To wet suit or not to wet suit...

you should be able to do it w/ out a wetsuit...if you want.  I did a 1/2 mile (880 yards) in June and the waer temp was 68 degrees....brrrrrrr...w/o a wetsuit, I finished, but I was COLD!!  I just purchased a new sleeveless ORCA wetsuit (off ebay) for $100, reg price $199.  I was in the position of renting one for $40 from wetsuitrental.com, but decided that I would rather purchase one so I could use it multiple times.

I would say if you have the cash, AND expect to do more triathlons, that you should purchase a wetsuit

Benihana

Water temp shouldn't be a problem

Bigger issue is nothing new on race day.  Ever worn a wetsuit?  they're super tight, andmight make you feel claustrophobic.  Ever tried taking one off quickly in T1?  It can get stuck, costing you a butt-load of time.

For 70 degrees, 400 yards, I wouldn't.  If I couldn't practice in OW a couple times beforehand and practice stripping it, I definitely wouldn't

NO WET! SAVE THE MONEY FOR BEER. MY 2 CENTS.

JAMES

At a sprint I did this past May, Scott (3558) and I had this same discussion.  It was a 300 meter swim with 70 degree water.  The temperature wasn't really an issue.  After the initial shock, it was a comfortable swim.  The main discussion was whether the wetsuit gave you enough speed advantage to make up for the time getting the wetsuit off in transition.  I decided to go without the wetsuit but I now realize that was a mistake.  With a little practice you can get a wetsuit off in 15 or 20 seconds.  While swimming with the wetsuit makes me faster than that even in a short swim plus I don't expend as much energy during the swim.   From now on, I'm going to follow Scott's lead and use a wetsuit anytime it's legal.  I would rent a wetsuit and practice getting it off and use it in your race.

Ernie

OK.  Well I did an OWS workout today.  I was slow, about 20 to 30 seconds per 100yds than in the pool, but I didn't freakout like the first time.  I did backstroke a few times to get air, but was able to concentrate on my stroke instead of not drowning.  So that's the answer to the "how strong of a swimmer are you" question (not very strong).  But I can do the 400yds distance (in warm water).  I hope I can do it 70 degree temp too. 

I guess I won't get the wetsuit.  I hadn't thought about the "no new stuff" on race day rule.  I do have a tendency to get claustrophobic at times, and I won't have time to train with the wetsuit prior to the event.

Thanks for all of the advice.

Brad 

Also, can I just say that 400yds looks a HECKOFALOT farther in open water than I thought it would.   

If you don't use the wetsuit.  Don't sprint the first 50yards and get into oxygen debt.  And then start to flounder.   Make sure you do some more OWS with what you will wear on race day. 

Relax, get into a nice stroke, and when you get around the bouy and head for home, then kick it in.   You still have a bike and run to do and it won't do any good to get tied up in the swim.

I'm in the "always use a wetsuit if it is allowed" camp.

That said the advice about "nothing new on raceday" trumps the wetsuit comment.  If you have the time to swim in it at least once for at least 200 meters prior to the event then I would say go for it.  If you don't have that opportunity then I would say skip it.

I love swimming in a wetsuit.  Some people hate it and some feel very restricted even with a proper fit.  You don't want to find out you're one of the "I hate this feeling" people 50yds into your swim.

Just my opinion.

I did my first race a couple weeks ago in about 70ish water.  I can't say if I would prefer a wetsuit because I've never swam in one.  What I can tell you is that I just started learning to swim last November.  I am HORRIBLY slow compared to most everyone else.  I can't sight worth a darn and tend to breaststroke a lot in OWS mostly because I don't know exactly what I am doing.  I swam a 440 yard swim in my race without a wet suit and did just fine.  I would say that about 1/3-1/2 had wet suits, but most did not.  Short swim, warm water, warm day, less hassle.  My vote is to keep it simple and not wear one for such a short swim.

The one thing that did help me a lot though was to get in the water before the start and swim for about 10-15 minutes.  Got rid of some butterflies and got my body used the temperature so it wasn't such a shock.