Does anyone make padded rashies?
Haven't heard of anything like that myself, but I'm keen to find out - I get a bad rib cage rash too (and a weird bone sticking out from my sternum is bloody annoying, and needs rubber for comfort). I've resorted to a 2mm long-armed top but it's too warm for Indo.
I had a few 1mm sleeveless vests from Triple X wetsuits with that shiny smooth titanium lining sent via a local retailer who ordered. Was "custom" in the sense they did't stock, just got a Medium vest "without sleeves". Maybe try direct phone [1300 483 634]
Yes it was a tad warm, especially on glassy sessions, but no chafing was worth it.
I have had a patch of 3mm wetsuit neoprene sewn into the chest of a couple of rashies, works great.
Old lady not far away does wetty repairs from home.
Thanks guys. The Ergo PaddleAir very is good, however for my requirements it's a bit of overkill. I contacted a local wetsuit repairer, Wetsuit Repair Xperts, and when I asked her about sewing a neoprene patch or panel onto a rashy she laughed and said you wouldn't believe how many calls I get requesting that. She does them all the time and has it covered. The cost is $25 plus postage. If you have any specific requirements, talk to her as she will be able to do it and may have done something similar for someone else, if you live in the Newcastle/Central Coast area you can drop it to her. I ended up getting her to do a repair on my steamer as well. https://m.wetsuitrepairxperts.com/#!Contact%7C000
She uses very flexible 5mm neoprene. I was intending to get 3mm, however after chatting to her, thought since she does it all the time and has repeat customers, that I will try the 5mm panel. I will give you feedback on it when I get it back in a couple of days.
I use to have the same problem my wetsuits when smoothy use to wear there too, but then i got an Indo wife who loves cooking as much as i love eating and now i have a little more natural padding.
Try Zee wetsuits on the Sunshine Coast. I got a dodgy rib and tried all sorts of loose padding under my vest but that wasn't really helping. Then got put into Zee from a guy with some build up of bone on his ribs. He had a padded vest from them.
I got one made last year and it's been fantastic. And they were really good to deal with. Shipped it down to me in Melbourne no probs.
You may recall I got Amanda at Wetsuit Repair Xperts to sew a neoprene chest/rib area panel onto my long sleeve Rashy. She sews it on the inside and it is just literally a panel of neoprene sewn onto the Rash shirt. It fits well and is comfortable when surfing. I must admit that I thought 5mm was overkill. Now that I’ve used it, I think the only difference between 2mm, 3mm or 5mm would be the extra comfort provided by thicker chest/rib area padding. It doesn’t restrict your movement or paddling and can’t imagine it will make any noticeable difference temperature wise either. The comfort thing is a pleasant surprise because paddling my board without a Rashy or wetsuit feels quite normal for me. (It’s a bit like having a dishwasher or TV remote. You don’t think you need one until you’ve had one, and then you would never be without one).
Anyway, I’m happy with it, and am (now) going to get one on my short sleeve Rashy. Hopefully these will enable me to avoid that dreaded tropical surf trip rash.
BTW the professional repairs she did to my Steamer are perfect.
I'm a super boney guy and the Ripcurl flashbomb rashy has been doing alright.
Not actually thick neoprene in the chest/back but more like the thermal wooly kind of stuff. But it's actually quite soft so offers some protection against bruising.
I have worn it in Fiji in about 28deg temps without getting hot - but most of the time I'm in Sydney which would be quite different to Bali! Overall it's more like a basic rashie than a wetsuit vest so I think you could get away with it.
Here's a link to it: https://www.ripcurl.com.au/shop/guys/wetsuits/vests/flash-bomb-neo-lycra…
Every time I do the winter surf escape to Bali etc the rash on my ribs and lower chest are in the pain zone after 3 days which means little or no surfing on the fourth day. Going from a steamer to a rashy or nothing at all results in sore ribs and painful rash. Really thin wetsuits tops and short johns are just too hot.
Do any of you know where I can buy a rash shirt with neoprene covering the lower rib area? I want to be able to max out surfing 3 or so times a day and hopefully 2mm of neoprene will make it possible. Getting the fitness in preparation for the trip is easy, I just haven't been able to get around the rib cage and gut rash. Any ideas?