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ION’s Seek Select range is the high technology, no expense spared, top end of their wetsuit offerings. It features Titanium mesh, which has been around for a long time in terms of wetsuit technology, but this range-topping version of the Seek features the much-hyped futuristic material Graphene in the lining, a Nobel Prize winning substance with excellent thermal storage properties that is ultra-thin and flexible as well as tough. It makes perfect sense to integrate it in a wetsuit. This is utilized in the central body and leg panels, and to be perfectly frank, visually you wouldn’t really know it was there, other than how immediately warm the suit feels, even for a 4/3mm.
Build-wise, the level of detail is impressive. The inner elbow joints are embossed and there’s some flexible material implemented on the outer elbows to improve articulation – important for wind sports where your arm movements are such a significant element of the control process. A minimal paneling layout minimizes seaming, which are often the long-term wear points on a wetsuit. A large slick-skin panel on the back of the suit keeps the wind chill off, as well as helping the harness grip to your body and not ride up. Rubberized internal seals are present on the cuffs and ankles, these grip to your skin and prevent flushing here. The neck seal is also slick skin, complemented by an elastic draw string on the front zip flap, and even after ten plus uses in wave conditions, we’re still taking the suit off and finding it very dry internally, meaning these are doing a very respectable job of keeping water out. The fleecy Hot Stuff 2.0 lining carries over from the rest of the range in the leg and arm areas, this feels soft and friendly to the skin and provides more flexibility where required. This is coupled with some extremely robust internal tape.
Fit-wise, the material feels a little stiff on your first entry, but once it’s wet and had its first use it seemed to bed in more as you wear it and proves extremely comfortable, with a ghost-like flexibility in the long term. Importantly, the Seek never feels bulky and possesses the thermal properties of a much thicker suit. It punches well above its weight for a 4/3mm and we could see ourselves riding out the bulk of a UK winter with it, where normally a 5/3 would be required.
The Seek Select is an unashamedly high-end suit with plenty of tech features, and is a detailed and high-end build covering a multitude of water sports use from wind driven activities to straight surfing. One of the warmest 4/3mm suits we’ve ever used, the Graphene lining makes a significant difference to your core temperature, extending your sessions and reducing fatigue.
