Advice on Buying a Wet Suit for the 1st Time

Good question.

Rental suits kind of gross me out because the first thing a person does when they put on a tight wetsuit, and they're nervous, and they jump into cold water at the start of a race is...

Well, trust me. They're gross. In the State of Michigan health laws surrounding the return of swimwear actually prohibit wetsuit rentals in spirit if not in literal terms.

If you do decide to buy a wetsuit take comfort in the fact that all suits provide about the same degree of speed in the water. We tested suits from $199 to $549 and found no repeatable, discernable, quantifiable difference in speed across a broad range of swimmers in the pool and in open water.

Despite the rhetoric that always follows this statement, full suits are faster than sleeveless. Period.

Some people may be more comfortable and even faster swimming in a sleeveless suit and this is usually due to incorrect use of a full suit. It is simply harder to screw up using a sleeveless suit than a full suit. In general when a person tells you they are faster in a sleeveless ask them how many races they've done in a full suit before deciding. If donned correctly (the true crux of the matter) a full suit will always be faster. It may not be as comfortable, but it will be faster.

The single most important determining facotr in wetsuit performance is not wetsuit fit or design or fabric or flexibility: It is correct donning of the suit. You can don an ill-fitting suit correctly and it will be faster than a perfectly fitted suit donned wrong.

Bottom line: Learn how to don your suit correctly and give yourself enough time before the start of your race to be meticulous and calm about getting the suit on correctly. You may want to enlist the help of an associate also familiar with proper wetsuit use.

Most manufacturers provide some type of guide to wetsuit use and donning on their website. I recommend reading every one. Here are some resources I wrote on our own website:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/Wetsuit_Demo.shtml

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/wetsuit.shtml

Best of luck at your race!

Any thoughts on "Nineteen" or "Promotion" wet suits? Any other companies, web sites, etc I should take a look at?

Thanks!

A few of the LBS in the Dallas area actually allow you to buy the wetsuit (new) and if you don't like it return it minus a rental fee.  I know a few guys who just did this to try to suit and the suits were actually ordered in so I am pretty sure they were no previously used.  Remember that putting the suit on on dry land it is going to feel uncomfortable until you get in the water.

For me I definately am fast in the wetsuit.  At least in the pool.  I used mine there for the first time when I got it and was probably 15s faster per 100.  I have always heard the better the swimmer you are the less help you get though since you are already streamlined in the water.

Edited by kproudfoot 2008-03-31 9:54 AM

Anyone have any opinion on the Xterra line of wetsuits? I didn't find any reviews here.

A friend of mine, Keith Simmons, runs the company. Keith taught me a great deal about wetsuits, how they are made and how to use them correctly. He is a stand-up fellow and runs a great operation. He is formerly from the old Ironman Wetsuit company, which has since become Blue 70.

X-Terra entered the wetsuit market at a time when a number of other companies were entering the market also. As a result they had to be better in service, delivery, warranty and product. Keith knew he had to run the company in a way that caused them to rise above the competition. I should point out that I don;t sell X-Terra wetsuits or am affiliated with them in any way other than friends with Keith.

I would certainly recommend taking a serious look at them. They are very valid suit designs backed by a great company. Definately a player.

Agreed on the X-terra wetsuits. I have a X-terra wetsuit and really like it - its comfortable, well made, durable and above all I am faster in it. I have tried out and own other wetsuits and like my X-terra the best.

I just ordered an Xterra online and Keith helped me out on sizing and such. Very responsive thru email and really helpful on sizing. Hasn't arrived yet but when it does we'll see how we did on fit. ...and he agreed to take it back or exchange it for a different size for any reason. So I know when I'm done I'll have one I like.
I've swam in three different suits in the past and I liked the Xterra the best. Not that the other companies don't have good suits but I dont think the fit was right on one and the other just didn't have a good feel, for some reason. That's the chances you take when you rent a suit for a race. You don't know what your getting sometimes and you don't have time to use it to get used to it before race day. That's the main reason I decided to just buy one. When you swim like I do, you can't afford to have any suprises...

Thanks all. I just ordered a suit from Xterra! Sometime next week after it arrives, I will go for a test swim in the Atlantic ocean. Today's water temp was a balmy 61deg!!

Wow, Tom. Didn't realize you had popped up over here. A belated welcome to BT.

I just ordered a Vector and a Velocity speedsuit today. I know the other half of the company, Glynn. He and I went to college together. I'm upgrading from my Promotion that has been chafing my arms and neck something fierce lately.