Mystic Stone 3mm 2mm Long Arm Shorty Wetsuit Review

Sadly it’s reached that time of the year where the sun sets far too early, and the wind chill sends shivers down your spine. Most sensible people are sipping on a hot chocolate, tucked up in their blanket, and enjoying being curled up with ‘Rover’ – the cuddly golden retriever. Unfortunately, I am not most people and I’m certainly not sensible. That’s why you’ll normally find me covered from head to toe in goosebumps, with dark blue lips, as the cold water slowly creeps over me wakeboarding.

Its time for a wetsuit! Or translated into water sport terms, it’s ‘Shorty Season’.

A shorty is a wetsuit which is exactly as it sounds – ‘a shortened wetsuit’. Short arm and short legs. But there is another, which has long arms and short legs; which is perfect in the Summer/Autumn months for all water sports including: kite-surfing, jet skiing, kayaking, sailing, water skiing and, my chosen sport of, wakeboarding.

Mystic Stone 3mm 2mm Long Arm Shorty Wetsuit

To our delight, Tallington Lakes Pro Shop kindly provided one of these wetsuits to the Water Ski and Wakeboard School to review; and this is what we think.

I’ve always been a keen fan of Mystic because I really admire the style of their products; and the Stone wetsuit certainly doesn’t disappoint. It is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye; the colours and patterns, of this wetsuit, blend extremely well together. If you were buying a wetsuit simply on fashion, you could easily strut this down the catwalk with pride. Remember, when you look good – you feel good!

According to Mystic it “creates products that push riders further, allowing them to break all existing boundaries and take action watersports to a whole new level

water skier wearing mystic wetsuit
This wetsuit is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye; the colours and patterns, of this wetsuit, blend extremely well together. If you were buying a wetsuit simply on fashion, you could easily strut this down the catwalk with pride.

If you’ve ever worn a wetsuit in the past, you will understand the pain and time consuming misery that can occur each, and every time, you have to put one on or take off. RIP to all the body hair that has been violently removed during this process. Thankfully the guys at Mystic must have heard our screams and have produced a neoprene which is highly flexible. They call it M-Flex which stands for high quality neoprene with an awesome stretch ratio” Not only does this allow the wetsuit to fit like a glove, it also allows you to slip in and out of it with ease. But more importantly your body hair stays in tack.

As well as M-flex, the wetsuit comes fully equipped with Polar Lining Fabric. This inside layer provides the comfort and thermal insulation making sure you are nice and toasty – who needs ‘Rover’ anyway.

In terms of aiding performance, the flexibility of the neoprene acts as a heat blanket that boosts riders confidence. This is due to the extra layer of protection it provides. This wetsuit is suitable for all ranges of capability whether you are a complete novice or a seasoned professional.

The best thing about this wetsuit is the fact you’re not restricted in your movements- which is always considered a negative when wearing a wetsuit. I would highly recommend this wetsuit to anyone who fears the cold this Autumn.

Tallington Lakes Pro Shop have a good selection of Mystic wetsuits; and excellent staff to ensure you get the right fit!  

 

   

     

 

   

 

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Helly Hansen Lifa Active Light T-Shirt Review

As an passionate coffee drinker, and I mean espresso machine, cafetiere, moka pot etc – not insta.. (sorry can’t bring myself to type the word), I was intrigued to hear that Helly Hansen were adding coffee to their garments!

Personally I’ve used coffee grounds, from the spent puck of the portafilter, on my garden as a mulch. And I have heard, you can use coffee grounds to neutralise orders. But clothing? Consequently I spoke to Helly Hansen; and they kindly enlightend me about the use of used coffee grounds in clothing, and gave me a garment to try, so I shall enlighten you.

The technical stuff! This garment uses S.Cafe yarn; and this is where the used coffee grounds come into play. A process enables the used coffee grounds to be embedded in the yarn; giving the yarn the following characteristics:

  • Odour Control. We knew that; and because the grounds are embedded in the yarn they do not wash out.
  • UV Protection. Didn’t know that! The numerous microscopic pores help reflect UV rays; giving UV protection.
  • Moister wicking. The garment moves moisture away from the skin to the outer surface of the fabric for faster drying process.

Helly Hansen Lifa Active Light T-Shirt

So what’s it like to wear? I was fortunate to be given a HH Lifa Active Light t-shirt to try; which is made from Helly Hansen’s legendary Lifa hydrophobic fibre and S.Cafe yarn. It’s categoriesed under ‘base-layer’ however I was going to wear it as a t-shirt. Consequently, it was an athletic, slim, snug, or some may say tight fit; because base-layers work best when they are touching the skin they are trying to wick moisture away from. I’m normally a size large, and the large was a comfortable ‘athletic’ fit – you may want to go up a size for a relax/baggy fit. I think the flat-lock seams and stretch, of the fabric, made the ‘athletic fit’ comfortable to wear; the crew neck was good and it was long in the body. It was a good fit for me! However, the first thing I noticed, putting the t-shirt on, was it felt cool! I don’t know if this was psychological, because Helly Hansen had said it would feel cool, but I did genuinely feel a little cooler when I first put the t-shirt on.

trad climbing derbyshire
The t-shirt performed well; even on the crux of the climbs I felt cool and the garment nonrestrictive – I was very impressed.

The recent hot weather presented idea testing conditions; so off I went climbing in the Derbyshire Peak District. The t-shirt performed well; even on the crux of the climbs I felt cool and the garment nonrestrictive – I was very impressed. The day’s climbing was in and out of the sun, so difficult to evaluate the UV protection, but I didn’t burn. However, I do know of some who have burnt their shoulders, because the garment they were wearing didn’t provide any UV protection, so it’s worth considering.

By the end of the day I had a good few routes in the bag, including a higher grade lead for me, so I was pleased with myself. But what did I smell like, after an arduous day at the crags? Not too good, I’m afraid to report. Now, how much you stink is subjective (“one man’s toxic waste is another man’s potpourri”, said the Grinch). So I didn’t smell fresh; but had I not been wearing this t-shirt I could have smelt worse, or perhaps I just need a ‘stronger roast’ coffee in my S.Cafe yarn!

belaying climber derbyshire
So I didn’t smell fresh; but had I not been wearing this t-shirt I could have smelt worse, or perhaps I just need a ‘stronger roast’ in my S.Cafe yarn!

Overall as an active t-shirt I was suitably impressed, and at £29.99 good value for money because it can be used as a summer t-shirt and a winter base-layer. This S.Cafe t-shirt, and other garments, will be available from Helly Hansen summer 2019.

Tallington Lakes Pro Shop has a large selection of men’s and women’s clothing from Helly Hansen!

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