The perfect day

Product review: Steamer - the Enforcer from West Surfing Products

I went down to Manly this morning to try out my new steamer. Clutching my old single fin Bob Brown and a bag containing a towel and a zip lock bag of gluten free bread, I parked my stuff near the North Steyne surf club.

The waves were gentle, to say the least, but it was a magical morning. The water was warm, the sunlight sparkled on the water and there was an awesome looking storm brewing out to sea. The occasional soft boom from the distant thunder sounded more like heavy surf pounding onto rocks so I couldn’t but help but look to the shore for the big waves.

To be frank, I think I just needed the think time this morning. I just hung out in the water and reveled in the general wonderfulness of it all.

And the steamer? It’s an Enforcer from West Surfing Products. It’s a comfortable fit, with a fairly usable zipper arrangement. Also the triple glued and blind stitched sealed seams felt fine and to my relief, I did not experience chafing in any odd places. The ankles and wrists also felt snug but not tight.

The pre bent and contoured arms, combined with 2mm of Neoprene on the arms and legs meant that paddling felt pretty natural. And with 3mm on the body the material did not feel thin. Granted the water is pretty warm the moment but this steamer feels like it could keep out a reasonable winter chill.

The k-foam knee pads also seemed serviceable and there is a nifty key pocket next to the zip that would be fine for a house key. The only downside was that I struggled a little with the secondary neck fastener, as I thought it was a bit lower down than it actually was. I also did notice one or two hanging threads that I’ll keep an eye on.

Colours are limited to graphite, black and blue.

Overall it’s a pretty good piece of kit, especially with the recommended retail price being $149. As I haggled and got it for $130, it was even more of a bargain.

The bread by the way was for a “Bombora”. The surf club does these early morning sausage, egg, bacon and onion sandwich things that really hit the spot.

So happiness was a bit of a paddle in the sunshine, a nice new steamer, and a hunger busting visit to an early morning sausage sizzle. A cup of coffee and it would have been bliss.