ONeill Mens Reactor II 2mm Back Zip Short John Wetsuit
The O’Neill Mens Reactor II 2mm Back Zip Short John Wetsuit will keep your core toasty without any impact on your paddling freedom/shoulders. With a thickness of 2mm, it provides full coverage that is perfect for mid-season use. Made from O’Neill’s UltraFlex neoprene, this wetsuit prioritizes warmth and is considered one of the best performing options available. The flatlock seam/stitch construction ensures durability while being cost-effective. The back zip design offers easy entry and exit, although it may restrict the stretch of the back panel. Strategic seamless paddle zones minimize seams for improved mobility. The hydrophobic Meshskin panels prevent wind-chill.
To get the most out of your O’Neill Mens Reactor II 2mm Back Zip Short John Wetsuit we recommend washing it with the Australian made Wetsuit Wash, reading our Wetsuit Maintenance Guide and hanging it on a Wetsuit Hanger.
O’Neill Mens Reactor II 2mm Back Zip Short John Wetsuit
- Thickness – 2mm: full coverage in 2mm, the midway mark of surfing neoprenes in Australia and the perfect mid-season thickness for most of us. In QLD you can definitely get away with 2mm in winter.
- Neoprene – O’Neill’s UltraFlex is their midrange rubber, prioritising warmth and easily one of the better performing neoprenes on the market.
- Seam/Stitch – Flatlock: I’d bet there’d be enough flatlock stitch laid in the history of wetsuits to cover the distance of here to the moon and back, and for good reason. It’s extremely durable, almost 2D and is the most cost effective seam out there. But bear in mind the many pinholes created in the stitching process creates plenty of passages for cold water to enter the suit.
- Zip – Back Zip: it’s a zip and its on your back, but to elaborate (because that’s my job) the backzip has spanned the entire history of wetsuits and is the easiest system to use in terms of entry/exit. The downside to back zips is that it inhibits expansion of the back panel because the zip itself doesn’t stretch – back panel stretch is vital when standing up on a surfboard as there is a great deal of back stretch when tucking your knees under.
- Startegic Seamless Paddle zones: seams are bad, well, less seams are good and thankfully this can be done by intuitive design and consideration of human movements.
- Meshskin: a tacky rubber is laid on the outside of the suit. This panel is hydrophobic and beads water off the wetsuit, this means those panels are not subject to wind-chill. A wet panel is 25x more susceptible to heat wicking compared to a dry one.
Not sure what these terms mean? We’ve gone into great detail about the crucial aspects of a wetsuit, watch or read about them at the following links: Seams, Zips and Styles.
