Wetsuit Thickness?

If you've never swam in one before, I would suggest renting one and then you will get an idea on the thickness you want.

Sounds like you are looking at snorkel or scuba or surf wetsuits. Swim wetsuits, with one exception, come in a standard thickness, I believe 2 mm but could be wrong about that. They also do not come in shorties. They also fit very differently than scuba/surf wetsuits. It will feel very tight but should feel better in the water if it fits right I agree with the recommendation to rent one first to see how it feels./ Don't go to a surf/dive shop for this.

Thanks Chris. I didn't know there was a difference. I saw they look different on the web but just thought that was camera magic

I recently purchased an Xterra Wetsuit and so far am very happy with it. It is snug, but there is enough flexibility to be able to swim in it. Of course they design their wetsuits for swimming and not for scuba, so the mm distribution (I believe) varies throughout the suit (i.e., thicker in the middle, thinner on the limbs). The negative is the cost of these suits ($800), but they do offer pre-owned suits at $129. I went with the used one and, uh, try not to think of how often it has been peed in :D (seriousily, I am sure the manufacturre cleans them before they resell them... I hope...). http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/

Let me preface this by saying a few things 1) I have lived in Florida for 30 years, 2) anything (air, water, ice cream, etc.) below about 65 is freezing to me, and 3) I've decided to try a triathlon scheduled for the end of April 2013. With the tri in April and a training plan in hand, I'm ready to start; however training will be full speed ahead right thru the winter. I am going to buy a wetsuit but I'm not sure what thickness to get. I was looking at a 0.5mm full suit or a 2mm shorty suit. We tested wetsuits (in Florida) during the winter of 2010-2011 for SWIMMER magazine. That was an unusually cold winter for Florida, and the Gulf water temperatures got as low as 56 degrees during our testing period. Here is the video of our wetsuit reviews: www.youtube.com/watch As someone already mentioned, you need to make sure that you are looking at triathlon wetsuits and not scuba or snorkeling wetsuits. The brands that we tested (and that are included in the video) were BlueSeventy, Orca, Xterra, TYR, AquaSphere, ProMotion, and probably more that I've forgotten.

I recently purchased an Xterra Wetsuit and so far am very happy with it. It is snug, but there is enough flexibility to be able to swim in it. Of course they design their wetsuits for swimming and not for scuba, so the mm distribution (I believe) varies throughout the suit (i.e., thicker in the middle, thinner on the limbs). The negative is the cost of these suits ($800), but they do offer pre-owned suits at $129. I went with the used one and, uh, try not to think of how often it has been peed in :D (seriousily, I am sure the manufacturre cleans them before they resell them... I hope...). http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/ XTerra constantly has 50-60% off codes for their suits. You do not have to pay $800 for a suit. I've been using them for the past 7 years and never paid more than $160 or so for a new X Terra.

XTerra constantly has 50-60% off codes for their suits. You do not have to pay $800 for a suit. I've been using them for the past 7 years and never paid more than $160 or so for a new X Terra. ^^True. I signed up for another forum (not sure if I can mention) but they post an offer code on their website for 60% off. XTerra look like super nice suits. Probably heading that way.

XTerra constantly has 50-60% off codes for their suits. You do not have to pay $800 for a suit. I've been using them for the past 7 years and never paid more than $160 or so for a new X Terra. Dang.... could have gotten one that was pee-free :eek:. Lol, next time!

I bought and X Terra tri wetsuit at the end of the winter season this year and absolutely fell in love with it. After swimming in my 'skin' in the San Francisco Bay for the winter putting on the wetsuit changed my outlook on the whole open water experience. I was able to train longer and harder in the wetsuit and I never got cold. Like other's have already stated I too recommend renting one before purchasing. Our local sports store allows you to apply the rental price towards purchasing a new suit if you do so within 30 days of the original rental.

I've had a B70, Speedo and now a TYR. all of them did their job. the cheaper the wetsuit usually the more restrictive it's going to be. Most of the newer models have different thicknesses in different places. thinner in the arms and legs, thicker on the body to give better balance.