can anyone reccomend how thick a wet suit you might need? or size?
60 degree water, 2.5 mile swim ocean swim, male, 6 ft., 170 lbs.
spent 1 hour last year in 60 degree water in boston swim. i was still shivering a month later.
Regarding size, for your first wet suit my advice is to ALWAYS try it on first, never just order off the internet, fit thought the chest and shoulders is extremely important. I know a few folks who bought off the internet and found that either the chest was too constricting and the couldn’t breath easily or the shoulders were too tight and they had trouble with their stroke.
As for thickness 2-5mm through the body is typical and all will maintain warmth. The bigger question in warmth is short-john vs. long-john vs. full body. A full body wet suit will keep you warmer and provide more buoyancy. And another important factor is your choice of cap; a neoprene hood is the warmest, followed by multiple silicone caps, multiple latex caps, one silicone cap, one latex cap and finally hatless.
But back to wet suits, are you looking for a heavy duty often used training suit, a once in a while training suit, a racing suit, or something else? These will determine what to look for and how much it will cost (from about $100 to $700).
Regarding size, for your first wet suit my advice is to ALWAYS try it on first, never just order off the internet, fit thought the chest and shoulders is extremely important. I know a few folks who bought off the internet and found that either the chest was too constricting and the couldn’t breath easily or the shoulders were too tight and they had trouble with their stroke.
As for thickness 2-5mm through the body is typical and all will maintain warmth. The bigger question in warmth is short-john vs. long-john vs. full body. A full body wet suit will keep you warmer and provide more buoyancy. And another important factor is your choice of cap; a neoprene hood is the warmest, followed by multiple silicone caps, multiple latex caps, one silicone cap, one latex cap and finally hatless.
But back to wet suits, are you looking for a heavy duty often used training suit, a once in a while training suit, a racing suit, or something else? These will determine what to look for and how much it will cost (from about $100 to $700).
