Jammers vs traditional Speedos

I once read somewhere that swimming is as much about looking the part as it is the actual performance for the average swimmer. I happen to like the looks of the Jammer as well as the feel. I have never tried the Speedo brief but even as a skinny guy I am not excited about using one. I am currently using a Speedo Endurance Jammer that looks good, fits good, and seems to be holding up quite well. I have been using it for over a month and it looks as good as new.

I guess I'm the desenting view - I'm a breaststroker, and prefer the briefs over the jammers. I like to feel the water on my legs - and for championship meets, I still shave. I do have a knee-skin which I only wear for distance freestyle, but for sprints, IMs, fly, and breaststroke - I prefer the brief swim suit. Note: I did not mention backstroke... only swim it because it's part of the IM. Feel the water with your skin - wear the brief !

Originally posted by mrcnwmn Price: I get the grab bag variety for $15 each. I buy a new suit at about once every other month. I swim 5 days a week. Buy a polyester mesh training suit. They offer more coverage than the traditional 'Speedo' AND they last far, far longer. I bought one last year at SC Nats in Indy and have worn it four to five days per week since and it's still as good as new. It will set you back a little more than your grab-bag, but the difference in durability is massive.

Buy a polyester mesh training suit. They offer more coverage than the traditional 'Speedo' AND they last far, far longer. I bought one last year at SC Nats in Indy and have worn it four to five days per week since and it's still as good as new. It will set you back a little more than your grab-bag, but the difference in durability is massive. originally posted by Knelson In response to your comments .....What exact "brand names" should I be shopping for here? ...The reason that I ask is b/c I live in a small town with no swim shops to speak of and so I buy my swim gear (including Jammers) over the internet. Also, What do you think are the best "competition" jammers "for the money" on the market right now? (i.e. I want a fast competition pair of jammers for nationals...BUT I don't want to have to spend a whole lot of money either). Thanks, Newmastersswimmer P.s. I'd rather if you all started wearing jammers. I don't want to see your hairy legs any more than I have to. originally posted by mrcnwmn "I totally agree with that remark!!".....Modesty is my main reason for wearing them as well!

Ok, here is the drag suit I wear: www.kiefer.com/.../productr.asp If the link doesn't work, go to www.kiefer.com, in the left bar, click on 'Swimwear', then 'Kiefer suits', scroll down on the right, you'll see it, it is actually $15.95 I bought 2 of these 2 years ago....one went 'missing' from the locker room while I was showering once, I still use the other. So they do not really wear out. However, you really need to wear a regular speedo underneath, but it can be an old/worn one. As for modesty, this drag suit accomplishes this too...takes care of the hair problem between the legs. I don't shave my legs, nor do most other guys on the team, so I don't think this is an issue. Another good thing about wearing this on top of a speedo-style suit, is if you are doing a long sprint set, you can take it off towards the end of the workout, and feel the difference. At meets, I wear the drag suit to warm up, but not for competing.

The one I use is a TYR. Here's a link to it on the Kiefer site: http://tinyurl.com/68p4g

You guys are so funny! The women don't debate bathing suit styles this much.... LOL Swimmy :)

You can argue either way that briefs or jammers are faster. Both are made of exactly the same stuff, resulting in the question, "Is the fabric more or less efficient than leg hair?" A bulge remains the same regardless of what type you wear. People who can't handle the idea of showing their bulge - wear shorts. This is about style, excess hair, and modesty as it pertains to skin coverage. Hell, everyone looks better in a full wetsuit. I do not look good in tank tops. I do not wear them. T-shirts make people look cheap. I do not wear them either. Pleated pants make me look like I have a pooch. I do not wear them. Bellbottoms are stupid looking. I do not wear them. Tapered legged pants make my ass look large. I do not wear them. Brief style Speedos accentuate the fact that I'm not cut. I do not wear them either. If there was no such thing as jammers - I'd wear briefs just like everyone else. But, they exist and they look better than briefs. Like any other part of my wardrobe I want to look as good as I can. And really, there is no benefit to briefs. I saw plenty of people in the Olympics winning races wearing jammers. As far I'm concerned that's my go-ahead to wear whatever looks best.

What are you, a metrosexual or somethin'? Why are you, metrophobic? ;) ... Actually, I'm just saying that we have choices of what to wear in our daily lives. Then, when people imply that wearing a type of clothing is an indication of what kind of underwear the person likes to wear, that's when I draw the line. It's just a personal choice - leave it at that. By the way: when I said T-shirts make you look cheap (some people wouldn't know what to wear if they couldn't wear T-Shirts), I really just meant anything with advertising on them - Budweiser T, Nike T, Mossimo, whatever. A simple T with no advertising is fine. :cool:

Originally posted by kennyrupple Do you think jammers are more popular because most guys were boxer underwear? It's certainly possible that guys may feel uncomfortable wearing swimsuits that are tighter and briefer than their underwear, in which case the increased use of boxer underwear may explain, in some degree, the increased liking for jammers (in spite of the fact that jammers are slightly slower and cost more). But a more important factor, I think, is that many male Olympic swimmers have worn jammers (or leg suits, or full body suits) at the last two Olympics. Admitedly, these suits are high-tech fabrics that minimize drag, and these swimmers generally have the luxury of starting each heat with a dry suit (minimizing the water absorption factor). But it's easy for kids to ignore these footnotes and to fantasize that, when they wear $25 or $30 jammers, they are wearing what the Olympic swimmers wear. And then you can add to this the fact that there are some swimmers, like Marc, who never realized how great briefs look and how dorky jammers look, but who now feel liberated by the kids' fashion choices to wear what they really wanted to wear all along.