Wetsuit: sleeves vs sleeveless.

[mjrNstl]

I'm fairly new the tri, completing my first and only race last Sept. (olympic distance). I have fallen in love with this sport and I plan on doing a couple of olympics and a 1/2 IM this year. I am not a very strong swimmer and thus considering getting a wetsuit. Looking for advice on what type to get, full wetsuit with sleves or without sleeves. I am inclined to go with the sleved modle due to increased buoyancy and reduced drag but am concerened about over heating in warm weather. Is this a valid concern? Do people wear full wetsuits during July and August? Also interested other pros and cons.
Thanks.

[TriBob]

Sleeveless is much more versital. Unless you are always cold in and out of the water, I would go with the sleeveless.

[chrisesposito]

Water temperature matters more here than air temperature, I think. Around Seattle, the smaller lakes might hit a high of 70 F. by the time late August rolls around, so wetsuit use is common. Even then, some prefer not to use them as they are used to swimming without them in water colder than that - when H2OChick was up here for the Kirkland sprint last August she was one of only a few to not be in one. She was also one of the first in her age group out of the water, so having one is clearly no substitute for being a good swimmer.

According to this article http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/swimcenter/longvshort.html

the unequivocal opinion is that the more rubber (sleeved), the faster.

[cjbruin]

I wear sleeveless but it's only because my guns are too big for the sleeves on most wetsuits :)

OK...seriously, it seems that most wetsuits are made for the skinny triathletes...of which I am not one...so the sleeveless seems to fit me better.

[racergirl]

the difference between sleeveless and sleeved was enough for me to get out of the water directly behind the captain of a very solid swim NCAA swim team (my roomate, think a girl swimming 50yds freestyle in 24sec). i had sleeves and she was sleeveless. i'm solid in the open water, but couldn't get through the swim team's warm-up. the worse your swimming skills, the more likely you are to benefit from the extra bouyancy.

i have an overheating tendency because i don't sweat much but rarely notice it in my suit (midlevel full sleeve xterra). if water temps are generally over 70deg you might prefer the short sleeves, but anything less and go for the suit. especially if you are a lean runner. the leaner you are, the meaner that cold water will feel. water has a very high heat capacity and will sap the warmth away from your body 20x faster than air. i've done some fairly warm races in arizona (not humid, just close to 100deg) and been grateful for my wetsuit in the wee hours when the gun goes off

p.s. in all my years of tri i only know one person who ever overheated in their wetsuit.

[auto208562]

The full sleeved wetsuit is faster and more efficient in the water. Faster because of less drag and better balance, and more efficient, because you will save some energy for the other diciplines that follow. This is from what I have read on the internet and also, I have both a full and sleeveless and swimming is one of my better legs, so it is also from my own observations. Also, better swimmers will see less gain and worse swimmers will see the most gain.

As the length of the tri increases, like doing a 1/2 or full ironman, you will see greater gains because of the time you spend in the water.

I agree that shorter races, you may lose some time during t1, but for longer races, it can only be an advantage.

I also agree that there is a possibility of overheating. This really depends on not only the water temp but also your own body. Some people are just "hot" people that sweat alot, etc. and some tend to be cooler.

[H2OChick]

Water temperature matters more here than air temperature, I think. Around Seattle, the smaller lakes might hit a high of 70 F. by the time late August rolls around, so wetsuit use is common. Even then, some prefer not to use them as they are used to swimming without them in water colder than that - when H2OChick was up here for the Kirkland sprint last August she was one of only a few to not be in one. She was also one of the first in her age group out of the water, so having one is clearly no substitute for being a good swimmer.

According to this article http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/swimcenter/longvshort.html

the unequivocal opinion is that the more rubber (sleeved), the faster.

Yeah, swimming in a 70 degree lake was a treat! No waves, no salt, and about 7 degrees warmer than the Pacific! But seriously... while I have chosen to go without, I definitely think that having one improves your swim time by a significant margin. Like racergirl was saying... at the gym, I would swim circles around this one woman, but in the Carlsbad tri, she came out of the water only about 30 seconds after me... she was wearing a full suit - me, just a speedo. Since I still think of triathlon as something to amuse myself, rather than my sport, I'll still probably skip it. (Plus I kind of like being the odd one.) But for anybody who's only a mediocre swimmer, I think it's a must.

[roadie gal]

I have a sleeveless wetsuit and a wetsuit "shirt" that can go under it if the water is too cold for the sleeveless. I saved a bunch of money doing it that way. So far I've only worn the sleeves for training, so I don't know how much extra time it would be during the transition to get it off. I can't see it being very long, though.

[KenMierke]

Sleeveless are much faster. Even the best fitting sleeveless catches water at the shoulder and armpit ans slows you down (compared to a fullsuit).

If you are after speed get a fullsuit.

Ken

[Dubbayoo]

Sleeveless are much faster. Even the best fitting sleeveless catches water at the shoulder and armpit ans slows you down (compared to a fullsuit).

If you are after speed get a fullsuit.

Ken

This article concludes the exact opposite so I'll stick with their opinion.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/swimcenter/longvshort.html

[auto208562]

I agree also. Like I said above, I have both and the full sleeve is not only faster but more efficient (my heart rate is much lower and I feel fresher).

This article concludes the exact opposite so I'll stick with their opinion.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/swimcenter/longvshort.html

[Dubbayoo]

I'm a relatively poor swimmer as well as being pretty well muscled. At 5'8, 240 lbs I'll take as much buoyancy help as I can get.....getting out of it during transition will be a whole 'nother story. I suspect I'll be down around 215 before I drop $300-400 on a wetsuit though.

[biggsmoothe]

speaking of dropping $$ for a wetsuit...what should one look for in an entry level suit? how much should i be looking to spend? i've seen some for under $100, but i'm not sure about the quality. any brand recommendations? does Body Glove make decent wetsuits?

[KenMierke]

This article concludes the exact opposite so I'll stick with their opinion.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/swimcenter/longvshort.html

That article by dan actually agrees with exactly what I said. Your post was confusing.

Ken

[Dubbayoo]

That article by dan actually agrees with exactly what I said. Your post was confusing.

Ken

My post was confusing? Yours began with the statement "Sleeveless are much faster." and ended apparently saying the exact opposite.

[KenMierke]

Oops, you're right, sorry. I meant fullsuits are much faster. Ignore the first sentence and listen to the rest of my post.

My bad,

Ken