ASB MAGAZINE: Ten years ago, Patagonia set out to replace neoprene with renewable natural rubber. Changing an entire industry hasn’t been easy, but after a decade of research, development and progression—and thousands of hours of testing in the lab and the water—they’ve succeeded in creating neoprene-free wetsuits that perform as well as anything else out there. Patagonia’s 2020 line of neoprene-free wetsuits have just got better. These new Yulex suits are stretchier, lighter and more comfortable, far surpassing their previous standards of performance. Each season, Patagonia have refined their Yulex suits based on performance, stretch and comfort.
What’s better?
- · More stretch – We worked closely with Yulex and Sheico to make our wetsuit foam 20% stretchier than its preceding generation, offering full freedom of movement for the most dynamic performance.
- · Improved fit – Optimising stretch and flex without binding at the joints or limiting range of motion, our new suits fit better across a wider spectrum of body types.
- · Lighter Weight – Our newly reformulated Yulex material makes our new suits 5% lighter than previous models. They’re also softer and faster drying.
- · More Comfort – Now with a smoother feel against the skin, we’ve updated the weave of our high-stretch linings; new internal tape has a lower profile to eliminate rashing.
Two years ago, Patagonia introduced the first neoprene-free Yulex wetsuits, and now they’ve taken more steps to reduce the impact of wetsuit manufacturing.
Reducing impact…
- · Patagonia’s renewable Yulex® natural rubber* is tapped from hevea trees that can produce rubber for 30 years; it replaces conventional non-renewable
neoprene. *85% natural rubber/15% synthetic rubber by polymer content. - · These are also the first Fair Trade Certified™ wetsuits. We stand behind each and every one we make, with our Ironclad Guarantee Wetsuit Warranty.
Watch some top product testers – including Dave, Ramo