Mystic Evolve

It’s fair to say wetsuits have come an extremely long way even in the last decade, with modern suits fitting and stretching so well they feel more like a second skin than a garment. Recently, with the release of The Big C documentary, the wetsuit industry has had a major shakeup when it comes to sourcing and sustainability, leading to large brands like Mystic reacting fast and taking a stern look at where their raw materials are coming from, and redeveloping their suits from all-new natural materials.

Mystic have opted for Natural Foam as their neoprene alternative, which is USDA certified and comprises of a mixture of naturally occurring ingredients including tree rubber, oyster shells, sugar cane and plant oils. What’s also impressive is that the inner and outer linings are recycled.

Eco-credentials aside, we’re presented with the same full-featured, high-end feeling suit you’d come to expect from Mystic. Internally it is fully seam taped to prevent leaking even on the 3/2mm version. The chest and back panel have a recycled Eco Fox Fleece layer that extends across the chest and back panel down to above the knee; the reverse of the knee has some embossed hinging. The extremities of the arms and legs have a smoother internal finish which slides well to minimize wear as you put the suit on. Screen-printed rubber areas on the wrist and ankle cuffs keep the suit in position and prevent water ingress. There’s also slick skin internally on the neck and front-zip closure. Externally, the jersey is smooth and premium feeling made from recycled polyester. The Aquaflush 2.0 ankle vents carry over from the rest of the Mystic wetsuit range and work very well to drain water after a big impact if necessary. There’s no struggling on entry and exit, as the head and shoulder apertures are sensibly designed, and a YKK zip shuts from the outside of the flap inwards, with the zip carriage tucking nicely out of the way. Some textured screen print on your shoulder area helps keep the front zip flap in place here and there’s a handy key pocket.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and historically, wetsuits we’ve tested from natural foam have had compromises in terms of flex. But in the case of the Evolve range, after the first use in the water, much like any wetsuit, where it felt like it augmented to your body shape a little, we’d struggle to tell the difference between this and a standard suit. It’s intelligently crafted from what seems like a minimum number of panels, the seaming runs in a way that avoids any chafing, and the freedom in arm movement is particularly notable, making it a decent surf suit as well as suitable for wind sports.

The Mystic Evolve is an extremely comfortable suit, and the 3/2mm we tested is far warmer than equivalent price-point suits from across brands without the eco-credentials, and will carry us well into a northern European autumn temperature-wise. This all bodes extremely well for an industry going forward.