Matuse Wetsuits Men’s Range Review

Matuse Wetsuits have been making high-end wetsuits since 2006 and while they’re no longer the new kids on the block, they have retained their reputation for quality, durable and warm suits.

Their point of difference has always been their limestone-based geoprene, which compared to standard petroleum based neoprene, Matuse claims is 30% warmer, 30% lighter, dries faster and ultimately last longer because of the water that isn’t absorbed into the rubber. 

Matuse like to use a lot philosophical analogies in the names and descriptions of their suits, which doesn’t mean so much to me, I’d rather hear more about what makes up the wetsuits. However, marketing waffle aside, Matuse wetsuits do indeed stand the test of time (I can personally vouch for that), which is important to surfers, who are increasingly getting frustrated with expensive wetsuits that fail after 1 season.

Quality does, however, come at a price my friends and these bad boys aren’t cheap.

This guide will review the Men’s range of wetsuits available from Matuse: The Scipio, Tumo, Hoplite and Dante as well as a range of jackets.

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1. Matuse Wetsuits – Scipio Range

Variations:

Scipio Hooded 3mm Frontzip (9 – 13C / 49 – 55F)

Scipio 3mm Frontzip (11 – 14C / 51 – 58F)

Scipio 3mm Backzip (11 – 14C / 51 – 58F)

Scipio 2mm Frontzip (12 – 18C / 55 – 65F)

Materials: Geoprene with blackZERO 

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The Matuse Scipio is the brand’s top of line wetsuit which uses blackZERO technology, which is basically a newer form of geoprene, a higher grade rubber that radiates the body’s heat back toward itself.  

This means that a 3mm Matuse Scipio suit provide roughly the same warmth as thicker wetsuits (a 4/3 mm in the Matuse Tumo for example) but with noticeably less weight.

The Scipio comes in front and back zip. 

Features:

HIDDEN CHAMBER: Geoprene with built-in air chambers: stores radiant heat from body and improves the suits ability to slow down heat loss to the outside environment. 

HYDRASILK: Silky smooth, hydrophobic ( i.e. rejects H2O ) material that’s your windbreaker in the water. 

SATIN SEAL TAPE: A durable yet flexible SCS tape that provides extra seam durability that is soft and comfortable to your skin.

User Reviews

“The Matuse Scipio 3mm chest zip is the lightest and warmest suit I have ever worn!” 

“I’ve had excel, quicksilver, ripcurl all ok… and now all I use is Matuse. The scipio front zip is my favorite suit I have ever used. I have 2 Tumos, a 2103 and a Scipio.” 

“I surfed in the inky, wind-lashed, 49-degree North Atlantic. This should have been too frigid for a 3mm suit, and indeed, by midnight, my gloveless hands felt like spatulas and my hoodless noggin suffered a permanent ice-cream headache. But the Scipio kept everything it touched toasty.”

“Whatever the mechanics, the Scipio kept me so warm that a couple of head-to-head comparisons weren’t enough to determine whether it insulated any less effectively than a bulkier 5/4/3mm suit.”

“It was bone dry within six hours, or half the time required by the suit I had with me.”

“To us, it felt a bit thicker than some 3mm suits we’ve tried in the past, but not overly cumbersome or constricting by any means. We found that the added warmth that the Scipio gave us on a frigid day in Santa Barbara, CA was well worth the compromise.”

Check out our review of the Scipio 3mm HERE. 

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2. Matuse Wetsuits – Tumo Range

Variations:

Tumo Hooded 5/4 mm Frontzip (7 – 12C / 45 – 53F)

Tumo 4/3 mm Frontzip (11 – 14C / 51 – 58F)

Tumo 3/2 mm Frontzip (13 – 18C / 56 – 64F)

Tumo 2mm short sleeve (16 – 19C / 60 – 65F)

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The Tumo has been a staple within the Matuse Wetsuits lineup since the early days along with the Hoplite. The main difference between the two is that the Tumo has a frontzip chest entry and the Hoplite a backzip.

The Tumo is warm and durable, with common feedback that it is a little less flexible than some of the performance suits out there but then again it still looks and feels new after multiple seasons. This is similar feedback to Patagonia’s Yulex wetsuits. 

 See our detailed review of the 2mm Matuse Tumo here.

Features:

HIDDEN CHAMBER: Geoprene with built-in air chambers: stores radiant heat from the body and improves the suits ability to slow down heat loss to the outside environment. 

HYDRASILK: Smooth, hydrophobic ( i.e. rejects H2O ) material that’s your windbreaker in the water. 

SATIN SEAL TAPE: A durable yet flexible SCS tape that provides extra seam durability that is soft and comfortable to your skin. 

User Reviews:

POSITIVE

• Lightweight
• Doesn’t smell (both when it is new) and with use unlike many other suits
• very warm
• smooth feel
• Not amazing in the flexibility department, but not bad either

“The Tumo wetsuit is warmer than other wetsuits I had so far. The lack of water retention is noticeable when you’re wearing the suit. You can kind of feel it pushing dry heat back to your body”

NEGATIVE 

“In smaller waves (like up to head high) I get flushed behind the neck a couple of times during every session. When wearing other suits this only happened every now and then. I think the issue is a result of how short the collar of this wetsuit is. It’s shorter than most other wetsuits I’ve worn. It reaches lower up your neck so the “seal” area is smaller and it opens up quicker. At least this is what I assume.”

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3. Matuse Wetsuits – Hoplite Range

Variations:

Hoplite 4/3 mm Backzip (11 – 14C / 51 – 58F)

Hoplite 3/2 mm Backzip (13 – 18C / 56 – 64F)

Hoplite (Tactical) 2mm (15 – 18C / 59 – 65F)

Hoplite Spring 2mm (18 – 21C / 65 – 70F)

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Features:

HIDDEN CHAMBER: Geoprene with built-in air chambers: stores radiant heat from the body and improves the suits ability to slow down heat loss to the outside environment. 

HYDRASILK: Silky smooth, hydrophobic ( i.e. rejects H2O ) material that’s your windbreaker in the water. Makes you feel all buttery inside.

SATIN SEAL TAPE: A durable yet flexible SCS tape that provides extra seam durability that is soft and comfortable to your skin. Ichiban infused. 

User Reviews:

“Very happy with my Matuse Hoplite suit .Thought at first the inner singlet was an unusual set up but now I’m used to it, it’s great.The sealed seams allows me to wear my spring suit into early winter, whilst everyone else is in there steamers, and I usually feel the cold. It’s still really flexible though not as much as my previous neoprene rip curl that only lasted a season and a bit before it needed repairs. Its durability has yet to be tested as I’ve only owned it 8 months (has to be better than neoprene). Reasonably priced as well. Give it 5 stars if I’d owned it a bit longer and still happy. Environmentally friendly, comfortable and warm.” (Long Sleeve Spring Suit)

“Pulling on the Hoplite wetsuit takes a little patience. It has a fit that’s even more snug than other comparable suits. But as I dove in to the fifty-something-degree Atlantic water, my first impression of the suit was a pleasant surprise — virtually no trickle of cold water down my back. This is thanks to the company’s “flood gate” bib system, which is built into the torso of the suit. The seamless neck seal, which has a slightly lower cut, was also much more comfortable than other wetsuits I’ve worn.”

“The Geoprene Hoplite felt substantially warmer than other similar-weight neoprene wetsuits I have tried. When my face and hands were cold enough to call it a day, my body remained toasty.”

“The Hydrasilk rubber finish is smooth to the touch and it won’t snag every Velcro tab in sight. More importantly, it did a great job blocking a stiff 45-degree breeze when I was sitting up out of the water waiting for a wave.”

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4. Matuse Wetsuits – Dante Range

Variations:

Dante 5/4 mm Hooded (7 – 12C / 45 – 53F)

Dante 4/3 mm (11 – 14C / 51 – 58F)

Dante 3/2 mm (13 – 18C / 56 – 64F)

Dante 2mm Short Sleeve Fullsuit (16 – 19C / 60 – 65F)

Dante 2mm Long Sleeve Springsuit (17 – 20C / 62 – 68F)

Materials: Geoflex

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The Matuse Dante utilises a new material they call Geoflex which has a different elastic range than that of Geoprene and as such Matuse says it is the most flexible wetsuit that they have made, both in and out of the water.

With a new entry system, a Butterfly-collar and the yoke pull-over, it suits people that don’t like front zips and / or back zips.

SATIN SEAL TAPE: A durable yet flexible SCS tape that provides extra seam durability that is soft and comfortable to your skin.

BUTTERFLY COLLAR ENTRY: A new system that allows for easy-in and easy-out while eliminating water entry with its adjustable high neck line.

User Reviews:

“On a warm, sunny day in San Clemente, CA (the water temp hovering in the low 60s), we found the Dante to be one of the most comfortable, flexible suits we’ve ever slipped on. It kept us right at that comfy temp in the relatively chilly water, without compromising one bit of range in motion and overall flexibility.”

“If flex is the most important thing to you, then I recommend you take a serious look at the Dante as your winter suit choice this season.”

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5. Matuse Wetsuit Jackets

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6. Matuse wetsuits men’s size chart

Fullsuits:

Size:	Ft	LBs	CM	KGs
XS	5’3″ – 5’6″	120- 135	160-168	54-61
S	5’5″ – 5’7″	135-145	165-170	61-66
ST	5’8″ – 5’10″	135-150	173-178	61-68
MS	5’6″ – 5’8″	145-155	168-173	66-70
M	5’8″ – 5’10″	150-165	173-178	68-75
MT	5’10″ – 6′	165-175	178-183	75-79
ML	5’9 – 5’11″	160-175	175-180	73-79
LS	5’7″- 5’9″	160 -180	170-175	73-82
L	5’10″ – 6’1″‘	170-190	178-185	77-86
LT	6’2″ – 6’4″	180-200	188-193	82-91
XLS	5’8″ – 5’10″	180 – 200	173-178	82-91
XL	5’11″ – 6’2″	190-215	180-188	86-98
2XLS	5’9″ – 5’11″	205 -230	175- 180	93- 104
XLT	6’2″ – 6’5″	205 -220	188-196	93-100
XXL	6′ – 6’3″	205-230	183-191	93-104
XXXL	6’1″ – 6’6″	230-260	185-198	104-118

 

Jackets:

Size:	Ft	LBs	CM	KGs
XS	5’3″ – 5’6″	120-135	160-168	54-61
S	5’5″ – 5’7″	135-145	165-170	61-66
M	5’8″ – 5’10″	150-165	173-178	68-75
L	5’10″ – 6’1″	170-190	178-185	77-86
XL	5’11″ – 6’2″	190-215	180-188	86-98
XXL	6′ – 6’3″	205-230	183-191	93-104

If you have any feedback and experience with Matuse Wetsuits please drop a comment below, or submit your own review here. 

Make sure you check out our other wetsuit reviews while you are here. Happy surfing!