Stab Reviews: The Custom Convertible Hooded Fullsuit

"I elected to run the hood. Despite my poor motor skills, it took 10 seconds to swap enclosures. The first thing I noticed was how easy it was to put the suit on. I’m not one to complain about ease of entry — I hardly even think about it. But, as I scrambled to put the suit on in the rain in front of a table of mildly agitated patrons sitting inside a stone-walled Basque restaurant, I noticed how smoothly it slid onto my body.

It felt like home, instantly.  

That feeling extended into the water. In my opinion, a wetsuit only needs to do two things — keep you warm and otherwise make you forget about it. Bonus points if it looks aight (remember that ungodly season or two when it seemed brands had co-conspired to use neon liberally?). But, once again, I couldn’t help but notice how good this thing felt. 

My only concern was that I’d respect the suit too much to wear it constantly. However, 7till8’s team quickly put me at ease. 

'We took forever to select that rubber and jersey combo with the intention of building it to last,' they told me. 'You definitely don’t have to be precious with it.' 

Fair enough. Time to put it through hell." 

Choosing which wetsuit to get can be confusing, especially if you live in an environment with fluctuating water temps or traveling to a new location. 

Our wetsuit buyer's guide will help you discover the best wetsuit for your individual needs.