Rip Curl E-Bomb

“I hate wearing wetsuits!” I hear it almost every time I paddle out. “I can’t wait for summer so we can trunk it, I feel like I can’t even move in this suit,” that sentence rings in my ears for almost the entire winter season.  After doing some research, I found a couple ways to release the death grip your old winter wetsuit has been restricting your body with.

Looking for a new wetsuit can be as long and rigorous as a day of “the perfect jean” shopping with your girlfriend, sister, or mother. Naturally there are always some questions about the right suit to select when picking the perfect piece to complete your shred sesh, which is really only made of three things: wave, E-Bomb, board. Boom!

Sleek, smooth, thorough, with adjectives like these the Rip Curl E-Bomb could be considered the James Bond of wetsuits.  And even though it may seem like it’s scientific make up is too complicated for the average surfer, the E-bomb is perfect for any level of surfing.  Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or even a Pro, this clean looking classic is well worth the wear and purchase.

Let’s start with the name: E-Bomb.  Sounds dangerous, right? Wrong. However, amount of flex in this wetsuit alone is practically lethal. Now one of the most flexible high-performance suits on the market today, the Rip Curl E-Bomb has 30% more stretch than the normal E3.  So what does this 100% E3 third generation Elastomax Neoprene mean? It means sweet stretchy freedom for your upper back and under arms, especially with the 4-way back stretch design.  Everyone knows when you can flex better, you move better, and when you move better your session is better.

The E-Bomb was made with minimal seam restriction in mind. As if that’s not enough variety in a wetsuit, Rip Curl has made three variations of the E-Bomb Full suit to fit your liking.  The E-Bomb Chest Zip that comes in both 3/2 and 4/2, the Back Zip in both 3/2/ and 4/2/, and the Pro-Zip in the 3/2 version of the instant Rip Curl classic.  The Back Zip is perfect for the more decided surfer.  Some people know what they want, like what they surf in and enjoy the classic back zip.  The Chest Zip provides great insulation with the classic comfort of the back zip with a modern twist on the typical zipper location protocol.  The same can be said for the Pro Chest Zip that boasts a stash pocket, flex knees, and seamless underarms. So now that we’ve broken down the science of the Rip Curl E-Bomb, the only real question is when are you going to stop wasting time and start paddling back out? Pick up one of these flex machines at any South Coast Surf Shops or online at southcoast.com and get back in the water.

Rip Curl E-Bomb Wetsuits

by Robb Bailey

I know we’ve all said it to ourselves while bobbing around with some buddies in cold, less than perfect conditions…

“We could make a million dollars if we invented a heated wetsuit!”

All our collective efforts were too slow. Rip Curl went ahead and made the impossible a reality with the core-heated H-Bomb wetsuit. Sorry guys–in the future, you’ll have to wain your fortunes on something other than toaster oven/neoprene fires in the garage.

After a few years of R&D, trial & error, and a little Tom & Jerry, the team over at Rip Curl has put together a pretty advanced system for heating your body’s core in the icy cold H2O. It’s functional, easy to use, and most of all, it’s hot. Really hot.

But the question remains: Will they make millions of dollars selling this wetsuit? Probably not. Not any time soon anyways… With a retail sticker of just under $1,000 (that’s one thousand, people), one might think they’re laughing all the way to the bank. Not exactly so. Although the price of the H-Bomb seems high compared to a brand new E-bomb wetsuit, almost all of the price difference between the two is invested in the heat technology. Neither South Coast nor Rip Curl are making more money on this suit than any other wetsuit, which leads us to believe that Rip Curl has made a huge initial investment in this technology.

Rip Curl is making very conservative moves with their waterproof toaster oven. They are rolling out a limited release of 100 H-Bomb wetsuits worldwide. Only 80 are being made available nationwide in the US, and South Coast Surf Shops is one of two SoCal retailers to carry the H-Bomb. It will not be made available for purchase online by anyone. Heck, the Rip Curl retail stores aren’t even carrying it… at least to start out with.

What does that mean for you and me? Hopefully Rip Curl has counted their ducks carefully and sells through every piece they made this go-round. Next time around, the technology will get better, the materials will hopefully get cheaper, and the cost of the suit will match what we can afford to pay a little better (Rip Curl corporate, take note).

South Coast Surf Shops will be one of the only retailers in SoCal to carry the H-Bomb wetsuit. Starting November 1st, put your tire-kicking shoes on and head on down to South Coast Windansea for a personal showcase by one of our lovely associates. The H-Bomb suits won’t be hanging on the rack–they’ll be stored safely in the back–so be sure to ask us for the H-Bomb skinny when ya walk in.

We’d be happy to show you all the features and get your questions answered!

That will be the run of the Rip Curl H-Bomb wetsuit until February of 2009. Don’t say we never do anything for you, folks. You heard it here first!