Men's R2 Yulex Regulator Front-Zip Full Wetsuit vs Dawn Patrol Chest Zip Wetsuit: which is safer?
Patagonia Men's R2 Yulex Regulator Front-Zip Full Wetsuit is the clear pick. Rip Curl Dawn Patrol Chest Zip Wetsuit carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
Patagonia
Men's R2 Yulex Regulator Front-Zip Full Wetsuit
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFormaldehyde-releasing resins (glues/seams)
LikelyMicroplastics shedding from outer shell
Rip Curl
Dawn Patrol Chest Zip Wetsuit
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleVolatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from neoprene manufacturing
ReportedUndisclosed water-repellent coating chemistry (PFAS risk excluded from this section)
PossibleSkin contact with coating particles or residues
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Formaldehyde-releasing resins (glues/seams) and Microplastics shedding from outer shell on the Patagonia and not on the Rip Curl.
- We flag Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from neoprene manufacturing, Undisclosed DWR coating chemistry (PFAS risk excluded from this section), Skin contact with coating particles or residues and Heat-induced leaching from neoprene or coating on the Rip Curl and not on the Patagonia.
- The Patagonia is Yulex (synthetic rubber), neoprene-free base where the Rip Curl is Neoprene with DWR water-repellent coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 70 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Rip Curl grade, at 42% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
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