Well it's that time of year again… Almost… It's the time before the time to start thinking about boots… wetsuit booties… And while you've been busy splashing about in your board shorts pretending summer will never end, it's happening. Here in SoCal we had almost a week of mid 50° water in August. A cruel joke no doubt, one that prompted lots of calls. “Hey when are you getting the new boots in??” The answer is now!  

But I digress. There's a lot more to it than that. What you ask? Solite 2.0 of course.  Did you think we were the kind of guys to sit around and rest on our thermoform laurels? NOOO!

We took on everything that ever bugged anyone and made it better, way better! The first thing is comfort: the internal split toe divider is smaller and more comfortable for a wider variety of foot shapes, all while still giving you the benefit of the split. Your feet are locked in your toes can grip the front of the boot and dig into the wax on the bottom turn like a cougar in heat. 

Another improvement is your boots on way easier without sacrificing that super seal around your ankles that keeps whatever flushes through your suit going right past your boots. Genius they said!

But for me the best advancement is the new 3-point strap.  It's amazing! It pulls the arch of the boot right into the arch of your foot and pulls the heel of the boot tight against your heel so it feels like part of your foot.  Solites have always felt like part of your foot but this is a whole new level!  And if you are doing airs, landing late drops or even just working on your first shaky floaters, having this amazing new ankle support is a whole new level of performance and security.

Tyler Hollmer-Cross

We just saw some amazing shots of Tyler Hollmer Cross at Shipstern bluff in Tasmania. Paddling and towing, pulling into mutant caves dropping over steps in the face almost as tall as him. It's some of the most technical surfing I've ever seen anyone do. Not to mention the cold water and jagged rocks just a few feet away. It's got to be one of the gnarliest waves on the planet. 

Tyler is literally putting life on the line to get some crazy barrels.  Towing it, paddling it, using foot straps or not, he’s wearing Solite!  Same thing with Peter Mel getting a career wave at Mavericks last year. The type of wave where are you can sit and wait in the freezing cold water forever and when you make your move there’s no room for error. Both these guys are operating on slabs that could kill them. Hunks of water the size and weight of a building are literally missing their heads by inches. I get so stoked when I see this and I know that they choose Solite because they love the natural barefoot board feel, warmth, and protection they get. Getting good feedback from these guys means we are on the cutting edge of performance exactly where we strive to be. It’s super validating when your product is chosen by heavy water slab gods like these. And that translates to better performance for all of us mortals.  Because whether it’s 2 feet or 50, none of us wants to waste a good wave tripping over wetsuit boots.

Peter Mel