Wetsuit IMFL

You should post on the IMFL thread in Iron Distance Race Talk!

I jockstrapped IMFL this year and I would say that more than 99% of the field was wearing wetsuits.  But I think the water was about 70 which is totally doable without one.

I only saw one shivering girl in T1 and she was one of the last swimmers in so she was out there FOREVER.

As for the benefits...the better a swimmer you are the less the wetsuit helps...but "everybody" says it helps at least a little.  Even if all it does is make you a little less tired before the rest of the race when you have a long day ahead of you still then I guess it's done its job.   But if you're a marginal swimmer at best...you probably want to wear one.

If you don't want to buy one you could always go the rental route...

You could rent one or buy a cheap one for $100-150..often Xterra offers some at half off. There is a banner on BT often for wetsuit rentals you could look into.

I'd get one. I think I saw 2-3 people last year at IMFL without one. The ones made for other uses really aren't good for swimming and cause chaffing and other issues you would rather not have.

Scuba wetsuits are different than tri wetsuits.  The scuba version is more loose, bulky, and heavy when compared to the tri version.  Over the course of 2.4 miles, you are probably better off going no wetsuit than with a scuba one.  I'm a scuba diver and I know that if I had a scuba wetsuit on that whatever advantage that I get from the boyancy would be negated by the bulkiness, motion restrictions, and weight of the scuba wetsuit.  I think that I might use more energy with it on than without it.  The tri wetsuit hugs your body.  It not only provides boyancy but also glides better in the water. 

I saw a bunch of jellyfish swimming underneith me this year at IMFL but none were close enough to do any damage.  I saw one girl at the start without a wetsuit and my family said that they saw perhaps a handful at most.  You don't need it for the swim but 99% of the people have them.

I'll echo the others. I worked in T1 this year and we saw a fair share of the jellyfish stings around the neck and feet. Would be way worse with no wetsuit to protect your other body parts. See you at IMFL, I'll be the one in the wet suit!

Definitely practice in any wetsuit you purchase.  Unlike above PP, I loved my sleeved suit for this swim and did not have any overheating issues.

Yep, had a sleeved wetsuit, and glad I did.  You'll go faster, for me that was reason enough.  There were lots of jellies too...    Also...particularily for an ocean IM race, use lots of body glide on your neck or you'll get a nice wetsuit burn!

Thanks for the all the input. I went with an Xterra vortex 3 john. Got it on sale and now just waiting for it in the mail. Thanks again. 

Hope the Jellies are in good moods this year,