Spring is here, sure it doesn’t feel like it in most of the country, but trust me, warmer weather is on the way! So, you’re wondering what new surf trunks are going to be out this year and the answer is almost the same as last year: O’Neill HyperFreak, but this year, you get the 2.0 versions as well as a revamped style on the popular HyperFreak line.
For those of you who haven’t owned a pair of the O’Neill HyperFreaks, here’s the skinny: they’re the best boardshort ever and the 2.0 Hyper Freak boardshorts are the best. They’re light, fast drying, lots of stretch, excellent style and no seams. The ‘seams’ are welded, so while there are seams, the seams aren’t sewn together, you get no rub burns.
But before you buy these, you need to know, these shorts are thin! They’re not going to take a lot of abuse and that’s going to have a limited audience for these. If you’re use to the thicker nylon or polysuede boardshorts, you’re going to notice these are much thinner. That’s not a bad thing, unless you’re planning on spending more time sitting on the sand that on your board. These aren’t really lounging, hanging-out boardshorts, these are function boardshorts and while they do look great, dry fast and feel wonderful, they’re not the best option for a day on the beach drinking cold beverages.
The O’Neill HyperFreak 2.0 boardshort is a core boardshort and really not intended for much more than surfing.
Also, don’t ever put them in the dryer! The neoprene (O’Neill’s HYperprene) is going to be destroyed by putting them in the dryer. This same materiel is very stretch but will melt if you get petroleum based insect repellents on them! Yes, I found that out the hard way. Maybe you don’t play gold in your boardshorts, but I do.
If you’re looking for something that’s not quite as expensive, you might want to try out the regular O’Neill HyperFreak boardshorts. They do have sewn seams, there’s no expensive HyperPrene neoprene and they have some really great styles and colors already available. More colors will be showing up in the following months.
UPDATE: O’Neill HyperFreak 2.0 for 2011
O'Neill HyperFreak 2.0 for 2011
That Hyperprene material is gone from the 2011 O’Neill HyperFreak 2.0 and I couldn’t be happier! For more details, check out the new O’Neill HyperFreak 2.0 boardshorts.
