wet suit...sleevless or long sleeves?

I'm pretty new to tri's too, but wondered the same thing about wetsuits.  If you have money for both, then hook that up   I'm up in MN, so the water temps can be pretty low early in the season, so I went for a full-sleeve.

I just did my first Oly-distance tri this morning (1.5K swim) - the water temp was low-70s, and my f/s wetsuit still felt great.  I LOVE swimming in my wetsuit - I feel like a super hero in that thing!

You are in FL, so perhaps a sleeveless makes better sense for you down there.  A lot of folks find f/s suits too constricting in the shoulders/arms, but I'm convinced those people have poorly fitting suits.  A well-fitting wetsuit should be completely comfortable and not at all limiting. But, that's why a lot of folks go sleeveless too.

 If your races won't take you to very cold water, go sleeveless.  I like having all of my options covered and so I went f/s, and have no regrets at all.

Cheers, Chris

EDIT: You can't go wrong with DeSoto stuff; their customer service is tops, especially for wetsuits.  I have a Blue Seventy (best fit for me), and I absolutely love it... 

Edited by Hydro 2009-09-06 3:33 PM

I am just a recreational triathlete... so please take this opinion with a grain of salt.

Several racers I've talked to who switched from a john (no sleeves) to full sleeves say it is a no brainer ... full suit all the way.

My buddy Erik, a nationally competitive age grouper out in california, says go with the water temp. Use a john unless it's cold ... 63 degrees or lower. Which me the recreational triathlete is not going to race in probably.

I use a john, also. I have purchased (then carefully tried on and subsequently sent back) two full sleeve suits, but I could not get a fit I was happy with. I think getting a good comfortable and relatively hydrodynamic fit with a john is much easier.

So I am sticking with the john. And would recommend a john for newer racers.

By the way... today I swam with my wetsuit in the pool since I have a race coming up, and did some side by side stuff. Wow. Wetsuit is much faster. About 22 seconds per 200 yards... so about three minutes for an Olympic race.

I say full all the way. Some say that with the full that they don't have as much mobility in the arms/shoulders. However, the sleeveless one I had before chaffed the underside of my arms. One other thing to keep in mind, when you need to cool people off quick in military/fire department/etc. you actively cool the forearms. Keep this in mind regarding the temp of the water

I will always use a full sleeve simply because I have pretty skinny arms and the full sleeve give me a little more to grab onto the water with.

Does anyone feel like the weight of the full suit sleeves soaked with water makes for a tougher pull over the top? Nevertheless, I hear the same thing from full suit guys every time: "Full is mo' bettah". I guess when I find one that I like how it fits, I'll get one. Till then I'm a no sleeves guy.

In TX, and I presume FL, "cold" water is usually just a few degrees under wetsuit legal, and a good number of races are not wetsuit legal.  I prefer sleeveless in part because they are a bit cooler when the water is warm.

Brian

If you get Desoto they are in two pieces you can get the bib johns and then either a top with full sleeves or top that is sleeveless or in time both. It is more expensive but gives you more options and is cheaper than buying two wetsuits one w/sleeves and one without.

The way DeSotos fit is much less restrictive feeling that other wetsuits. I lost weight and have had 4 wetsuits and love love love my DeSoto and wouldn't go back to normal one peice wetsuit by choice.

Here's a really stupid question (remember, I'm new!), what's the differenece between a triathlon wetsuit and a diving wetsuit?  See I live by the Gulf and a town known for diving, and diving suits are all over the place.  Can you wear one in a tri?  Are they sized the same?  Thanks for all the help guys!

Diving wetsuits are thicker, and allow less mobility, because they're designed to keep you warm with little exertion.  Tri suits are thinner, especially in the shoulder area, so you can move better.

Normally, I'd say a full suit, because I figure that if it's cold enough that I need suit, I want my arms to be warm too, and if it's warm enough to go sleevless, I don't really need my suit.  But being in FL you probably could get away with a sleeveless.  Just make sure it fits properly so that it doesn't cut in under your arms.

As far as the question about the arms getting water-logged and feeling heavy...No, I've never noticed a difference.  Overall, wetsuits are noticably faster than swimming naked.



Edited by TriMyBest 2009-09-07 8:17 AM

I'm in central FL too on the east coast and have done tri's in April and my sleeveless has been fine, oh and I'm a cold water weenie!

I bought a promotion wetsuit (Powerglide) because of BT feedback regarding their customer service, the cost was ideal and they also have a 10% discount to BT members.   I can't offer comparions as it's the only suit I've owned, going on 4 years with it now and no issues.  Today the Fluiddrive sleeveless is on sale for $139 and the full is $189, and note they also sell a separate top if the water is very cold for the sleeveless (bottom of the link above).

I called and spoke to someone about my sizing before I purchased, they were very helpful with the whole deal.  My family likes the suit too because they can always tell when it's me coming out of the water with the bright green trim.

I just checked the Promo site and they look great!  I'm thinking I'll be needing it to keep swimming in the winter.  I know I'd never get in the pool when it's cold w/out one!  Still can't decide on sleeves or no sleeves, but I'm getting closer!  Thanks everyone. 

x2
Desoto is the way to go!! 

How about a sleevless with separate sleeves?  More aforadable than the entire jacket!!!

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