Patagonia Debuts New Warm-Water, Recycled-Material Wetsuit
Known for its environmentally friendly efforts, Patagonia has debuted its first warm-water wetsuit, made from limestone-based neoprene and recycled fleece.
The new R1 wetsuit has the highest-recycled content of any wetsuit on the market, Patagonia said. The face fabric is made of recycled polyester, known as a clean, lowenergy intensive fiber, and the grid liner is 50 percent recycled polyester and 50 percent virgin polyester. The company initially considered bamboo as a “green alternative” but chose not to use it once they discovered the amount of toxic solvents used to convert bamboo to fabric.
The suit was developed at the request of surfers who said the company’s current suits were too warm, said Jason McCaffrey, Patagonia’s director of surf. “We needed a wetsuit option for the surfers that surf in the summertime and shoulder seasons,” he said. “For the East Coast, Florida, Texas and Southern California regions, in summer our thicker suits were just not an option. Everyone told us they loved our suits, but they were just too warm for most of the year.”
The company, based in Ventura, Calif., first started testing the R1 suits more than a year ago, using Patagonia surf ambassadors in Europe, Australia, the United States, Japan and South America for feedback.
“[Professional surfer] Dan Ross has been especially influential, as he needed something that allowed him maximum range of movement when surfing contests,” McCaffrey said.
At the request of the surf ambassadors, the core of the suit is insulated, but the arms and legs are left uninsulated for better paddling flexibility. The back-zipped suit comes in both short-sleeved and long-sleeved options for men and long-sleeved styles for women.
“We encourage everyone interested in our suits to find a local shop to try them on and get expert fit advice,” McCaffrey noted.
The suits are currently in stores listed on Patagonia’s website (www.patagonia.com). —Deidre Crawford
