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Feature-packed Sumarpo Victory punches above it’s weight compared to similarly priced wetsuits

An eco-friendly wetsuit from California manufacturer offers lots of high-end features

Photo by: Sumarpo

You’ll be forgiven if you’re not familiar with Sumarpo, but it’s a brand that has been around for a while. The company’s roots began in 2008 in a design studio in Great Britain, but Sumarpo is now based in Southern California after a company called Los Vacation bought the brand and relocated operations.

Sumarpo prides itself on its eco-friendly manufacturing, utilizing benzene-free and carcinogen-free materials, including a water-based and non-benzene adhesive and recyclable lining fabrics.

Photo: Sumarpo

The Victory, which retails for C$1,088/ US$780, is Sumarpo’s top of the line model, offering many of the top-of-the-line features you’ll see in other brand’s flagship suits for a very competitive price. You get impressive buoyancy, flexibility and comfort for the price.

To achieve all that, the suit is designed with a different panel thickness in different areas – from 5 mm in the chest and upper legs, down to 1 mm in the arms. The suit features #39 SCS Yamamoto rubber to provide excellent buoyancy, which is enhanced by Sumarpo’s own technology which utilizes Aeroatom rubber panels that provide more lift in the water than suits that use the more traditional Aerodome panels. The end result is you’ll find yourself a bit higher in the water and in a better position to swim fast.

Photo: Sumarpo

The biggest change in wetsuit technology over the last decade or so has been in the flexibility, and the Victory excels in that, using Yamamoto #45 neoprene in the shoulders, sleeves and underarms to ensure you’ll have complete range of motion through each stroke. The inner lining of the suit also uses a special flex fabric to enhance that feeling of unrestricted movement. Add to all that an SCS NANO coating on the front panel to help you slide through the water, and you’re all set for fast swims. There are even GPS (groove-shaped paddles) on the forearms of the suit to provide more pull through the water.

The neck of the Victory uses what they call a stamper collar to minimize chafing and prevent water from getting into the suit. While it does that extremely well, you will notice that it’s pretty snug when you pull it on, but once you get swimming, you’ll appreciate the comfortable fit. At the other end of the suit, Sumarpro has designed the cuffs on the legs to be easy to get on and off thanks to a one-piece design and stretchy fabrics. You’ll appreciate that addition when it comes time to get out of the suit and on the bike.

Photo: Sumarpo

The end result is a speedy and comfortable wetsuit that offers lots of high-end features. We especially appreciated the flexible shoulders and buoyancy, that should get you a faster swim split. With a price tag of over a grand the Sumarpo Victory isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but when you compare the features of this suit, it punches above its weight compared to the more expensive options from other brands.