Last spring, BARE Social Media Manager Bill Drumm took a few of his friends on a camping trip on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. Drumm had long eyed the area’s pristine dive sites, and, after spotting a good patch of spring weather, he rallied his friends to go explore the island’s Campbell River region.
High in biodiversity both above and below the waters’ surface, Vancouver Island’s waterways are flush with spawning salmon and many other seasonal fish species. “Every time of the year that you go is really unique because different areas are better depending on how much flow is in the rivers,” Drumm says.
Camped next to the lake and the river, the team was able to put their equipment on right there at camp—just a few steps to their dive site. “We camped on a lake right on the side of the Campbell River, and we were the only people there for three days,” he remembers. “We were diving right there in the lake, so we could just put on our dive gear, throw a tank on your back, and go.”
The Revel and Elate
In addition to enjoying some rest and relaxation on their camping trip, Drumm and company had come to the Campbell River region to test BARE’s newest watersport-focused wetsuits, the Revel and Elate.
As BARE’s newest entry-level offering, the Revel and Elate combine watersport-inspired styling, anatomically correct 3D patterns and a proprietary blend of neoprene and laminate that yields top performance at the beach, river or lake—making it the perfect supplement to the crew’s springtime Vancouver Island adventure. Plus, the Revel and Elate are available in 7mm, 5mm, 3mm, and 2mm shorty models, so whatever the activity, there’s an appropriate suit for the conditions.
Right away after donning, Drumm noticed that the Revel was soft and comfortable. “We had a couple of different versions of the Revel and Elate,” Drumm recalls. “The lake diving was a little bit warmer than the river diving, so we were able to dive the 3mm shorty in the lake, which was perfect because we were kicking around a bunch. The shorty Revel and Elate were perfect for snorkeling in those conditions. The water was warm enough that if we were swimming around, it was the perfect temperature.”
On the burlier, more thermally protective end, the team was able to test the 7mm full suit Revel and Elate while diving in the frigid waters of the Campbell River.
Even with the full protection of the 7mm suit, the river’s fresh snowmelt runoff was still too cold for continuous, sustained immersion, so the team opted to supplement their Revel and Elate 7mm suits with additional UltraWarmth gear.
“The Campbell River was cold,” Drumm says, “but we had the 7 mil Revel and Elate. It’s a glacier-fed river, so like I said, it was frigid, but when we added UltraWarmth gear, we were super toasty and comfortable.”
From its very first conception, the Revel and Elate have been designed to meet the needs of dedicated watersports enthusiasts. Whether that means surfing, paddling, diving or anything else that includes dynamic movement in the water, the designers and engineers at BARE have always aimed for the Revel and Elate to be comfortable and movement-friendly.
With that goal in mind, Drumm made it a priority to test the suits across a wide spectrum of conditions while partaking in a variety of activities, from diving, to SUPing to snorkeling.
“Whether we were scuba diving, paddleboarding or snorkeling, the suits had a good range of motion and were super comfortable,” Drumm asserts. “The shorty and 3 mil both have enough movement and flexibility to be used as a paddling or surfing wetsuit as well.”
As it turns out, the comfort, warmth, and ease of motion that the crew in BC enjoyed during their testing was no accident. According to BARE Brand Manager Scott Mastrangelo, the Revel and Elate’s performance is the product of hard work, innovation, and a singular vision.
“When it came time to design a new suit,” Mastrangelo explains, “we wanted to make it specifically cross-functional for watersports. That’s why it got the shoulder patterns and design choices that we made.”
The end result is a watersport-focused wetsuit that offers versatile performance across a variety of activities both above and below the surface.
“It has the flexibility and full range of motion to excel in any topside watersport activity,” he continues. “I think the Revel and Elate are perfect for any watersports enthusiast, whether diving, paddling, kayaking or surfing. I don’t think it’s set for any specific genre—it’s just a good all-around suit at an entry-level price point.”
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