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I've done sprint and olympic distances with just tri shorts. Two upcoming Olympics and then the Augusta 70.3. I've been in open water this year and I'm the lone person without a wetsuit. Feeling like I'm at a disadvantage especially in colder water practices where I just can't get comfortable and frankly feel like it's dangerous.
Can someone point me in a direction of an affordable wetsuit so I can get acclimated to wearing one. Not sure if customer service is better at some places than others and also what's a decent suit for a beginner. I'm not a fast swimmer 2:10/100 yd on average. Added buoyancy would be a positive for me too.
Many choices have not idea where to begin. Thanks in advance for your time in answering.
Affordable is relative. Most of the brands have models at a few general price points (300, 500, 800...).
I would recommend trying on wetsuits before purchasing. Some will fit better than others. If you dont have a good local shop some places have pretty good return policies so an option is to purchase multiple sizes online and return the ones that don't fit well.
My first and only tri wetsuit so far is a Blue Seventy Fusion. It fit a little better than the 2XU and others that I tried on at my local tri shop.
If $300 is too expensive there always seem to be discount codes on Xterra brand wetsuits.
Roka's customer service and products are top notch. I have their SIM shorts and the Maverick Elite wetsuit...I like them both.
Xterra
I've had great success with their wetsuits. There's always a discount code available & you can get a full length for as little as $200. They have a generous return policy too. They won't be as supple as the $500+ wetsuits but they'll do the job.
#swimmingmatters
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The Doctor (#12)
I went with an xterra wetsuit. I got mine for 50% off ~$130. If you sign up for there mailing list they send out promo codes for really good deals on their stuff.
Suprised Gerlach hasn't weighed in here yet. Xterra is good (heck, I have two of their suits), but their "sale" prices are something of a marketing model - sort of like those electronics stores always going out of business. Xterra is almost always 60-70 percent off - not that they're product isn't good - but you're not really getting any savings...my take is their 180-250 dollar wetsuits are pretty much worth what you pay for them (after discount). You might want to look around Ebay at used wetsuits/end of season rentals for sale - some pretty steep discounts there. You might be able to snag a legit 600 dollar wetsuit for a considerable discount and benefit from the variable thickness in neoprene, better stitching, etc that comes with higher dollar suits. Your local tri shop may also do rentals so that you don't feel totally committed to buying a particular model. Good luck.
Once you get on their mailing list you stand a pretty good chance of getting a sleeveless Xterra 'Volt' for ~$100 before too much time goes by - not likely to find anything more affordable than that and it will get you where you want to be as far as seeing what it's like, safety, and being useful for your training and upcoming races. Only issue would be if your water is really cold now (let's say < 60) in which case you might want to go for a fullsuit, which will probably add another $90 (e.g. Vortex) When you're swimming more like < 1:30/100 and a handful of seconds will make or break your notion of success in your AG you might think about something fancier, but you've got a ways to go and a budget suit like one of these isn't going to make a significant difference, it's going to get you 90+% of the way there.