The "Flash Bomb" is the world’s fastest-drying wetsuit. Rip Curl has built a model in which a layer of all-new Flash Dry lining wicks the water from the interior of the suit within seconds of being exposed to the air, locking moisture within the suit where it then quickly drains out.
"We were looking to build on the success of our E-Bomb wetsuit to create a new suit with every high-end feature you can imagine but with a new twist," says Rip Curl Technical Product Director PJ Elbing.
"A material that is lighter, more flexible, and dries quicker than anything we have ever seen. A wetsuit that dries in a flash!"
The result is a lining that is dry and warm to the touch within 30 minutes.
Combine Flash Dry lining with Rip Curl's E3 neoprene - universally recognized as the lightest, warmest, and most flexible neoprene on the market - and Double Taped, Stitchless Seam Technology, and you truly have the ultimate cold-water wetsuit.
"It took us a long time to get just the right material for the Flash Dry lining," Elbing continues, "because we didn't want to compromise lightness and flexibility. Finally, after two years of intensive testing, we nailed it."
The final test for the Flash Bomb before being released to the market was a Search trip to the freezing waters of Canada with Rip Curl team riders Matt Wilkinson, Dillon Perillo, Dean Brady, and Taylor Knox.
"We spent a few days surfing some really fun reef breaks and traveling around the Canadian coastline by boat in some pretty extreme conditions. I even had a five-hour surf one day, and I don't think we would have achieved so much without quality equipment," says Knox.
"No one likes putting on a cold, wet wetsuit before a surf, especially somewhere with freezing conditions like Canada," Knox continues.
"The Flash Bomb's lining dries the wetsuit super quick and it kept me toasty warm for the entire trip."