Skin suits

You mean swimming "speed suits" for non-wetsuit swims?  Most of the reputable manufacturers have them.  Some use rubberized material that is not really buoyant and others are simply well fitting lycra that go over your tri suit and streamline everything.

I have the Desoto Liftfoil which is one of the latter category.  I like it, but not sure if there is an actual measurable value from the two races I've used it in.

Yes, that's what I meant - thanks.

I'm wondering if the $250+ is worth it, or if I should just swim the 2.4 in my regular speedo.

To me the main value of wearing the speedsuit is so that I can have it over my tri suit and not worry about having to change or to have the shirt ride up and create a way for the water to get all caught in clothing (pockets, bunched up areas, etc).  I'm already so damn slow in the water that I don't need anything else slowing me down!

Since we are talking IM here, you need to do what you feel comfortable with the most.  If you have no concern/problem doing a full change in the tent, then go with the regular suit.  If you want to save a little time then use a speedsuit over your tri suit.  Just my thoughts.

hey there,

doin the 2.4 with a speedo... hmmm unless you have a strong swimming background and you love swimming with only a speedo well my respect to you, if you are not going to be under 54 min on the swim I recomend you to get a swim skin. there are many brands to choose from.

I usually go with the speedo fast skin or the speedo fastskin II, good choices and they are not going to break the bank, the importance of the suit while swimming goes to the muscle alienment, trust me there is a lot to it and I can tell you that you will be gaining more than you will be loosing.

look on ebay for the older fastskin models they have those there for a good price, oh yeah also make sure you get the right size cause the suits are tight very tight, and we are talking about 2.4 mile swim!!!

good luck!