Patagonia Women's R4 Yulex 5.5/4 Hooded Chest Zip Wetsuit

I purchased this wetsuit after deciding that my old wetsuit, which I had before becoming a mama of 3, was finally old and tired. I thought I loved my old wetsuit but this one is deluxe. It's really easy to get in/out of, and it keeps me warm in the PNW surf. This wetsuit does not disappoint, and the Cleanline staff is so friendly! It was fun to purchase from them. :)

I want to start out by saying the customer service at Cleanline is 5 stars! I ordered 2 suits and had to return one and the refund came super fast and was easy to return. The suit itself feels like the warmest I have tried and I love that it is made from trees, is fair trade and is not neoprene. However like many other reviews I’ve read the fit was SO off. I’m 5’8, pretty thin with an athletic surfer’s build. The shoulders on this suit feel disproportionate to the rest of this suit. I first tried a 10 and the shoulders were great but the rest of the suit is massive. I downsized to an 8 and I definitely can’t go any smaller (because of my shoulders) and there was so much extra material in the middle. I found a seamstress who will alter wetsuits in my area, I’m waiting to get the suit back but she is taking about 3 inches out of the length in the torso for me. I’m really disappointed that it’s so hard to find a high quality non-neoprene suit that is fitted for women who have a surfer’s build. I expected more from this suit so I’ll probably personally send Patagonia an email about that.

I purchased this suit for surfing and diving in SE Alaska and most impressively, it has kept me warm even when it's snowing! At 5 ft tall and 130 pounds, the size 8 fits really well. There is extra fabric in the legs because of the length but I find that unavoidable at my height. I also tried on the size 6 which fit perfectly everywhere but the shoulders where it was too tight.

I want to start by saying that I'm a huge fan of both cleanline and patagonia. I had a patagonia wetsuit years ago and it was not the most comfortable but I thought I would give this one a try after reading some positive reviews and because I respect how environmentally conscious the brand is. Just for reference, I am pretty average build, 120 lbs and 5’5” tall. This wetsuit was very warm but so uncomfortable that it made it basically non-functional. I tried it on dry and it felt great but the fit totally changed once I was in the water. The bulky material in the neck area shifted once wet and made it difficult to breathe with the hood pulled off. It felt very restricting to paddle and look from right to left with the hood on. That is pretty typical for other wetsuits I have owned but this was more extreme. The worst part of it all was that the material shifted very uncomfortably into my crotch whenever I was paddling! It was to the point where I had to constantly pull it back in place and was in pain by the end of my session. I am an avid surfer at a pretty strenuous beach break in San Francisco so maybe my review should include the context that I am used to paddling and duck diving a ton. This suit might work for someone who is body surfing or just cruising on a longboard and not shifting as much on the board but even then I would not recommend it. I am very sad this wetsuit did not work out, I was super hopeful. I really hope Patagonia can do better.

I have tried many but none keep me warm in the Santa Cruz waters like this suit!!! It is fantastic.