Roberto,
You always give me so much good advice that it is a pleasure to reciprocate.
On Friday, I took the day off and got skunked. So I figured I'd go for a dunk in my AMP5/4/3 with 5m Booties and 5m gloves. I won it from a contest in Kiteboarding Magazine.
After floating around for 25 minutes in 39*F (4C) I was fully comfortable and just starting to feel chilled. I only did a puny swim. If I were really active, I would have been comfy to warm for a very long time I'd guess. Also, I was purposely stretching around to try to let water in. tiny trickle. I wanted to know my limitations before heading out for real.
I had three concerns.
The first was how the entry system worked. Pretty different from past suits. Would it leak a lot and chill my neck/chest? Nope. Forgot the cinch line on the shoulder before I jumped in, I left it loose and it was not an issue. Zippers cost a lot to put on a suit, and now I think they are way overrated.
The second was the hood. I have always hated hoods and this one is even attached. Now I agree that it is absolutely the way to go. The neck felt uncomfortable when I changed into it the first time at home and I was all bummed, but then on the water it wasn't bad at all.
The third thing was that this felt thin in areas I'm used to having 6.5m on. (I have a 6.5m suit that I used primarily as a survival suit on boat deliveries, but it was usable for kiting. Yes, I did get laughed at.). I am really glad I didn't get the 6/5/4. For me it would have been too warm for when I ride. Modern 5/4/3's or 5/4's are plenty for me. So nice and flexible.
The gloves were ok overall. Much thicker than my 3m gloves. Very warm, but very thick. I'll have to see. Anybody used these for an hour or more yet?
The booties were so warm! Tougher to get on than my zippered ones, so I'll have to get easier ones in 30 years. But I could not believe how warm my feet were for an hour in the water. Usually, my toes go pretty fast. I've seen these same one for cheap on ebay. Unreal bang for the buck.
I even bought a 3/2 to replace my O'Niell Psycho II. Haven't tried it yet. It might not be as flexible, but it is so much more reasonably priced! Also, how much flex do you really need? If a suit is more flexible than your own skin, I'd say that's overkill. (Nice suit though)
Yes, I guess you could say I'm stoked on this suit.
As far as fit goes, My 3/2 feels big while the 5/4/3 is perfect. Same size though.
