a better winter wetsuit. Scratch that… more than twenty years of surfing in general, and never have I used a better wetsuit, period.
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I’ve been waiting for this review to come out! Nice job ASP, I’m jealous…I should be loosing the 5 mil soon enough!
in response to the rip curl h-bomb wetsuit “thats hot and i’m not”
Great post – we have had a H-Bomb in our shop in the UK and everyone is amazed at the build quality and how small the battery pack is. This really is an awsesome wetsuit!