I took advantage of the current 60%-off coupon on xterra wetsuits and got myself a Vortex 3 for under $200. It seemed to fit pretty well on dry land, tight, but not too tight, no problem zipping it up, no baggy bits. However, today when I wore it in the water for the first time, I immediately got a load of water down the back of my neck, and when I tried to adjust it further, another load down my front. This is the first time I've ever worn a wetsuit, and I hoping I just didn't have it pulled up sufficiently around the neck. I'm going to try it again tomorrow, but in the meantime, if anybody has any advice, I'm eager to hear it.
Also, after my suit was thoroughly wetted inside (top half), I found it very difficult to adjust, so I ended up just taking it off and hanging it up to dry. Is it even possible to put on a wet wetsuit, i.e., should I have taken it off and then tried to put it on again?
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Former Member
SWhen I stood up to climb out of the lake, I could feel water trickling down my legs inside the suit. Not quite sure where to go from here. Some of you say it's supposed to leak; elsewhere, like the USMS wetsuit trials video, people said their suits don't leak at all around the neck (can't remember which brands).
I was one of the people who tested wetsuits for the video. I tested three different models. It is normal to feel some water trickling down your legs when you exit the water. It happened with all three of the wetsuits that I wore and I know that it happened to the other testers, too.
You will feel a small amount of water entering the suit when you get into the water, either through the neck or through the zipper. I didn't really notice it until the first day that we swam in REALLY cold water. But it should be a relatively small amount, and it should quickly warm up to your body temperature. You shouldn't feel more and more water entering, and it shouldn't continue to feel cold.
What we discovered in our testing is that it's all about fit. Many of the testers were close enough in size that they swapped back and forth and tested five or six different suits. What one person loved, another didn't like nearly as much. For example, there was one Orca suit that one tester loved. Another tester didn't like it nearly as much. But that person loved the TYR suit, while the first person didn't like the TYR. All of the wetsuits were good quality and well-made; it really came down to each individual's body type and how the suits fit.
So don't get discouraged. If you try a smaller size and it still doesn't work for you, perhaps you just need a different brand.
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Former Member
SWhen I stood up to climb out of the lake, I could feel water trickling down my legs inside the suit. Not quite sure where to go from here. Some of you say it's supposed to leak; elsewhere, like the USMS wetsuit trials video, people said their suits don't leak at all around the neck (can't remember which brands).
I was one of the people who tested wetsuits for the video. I tested three different models. It is normal to feel some water trickling down your legs when you exit the water. It happened with all three of the wetsuits that I wore and I know that it happened to the other testers, too.
You will feel a small amount of water entering the suit when you get into the water, either through the neck or through the zipper. I didn't really notice it until the first day that we swam in REALLY cold water. But it should be a relatively small amount, and it should quickly warm up to your body temperature. You shouldn't feel more and more water entering, and it shouldn't continue to feel cold.
What we discovered in our testing is that it's all about fit. Many of the testers were close enough in size that they swapped back and forth and tested five or six different suits. What one person loved, another didn't like nearly as much. For example, there was one Orca suit that one tester loved. Another tester didn't like it nearly as much. But that person loved the TYR suit, while the first person didn't like the TYR. All of the wetsuits were good quality and well-made; it really came down to each individual's body type and how the suits fit.
So don't get discouraged. If you try a smaller size and it still doesn't work for you, perhaps you just need a different brand.
