The O'Neill Defender 2mm Chest Zip Short Sleeve Steamer is a quality mid-range wetsuit that's designed to give you that performance feeling, with Polarflex Firewall to keep you warm. This internal fleece lining is specially designed to wick water away from the skin to keep you as dry as possible and act as an insulator, trapping body heat between your skin and the neoprene keeping you toasty.

Another crucial component of the wetsuit's construction is the flexible UltraFlex DS neoprene and stitching used to combine the panels. This neoprene is said to have a stretch factor of around 150% and be resistant to scratches from things such as Velcro. The neoprene is stitched using GBS & Taped Seams. This approach is effective at water sealing and the taping also acts as a form of reinforcement for the stitching.

Meshskin on the back panel is intended to help prevent wind chill from cooling you down. If you've heard of smoothskin, it works in the same way; it's hydrophobic so no water can soak into the neoprene jersey and accelerate the effect of wind wicking heat away from your body. The difference is that it has a textured finish.

We'd generally recommend any 2mm thickness for winter from Queensland through NSW, although you might want something a little thicker (like a 4/3mm) once you get towards the south coast. Ultimately, it comes down to learning your own tolerance to the cold and figuring out what works best for you.

To get the most out of your O'Neill Defender 2mm Chest Zip Short Sleeve Steamer we recommend using our and reading our

O'Neill Defender 2mm Chest Zip Short Sleeve Steamer Features:

• UltraFlex DS w/ Polarflex Firewall
• GBS + Taped Seams
• UltraFibre Liner
• Mesh skin Back Panel
• Single Seal Collar
• 2mm Neoprene Thickness