I hope to do my first triathlon in a month. I am not a strong swimmer, and the swim will be in the Southern California ocean. I also tend to be cold when others are comfortable. Should I get a full-body wet suit? Do they vary in thickness and material? Are there other characteristics to consider? Is it advisable to get them online (for example at LL Bean) or must you try them on for fit in a store?

Larry

Get a tri specific suit, a full suit is usually faster than sleveless and if your cold I would definately go wih a full. I'm partial to De Soto. The suit will reduce your open water anxiety and cut your swim time. For more detailed discussions on wetsuits go to slowtwitch.com

You're going to need to get open water swims in anyway, so I'd see if any store near you rents wetsuits. That way you can try them in a swim to see if one brand / model fits you better than another when swimming. I've got a 2-piece Desoto as well, which is very comfortable and relatively warmer than the QR I used to have.

Renting a tri suit is the way I do it too - TriUK here do season hire. If you can't get a tri-specific suit:

* A surf suit will do as long as it's a nice stretchy one.

* A dive / snorkel suit is totally hopeless, forget it. Trust me on this one ;)

Tri suits differ from other suits in that they're very close-fitting and very quick to get off. The suit should take a few minutes to get into and you usually need a hand zipping up a new one.

Local tri clubs probably do sea-swimming as well - look 'em up, say you're thinking of joining, and have a go!

I'd agree with the advice to get a full suit. On my first sprint triathlon I wore a scuba diving "shorty". Big mistake, every time I stroked forward I I'd get a shot of cold water down the arm pit. Also it was not streamlined for swiming. I was able to pick up a older model from wetsuits.com. It really has made me more comfortable--though my swimming still sucks, litterally! Also get a neoprene skull cap, with out it you will still be cold, but you can put the colored latex cap on over it if neccessary.

Just my 02.

Stay warm.

a.c.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I'm curious about using a surf wetsuit. I have an O'Neill full suit (3/2). Do you guys think this will work for my first couple of tri seasons. THANKS!!

I would rather swim in a trisuit than in a shorty wetsuit.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I'm curious about using a surf wetsuit. I have an O'Neill full suit (3/2). Do you guys think this will work for my first couple of tri seasons. THANKS!!
You're in LA, so I'm guessing you could actually try on and swim with some wetsuits. I would check out the difference to make sure you're not hurting yourself (timewise) by swimming with a surfing wetsuit.


I bought the Blue Seventy, as it fit me the best. I tried a couple and thought they all were hard getting on. Taking them off seemed about the same to me, too. Fit was the deciding factor for me. I called each company and asked about fits, which helped me settle on the Blue Seventy Reaction. It's an entry level wetsuit...bought it at Nytro, who threw in a free transition bag and gave free shipping. Disclaimer: I don't work for Blue Seventy or Nytro!

Agree with the other posters' recommendation to rent and try out some tri-specific suits. They're designed for swimming and the neoprene is thicker in certain spots, providing more boyancy.

I made the mistake of buying a waterskiing wetsuit and cutting off the sleeves. It was terrible. Probably worse than not having one at all. Now I have an Orca S1, a proper (albeit entry-level) tri suit, and it's a world of difference.

I tried a couple on, but the fit is really difficult -- I bike a lot and could not get my legs into a suit that was right for my height. (It seems that all you tri folks are long and skinny :-). The salesman suggested buying a large one and trimming the ends of the legs. What do you all think?

I have heard of people trimming the legs, so it is not out of the realm of possibility. I know some suits are made to be able to do that. Just make sure you don't ruin the darn thing after you blow 300-400 bucks.

If you contact the wetsuit maker...they can walk you thru trimming up the wetsuit to fit. I haven't but probably should trim the legs a little. I'm in the same boat as you...had to buy a taller size to fit my shoulders and legs. good luck.

I'm not a strong swimmer but i'm comfortable in the water. (i'm not really a strong cyclist or runner either for that matter) :p

I picked up a 2005 Orca Speedsuit sleeveless for an mid april sprint triathlon (my first one). Water was in the high 50s/low 60s i think and i was really wishing for a fullsleeve at the start. However at the finish i was doing fine, arms were cold but everything else was nice and warm.

That being said, if you've always found your body to be rather normally proportioned, you should be fine ordering online as long as you stick to each specific manufacturer's recommendations. Otherwise try to find a local shop to try stuff on.