ZONE3 Men's Yulex® Kneeskin

The Men's Yulex Kneeskin is a sleeveless, knee-length shorty wetsuit in 1.5mm plant-based natural rubber, for swimmers and paddlers who want warmth through the core and thighs and full movement in the arms. Yulex comes from the Hevea tree rather than from oil, and Zone3 was the first triathlon brand to use it. Smoothskin finishes at the arm and neck openings seal against the skin, and a centre-back zip with a long pull cord means you can get in and out on your own. Wear it over swimwear in milder water, or under a wetsuit once it drops.

WHO IT'S FOR 

You are in the water past the point where swimwear is enough and short of the point where a full wetsuit makes sense. The cold you feel is through the middle and down the legs, not in the arms. A shorty takes care of the first without touching the second. 

• Open-water swimming as the water cools 
• Surfing, paddleboarding and board sports 
• Cold pools, lidos and unheated outdoor water 
• Layering under a wetsuit once the water drops further 

WHERE IT SITS IN THE RANGE 

This is the most covered of the men's Yulex pieces. The Men's Yulex Vest carries the same 1.5mm rubber over the core alone and layers over swimwear, so take that if you only want the middle covered. For full coverage once the water turns properly cold, the Active-Flex wetsuit is the step up. 

KEY BENEFITS 

1. Warm through the core and the thighs, which is where you lose it. 1.5mm Yulex covers the torso and reaches the knee, and the closed-cell foam absorbs very little water, so the warmth holds rather than washing out over a long session. 

2. Nothing on the arms at all. The sleeveless cut leaves the shoulder and arm bare, so paddling, catch and rotation stay unrestricted and the shoulder fatigue a full suit brings never arrives. 

3. Cold water is not flushing in at the openings. Smoothskin finishes at the arms and neck sit flat against the skin and seal, which is what separates a suit that keeps you warm from one that only covers you. 

4. The warmth of neoprene, grown rather than made. Yulex is a natural rubber tapped from the Hevea tree and refined into a foam. Yulex says its plant-based rubber foam emits 80% less CO2 than petroleum-based neoprene. The stretch linings are recycled polyester. 

5. You can get in and out of it on your own. The centre-back zip has a pull cord long enough to reach over the shoulder, and low-profile flatlock stitching sits flat so nothing rubs across a long session. 

WHAT YOU'LL FEEL 

The first thing is how little of it there is. Bend, twist and reach on the bank and nothing argues with you. In the water your middle warms up and stays that way while your arms carry on as though they were bare, because they are. Sitting on a board waiting for something to happen is where a shorty pays for itself, because that is the part of the session where being cold decides when you go home.