Choosing the right wetsuit allows you to enjoy your favorite water sport all year round. It lets you stay warm against cold waters and lessens the chances of bruising on impact. At first sight, the list of qualities you need to consider tends to get overwhelming. Knowing what you need to look for, though, ultimately allows you to have a better time at the beach, no matter the weather.
Hotline, a brand based in California, has consistently provided high-quality wetsuits and other accessories for surfers of all ages. The wide range of sizing options and their custom-made offering allows you to have a wetsuit catering specifically to your needs. We’ve narrowed down in this list the best of their wetsuits according to their adaptability.
Table of Contents
Top 6 Best Hotline Wetsuits Reviewed
Women’s
- Women’s Reflex 2.0 Hooded Wetsuit: Top Pick for Women
- Women’s UHC Hooded Wetsuit
- Women’s She VZ Spring Wetsuit
Men’s
- Men’s GT Wetsuit: Top Pick for Men
- Men’s Reflex 2.0 All Wetsuit
- Men’s Reflex Short Sleeve Wetsuit
1. Women’s Reflex 2.0 Hooded Wetsuit: Top Pick for Women
Features
- G2 Fly Zip Entry
- Thermal Lining
- Ring of Fire Stitching
- Drawstring hood
- K2 Kevlar Knee Pads
- Detachable Key Ring
The 100% Neoprene material in Hotline’s Reflex Hooded Wetsuit allows you to get in and out of it smoothly, improving your comfort. A thermal lining maintains your body temperature even on the coldest days, letting you surf any day. This feature also makes your wetsuit wind-resistant, letting you focus on your stability.
Its durability is assured with the Ring of Fire Stitching that keeps the entry panel from immediate damage. This wetsuit is glued thrice with double-blind stitching and strongly reinforced seams that promise you of getting your money’s worth. The YKK Zipper guarantees superior quality that will not easily break even with sharp tugs.
An anatomically accurate drawstring hood gives you an added layer of protection against other elements. Its drawstring lets you adjust the hood correctly to the size of your head, improving its efficiency. The Kevlar blend knee pads promise superior quality that will not crumble easily from the constant beating and protects your knees from injuries.
2. Women’s UHC Hooded Wetsuit
Features
- Nylon and Neoprene Combo
- Drawstring hood
- Melco Reinforcements
- Freeze Free Lining
- K2 Kevlar Knee Pads
- Detachable Key Ring
UHC stands for Ultra Hot Combo, which makes this wetsuit perfect for your winter rides. The combination of Nylon and Neoprene maximizes the level of warmth it allows and comfortably lets you get in and out of the suit. A Freeze Free lining lets add to the heat it offers, trapping your body temperature, and deflecting the cold water from ultimately seeping through the suit.
Like Reflex 2.0, the UHC has an anatomically right hood that protects your head from varying elements. It also has a drawstring that lets you accurately fit the cover to your head. The shoulder-to-shoulder zipper allows for easier donning and doffing, allowing for better maneuverability during winter.
Melco reinforcement on the wetsuit’s inner panel assures you of its durability, making this a worthy investment. It is also double-stitched, thrice-glued with seams taped firmly, promising you that it will break apart easily. This wetsuit also has Kevlar blend knee pads that are flexible but do not compromise durability to decrease your risk of injuries.
3. Women’s She VZ Spring Wetsuit
Features
- Chevron Design Lines
- Super Stretch Neoprene
- EZ Key Pocket
- Melco Reinforcements
- Hidden YKK Zipper
- Bootie Cut
The She Vertical Zip Spring Wetsuit lets you surf in style with its ergonomic design. Its super-stretch Neoprene material enables you to slip it on and off comfortably, perfect for sunny days when you feel like being in a bikini post-surf.
Chevron design lines account for this wetsuit’s ergonomic quality, which hugs your body and emphasizes your curves. Its bootie cut adjusts to a bikini fit, making the suit adaptable to all body types.
Melco reinforcements, along with blind-stitched seams are glued thrice to assure you that this wetsuit will not fall apart from constant use. A hidden, vertical YKK zipper gives this suit a sleek finish, with the zipper ensuring of excellent durability.
4. Men’s GT Wetsuit: Top Pick for Men
Features
- Thermal Nylon Back Panel
- Gummy Neoprene
- TransFlex Knee Pads
- Fluid Seam Seal
- V Back Entry
- Detachable Key Clip
The Gummy Neoprene material gives you a very comfortable fit that smoothly glides as you put the Men’s GT Wetsuit on. It contains your warmth with the Nylon Thermal panel on the back, allowing more surfing time during the winter.
Its Neoprene material is secured with Fluid Seam seals, assuring you of its durability. The seams are blind-stitched closed by spot tape, making sure that they can take the beating of constant use. This wetsuit’s deep V-back entry allows you to enter and exit quickly, with a highly durable YKK zipper that can withstand continuous tugging.
What sets this wetsuit apart is its TransFlex Knee Pads which boast superior flexibility. This feature allows for better coordination and maximum support on your knees to lessen the toll it takes from constant surfing.
You can easily slip on your hands and feet with the EZ technology on their fabric. A key clip on the ankle lets you keep your things secured, lessening your worries as you surf.
5. Men’s Reflex 2.0 All Wetsuit
Features
- Thick Thermal Lining
- Neoprene
- Magnum FireSeam GT
- Ring of Fire Stitching
- Kevlar Knee Pads
- G2 Fly Zip Entry
The thermal lining covering the entire wetsuit makes the Men’s Reflex 2.0 All Wetsuit a step ahead of the GT variant. This feature improves the suit’s ability to trap your body heat, allowing for a more comfortable experience during the winter.
Hotline’s highly acclaimed Neoprene allows you to slip in and out of this wetsuit comfortably. Its ergonomic quality also improves its flexibility, letting you optimize every paddle. All of the seams in this wetsuit are secured with Magnum FireSeam GT tape, keeping its stitching and glue intact despite the constant beating.
Its Ring of Fire Stitching protects the area near the zipper from immediate damage, assuring you of the fabric’s durability. Like all Hotline wetsuits, a YKK zipper smoothly glides for faster, smoother tugging during use. The G2 Fly Zip Entry allows for more rapid entry and easier donning, enabling you to spend more time surfing than configuring the apparel.
This wetsuit’s Kevlar Knee Pads offer an excellent blend of flexibility and stability. It significantly reduces your risk for injury while improving on your grip on the board while paddling.
6. Men’s Reflex Short Sleeve Wetsuit
Features
- Neoprene
- Magnum FireSeam GT
- Ring of Fire Stitching
- K2 Knee Pads
- G2 Fly Zip Entry
- Detachable Key Ring
Hotline’s Men’s Reflex Short Sleeve Wetsuit lets you surf comfortably during summer with a highly breathable design. Hotline’s specialized Neoprene material gives you sufficient ventilation and smooth donning and doffing with its texture.
Much like the Reflex 2.0, this wetsuit’s durability is assured by the Magnum FireSeam GT. This feature locks in the seams that are glued thrice and blindly stitched, all promising you that it is worth the investment. A Ring of Fire stitching also secures the wetsuit from ripping apart when you zip it close. The YKK Zipper promises a fluidity in your motion that increases the chances of the suit’s lifespan.
K2 knee pads are a Kevlar blend that promises superior flexibility and stability. This feature makes you more stable when you paddle and protects your knees from immediate wear and tear damage. You can keep your valuables intact with the detachable key ring allowing you to lock your storage.
Top Picks: Women’s Reflex 2.0 Hooded Wetsuit and Men’s GT Wetsuit
Hotline takes pride in the consistently reliable durability of its materials, but what makes these two wetsuits a cut above the rest is their ability to adapt to all types of weather, making them the more practical choice.
While the UHC is also an excellent choice to give you extra protection over the winter, its heavy-duty material might become exhausting to do in the long run. The increased heat containment might also be excessive when it comes to surfing during the summer. Reflex 2.0’s relatively more affordable price point makes it a better choice, for it gets the UHC’s job done for less.
Like the Women’s Reflex 2.0 versus the UHC variant, the Men’s GT wetsuit lets you have a more adaptable surfing experience, outshining the Reflex 2.0 All Wetsuit.
The added thermal lining on the Reflex 2.0 All might make surfing during warmer days inconvenient. The improved quality of the Neoprene material on the GT Wetsuit also makes wearing and taking it off smoother with a better, ergonomic fit. The TransFlex Kneepads improve your stability as you paddle while leaving enough flexibility to let you maneuver easily.
Wetsuit Buying Guide
Wetsuits are your layer of protection in water sports. They contain a small amount of water between you and the suit, which is then heated by your body to keep you warm. This technology lets you stay in the water for longer without the risk of hypothermia.
Its thickness, fit, seams, and zippers all account for what you need to look at before settling on a wetsuit. Choosing the right one would ultimately allow a more prolonged, safer surfing experience.
Thickness is usually indicated in millimeters, with two numbers separated by a slash. The first number tells you the width of your torso, and the second refers to the thickness of your arms and lower extremities. A higher value would allow for better heat generation since it will trap the water longer but would make the wetsuit less flexible. This logic explains why areas that move more have less volume.
The fit is pretty much self-explanatory. Wetsuits help you keep warm by trapping heat, so the more fitted they are, the more effective they get. Wearing suits that are too loose makes cold water pass through easily, overpowering the heat before it even gets to your body.
Seams make the ends of your wetsuit more durable against ripping, but the stitching makes water seep through. Choosing the right kind of sewing or reinforcement will allow you to have a longer-lasting wetsuit that will not compromise your body temperature.
A Back Zip wetsuit lets you get in and out quickly but could reduce your flexibility. Wetsuits with their zippers on the chest trap water better and are less likely to cause rashes on your neck. However, this type is the hardest one to wear and take off, making it a somewhat inconvenient choice. Some suits do not have any zippers, but these types do not provide as much heat, inversely proportionate to the mobility they allow.
Conclusion
Hotline offers an impressive selection of wetsuits that enable you to surf no matter the weather. Their attention to detail lets you have a more customized fit, keeping you warm for a longer surfing time.
Choosing the right wetsuit lets you stay warmer, letting you focus on having fun. Becoming aware of what makes it useful lets you make wiser decisions. While it may be a hefty investment, the level of protection and comfort it provides makes it a worthy investment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will wetsuits keep me dry? Why do I need to wear it?
A: No, the neoprene material allows water to seep through, but what it does is it prevents water from coming out. The entrapment makes the water heat up, creating warmth so you could comfortably stay in the ocean. While it is not a requirement to wear the suit, it reduces the risk of chills and protects you from abrasions in the event of an impact.
Q: What difference do the seams make?
A: An overlock stitching at the seam lessens flexibility and creates a bulge that could create discomfort in the long run. Zigzag stitches connect the fabric of a Flat Lock Stitching, making it highly breathable and perfect for hotter days. The stitching on Glued and Blind stitched wetsuits allows significantly less water to seep through since it only goes halfway through the panels. A urethane seal connects Welded Seams without any stitching, making wetsuits of this type completely watertight.
Q: How do I know if I need the other accessories?
A: Added equipment like a hood, gloves, and boots ultimately lengthen your endurance in cold water. While these are not required for your everyday water sports, the added protection will help lessen numbing, reducing your risk for hypothermia. Similar to choosing wetsuits, having the right fit is the key to maximizing these accessories.
Related Resources
- Xterra Wetsuits
- Feral Wetsuits
- Seavenger Wetsuits
- Triathlon Wetsuits
- Surfboard Brands
- O’Neill Wetsuits
G’day, my name is Rach Taylor and I’m the proud Founder of Surf Hungry. I am a former Australian Olympic athlete and Australian representative surf sports athlete. I’ve worked in the surf industry and lived at many of Australia’s best surf spots, sparking a life-long love of the ocean and a passion for surf sports which also rubbed off on my two young sons! I am also lucky to spend a lot of ocean-time in my favorite second home, Indonesia. In addition to SurfHungry I have founded several other websites in my areas of passion, namely coffee and rock climbing, and am also a regular rowing content contributor.
