Wet suit recommendations for big guy

You know how sizes are for clothing? I'm 6'...formerly 305. "Sizes". Yeah right. At 6'2"....alone....you know how it goes. "Big and tall"...yah...right. If the arms are even remotely close to being long enough...even at 325, you might as well be wearing a Windjammer sail. I know exactly how "sizes" work in regular clothing.

Well....for wetsuits and other fitness clothing.....here's my discovery....."sizes"......yah. Even worse. Great. If you're 5'9" and 170, they might work. Over 5'9 or over 180 and sizes are even more useless than regular clothes sizes.

The good news is.....a given wetsuit sizes are suggestions and cover a wide...wide range of "sizes". I wouldn't say they're "forgiving", but they cover a lot of ground.

Have you tried Xterra? There used to be a discount code here on the site awhile back. If not, they almost always have some offer if you sign up for their newsletter/deals alert.

They have an XXL that's listed as fitting anywhere from 5' to 6'3" and up....and 230 lbs and up.
I'm pretty sure they give you a window after you order it to try it on and send it back if it doesn't fit.
They're Kia of the wetsuit industry. Some people turn their nose at them.

I love my Kias. They cost me a lot less and get me from A to B...and there's plenty of them on the road.
I love my Xterra. It cost me a lot less. It keeps me warm in cold water and there's plenty of them at any given race.

At the very least, drop an email to any brand and ask them if they think it's worth a shot taking a flyer on ordering their largest size, assuming it can be returned.

I'm guessing you can find one that'll work. Might be that you have to try a few brands, but something's bound to work for you.
Unless you have the exacting physique that a given brand designed their wetsuit size to....it's all akin to filling a sausage casing. I tried on about 4 different brands and multiple sizes of each. Each one of them had a fold, tug, or gather, or something I didn't "like". As long as it doesn't "rub you the wrong way"...literally....it'll do the job more than adequately.


Edited by jhaack39 2017-05-24 4:24 PM

I'm 6' and was 325 a few months ago. 285 now. I just got a zoot force 3.0 sleeveless. It came in the mail yesterday so I didn't swim in it yet. But I tried it on and I think it fits great. Not sure if that helps.

At that size I might just look at getting a Sleeveless. Blueseventy has a great 30-day trial period. Worth a shot at the XL wetsuit and seeing what happens. If you go that route you can save 25% BlueSeventy.com with coupon code: TGb702016

As a bigger guy too (5'11" - 215 lbs) I went through the wetsuit wars. My 2 cents worth: I think your size will require a few compromises. I suggest you look at XCel wetsuits, they have suits up to 5XL and a few suits at 4XL sizes (these are listed at 280-300 lbs), I am unaware of any of the triathlon wetsuit makers going above 2XL and most stop at XL. The larger XCel wetsuits are surfing suits and while they have a bit more drag in the water because they are not smoothskin neoprene, they will keep you warm and have a shot at fitting you. Second, you should focus on thinner neoprene, the thinner it is the more flexible it is. The water temps you are talking about (low 60s) are not that cold and you could get away with a 2 or 3 mm suit.