If you had to pick one wetsuit

Desoto T1 with speed vest.  The best of both.

Whats the water temperature where you will be swimming? I am not familiar with VA's water temps.

Unless it is consistenly above 75 degrees, Id just buy a full sleeve suit.

I have not personally used the De Soto suits, but that will be the next suit I buy. I have been using full sleeve suits, and I feel like they pull on my shoulders. The DeSoto suits provide the flotation and warmth of a full sleeve, without all the problems (allegedly).

None. Maybe I'll have to change my attitude at some point in the future, but after swimming competitively for so many years, swimming with a wetsuit just feels so awkward to me.

Full sleeve.

Seems around here early/late season is wetsuit legal, middle of season is not wetsuit legal.  

At least in the races I have done around here.

 

if its wetsuit legal i am wearing a full suit, its faster.

Sleeveless, unless I had $600 to spend on a top of the line sleeved suit.

tpero:
n=1 (me)
22 seconds off per 100 meters with a sleeveless wetsuit

DeSoto two peice that you could have either long sleeves or sleeveless. It is the 4th wetsuit I've had and it is far better than regular full wetsuits for comfort for me.

I live in Virginia Beach, and have a Blue-Seventy sleeveless that I purchased used for $100. I do OWS in the Atlantic, sometimes when the water temperature is quite brisk, and have had no problems. I prefer the sleeveless to keep my shoulders free, and still get the benefit of the floatation.

Depends on your body type I would say. I favor Desoto because I have bigger shoulders and arms. I've tried a few full suits and it just didn't work out. Check out the new Water Rover he's got now...thing looks crazy.

I live in Maryland, so pretty much the same weather, and I use a sleeveless wetsuit. Many people find full wetsuits more difficult to swim in because the sleeves make it more difficult to rotate your arms. Also, late season races will likely not be wetsuit legal, mid season races may be wetsuit legal and if you choose to use a wetsuit you would probably be most comfortable in a sleeveless one. I would only consider purchasing a full sleeved wetsuit if you were planning to do a lot of earlier season races in april and may.

if you have a properly fitting full suit it should not be restrictive at all, and should feel like you are not wearing one.

Lake Anna is about 60 degrees for most of the races during the year and me and my full sleeve 2XU are just happy as all get out in VA.

At her swim camp that I attended last weekend, pro triathlete Sara McLarty told  us "if you have only one get a full suit with sleeves" . Sara has never been beat out of the water, so her opinion "holds water. She mentions faster, warmer, less chance for hydro-drag, more flotation.

Me, I have a sleeveless suit but have been trying on some full sleeves. I chose sleeveless for following reasons:

 - as a recreational racer, not likely that I would swim in a race lower than about 64 degrees water... the five racers I've finished have been no colder than 64 (and some a lot warmer than that), and above about 74, overheating in a full suit can be a real problem. 66 in a sleeveless feels great to me, and so does 75.
 - my opinion (OPINION) is that getting a good fit is easier on a sleeveless, which is important if you are buying online or don't have a lot of experience  to know what a good fit feels like.

But I am an aerospace engineer, not a professional triathlon racer recognized as one of the best triathlon swimming coaches in the USA ... so I would go with Sara's call on this one.

One that fits!