Test 2016: NP Edge 5/4 smooth-skin wetsuit

This is not neoprene as we usually know it. No matter who reaches into the test suit, the conclusion is that this is not like the familiar materials. It has a completely different structure to standard smooth-skin neoprene and this is the secret behind the combination of beading effect, flexibility and robustness.

Whereas with conventional smooth skin material, the neoprene is covered with stretchy fabric on the inside and the outside of the actually porous raw material is thermally treated to create a smooth, water-repellent surface, the outer finish of "Armor Skin" is completely different. The attractive marketing term SDS - "super durable skin" - stands for a two-layer outer layer on the actual neoprene. First comes a thin layer of stretchy fabric, and then the "SDS", a stretchy but robust PU laminate. In production, the "SDS" is first heat-welded to the outer fabric, then glued to the neoprene, and finally the inner lamination is glued on.

In our practical test, the material also demonstrates the advantages of smooth-skin material - water runs off cleanly, evaporative cooling cannot occur - and the suit is also very light, supple and particularly stretchy. In places - probably because the graphic designer was allowed to have a say - coloured neoprene is used on the outside. "Armor Skin" is used on the sleeves and extensively in the torso area up to the thighs. Rough attempts to damage the material with fingernails were unsuccessful. It is not as robust as a fully laminated suit against standing varnish, but significantly more robust than the "normal" smooth-skin neoprene used in the chest area, for example. The NP Edge Wind in 5/4 millimetre costs 499 euros.