Sam,

1. Get a full suit. Two simple reasons: It's faster and it's warmer.

2. Jackrabbit sports in the NYC area would be my reccomendation. They are a Nineteen dealer.

3. Is this your first wetsuit? If so, I would NOT reccomend buying online. You need to go to a retailer that knows wetsuits, has a good selection of wetsuits and knows how to help you choose the best one for your needs - Jackrabbit can help you with all of this.

Best wishes. I hope this helps.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Variant of the same question - I've been using the same (sleeveless) old QR for years; only real need this year is for IMLP. Being a frugal (e.g., stingy and tightfisted) fellow, I wonder - is the enhanced performance of the full suit over the sleeveless worth what I'll need to spend? The swim is my biggest limiter, so my main goals in LP are to (1) finish the swim well ahead of the cutoff, and (2) not be toasted by the swim so I can ride intelligently. Is LP a particularly cold swim?

Greg,

The water temp min Mirror lake is not too cold or too warm. It's just about right for open water swimming with a wetsuit. However, if you are a slower swimmer and in there for longer, there is a chance that you might get chilled. This is particularly so for older folk( your handle is oldslowdoc!). The air temperature in LP can be very cool in the morning, but then warm up later on. All of this would lead me to a suggestion or reccomendadtion for a full suit for this swim. You will be warmer, you will be faster and you will be more comfortable. It's a long day and it would be a shame to have it come off the rails with the swim.

Hope this helps.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

A few articles I found on the issue of sleeve vs. sleevless:

From Nytro.com, a triathlon online store:
Full Wetsuit vs. Sleeveless Wetsuit
A full wetsuit will be warmer and faster - faster due to the increased buoyancy. In general, a well-fitting full suit will be an additional 2 seconds/ 100 meters faster than the same model in the sleeveless version. Some swimmers have experienced swim times dropping between 5-15 seconds per 100m, that is a savings of 2.5 to 4 minutes in a 1.5K swim (Olympic Distance Triathlon)! Some swimmers avoid the full wetsuit as they feel they cannot "feel" the water on their forearms, leading to a less efficient stroke. Another reason is that swimmers experience fatigue in their shoulders and torso. Both of those concerns can be remedied with the correct size wetsuit.

This was in the FAQ at athletesden.com:
Fullsuits are faster providing the stroke efficiency is not compromised. Traditionally, fullsuits were only used for extreme cold as they were renowned for reducing stroke efficiency and causing muscle fatigue in the arms. The invention of freedom panels, and the introduction of new materials, has now overcome this deficiency. These features are essential when choosing a fullsuit. Fullsuits provide greater buoyancy than sleeveless suits and also have less water entry and surface resistance as a result of the extra neoprene coverage. These features can transfer to time savings of up to 2 or 3 minutes improvement (depending on design) versus sleeveless suits over 1500 meters.

And finally this one from Carmichael Training Systems:
Sleeves or No Sleeves
One of the biggest questions when finding the right fit is sleeves versus no sleeves. The purpose of a wetsuit is to make you more buoyant and to reduce friction in the water. Becoming more buoyant raises your body higher out of the water, resulting in less surface area to plow through the water during your race. Additionally, the wetsuit reduces the amount of drag in the water, facilitating an improvement in your overall glide. Sleeveless wetsuits are good for warm-water swims (just on the verge of USAT regulations), and you may feel you have a greater range of motion as well. A full-body wetsuit will help keep your core temperature warmer during long cold swims, will make you more buoyant in the water, and will increase the circumference of your arms, which allows you to push more water with each stroke. In short, go for a full-body wetsuit unless you’re swimming in warm water.

---

-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

Bryan,

Thanks for posting that up. There are some excellant points in there. Bottom line - under just about all conditions a full suit will be faster.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Give the T1 a try. I recommend you go with the First Wave Pullover and Bibjohn. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee or you can return the wetsuit. Ordering online from us or one of our authorized dealers comes with no risk.

---

Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com

I have one of the older T1 suits. I love it. Even though the top is only 2mm, I was plaenty warm in the 58deg water at Santa Cruz in September. I've also been in water at the limit of wetsuir legality and been fine, but I have a vest for those borderline water swims. If I get a little warm, I just grab the bottom edge of the top and pull open to let in cool water. this is particularly helpful in pool practice, where, even the 'cold' pool is in the high 70s.

---

_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.