Speed from a better wetsuit?

baprince

I have an 8 year old entry-level Orca wetsuit.  It has a couple fingernail marks, but in general it is in good shape.  I have been considering moving up to one of the Xterra suits (likely the vector pro).  Has technology changed enough in past few years for me to see a signficant improvement in comfort and more importantly speed?

Gene

 I have been through a lot a of different wetsuits in the past 6-8 years (work/surf/tri).  I am currently swimming in Xterra's Vector 2 Pro.  IMHO - A new wetsuit will benfit you more in terms of comfort than speed.  It will be shapped better to promote the swim storke, which could in turn make you faster. They are not the cheapest, so ROI might suggest the money spent on other low-hanging fruit.  But after its broken in it should be more commfy if it fits you properly.  Comfort does matter over 2.4 miles.

Mark Roberts

I'm thinking of retiring my 6 year old QR fullsuit and going with an Xterra.  My wetsuit is showing some signs of age and has a few nicks, tears and 2 small holes on the sleeves.

colinmil

Hi Brett and Mark, I have very recently replaced my aging and low in the range BlueSeventy Reaction with an Xterra Vector Pro 3, they are like night and day. My old suit was thicker, heavier, bulletproof but much more restrictive. The Xterra is thinner in strategic areas, still very buoyant with plenty of 5mm quality neoprene. My only concern with it is it's durability as the neoprene surface appears to be much softer and "luxurious" (if you know what I mean!!!), but this is largely manageable with much more handling care on my part. Xterra seem regularly to have excellent discounts available, so it might be worth hanging fire on that purchase until a good one comes up? Hope this helps, and hello from Scotland.

John Withrow

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John Withrow

In a somewhat related wetsuit question (sorry if this constitutes hijacking) I was a wrestler in college so have much bigger shoulders and neck than a typical triathlete (think 19" neck), I originally bought a used full-sleeve Orca 3.8 on eBay 2 summers ago. It kind of choked me everytime I extended my arm to the point it freaked me out as if I couldn't breathe. I went to the Xterra Vortex 3 sleeveless and absolutely love it as it doesn't restrict me at all when I swim... But, I'm thinking I want a full-sleeve for next yr. Partly for warmth, partly for jellyfish protection, and partly because I'm thinking ahead to IMNYC 2012 and would like to wear my desoto cool wings under my wetsuit to save the hassle of fumbling with them and my watch, etc in T1.

Can anybody recommend a flexible (non-neck choking) full-sleeve wetsuit for guys with bigger upper bodies than normal?

wareagledusty

 Scott,

I feel your pain.  I am also a big guy, 6'4", 230#, 18.5" neck.  I play ball up to college and have the big upper body in proportion to my waist that you are dealing with (48-50" chest with 36" waist)

I switched to a DeSoto T1 wetsuit this year and it has been the best decision.  It is a two-piece wetsuit and becasue of this you can get different sizes in the top and bottom.  I wear a size 6 in the bibjohn and a 7 in the tops.  Another cool thing is that you can get a vest top and a full sleeve top and have both wetsuit styles in your bag depending on race needs.  The neck in mine was a little tight at first but I had no problem stretching it out a bit.  I just raced IMFL two weeks ago in mine and had no issues.

Also, there is a killer DeSoto discount available to EN team members.  25% off their gear, including wetsuits, made it a no-brainer for me.