I'm currently in wetsuit hell and need some help! I'm really not sure just how snugly they're supposed to fit. This past winter, I got a deal on a Blue Seventy Helix full suit. I went by the manufacturer's size chart and recommendations from staff when ordering the size. I'm 5'7", about 143lbs. Small chested and pretty lean (i.e. most people don't believe I weigh as much as I do--and 143 is on my lower end). Anyway, I swam in my Blue Seventy Suit in one Olympic distance race this spring and my arms fatigued really fast, felt like the suit was dragging down on me. (For what it's worth, when I first had it on, it felt great, I didn't have that claustorphobic, "freak out" feeling when I first got in the water). Later this summer, I go to swim with my coach--her first question is...who sized you in that suit--it's too big. And, there is actually a fair amount of room up top. We swim and again, when I first get in, it feels ok but then after swimming a few hundred meters, my shoulders are tired and it seems like the whole suit has slipped down. Yes, I took the time to pull it all up, into my crotch, worked the arms, etc.
OK, fast forward to now. I've decided to purchase a new suit. This time, I've gotten an Xterra. By their size charts, I'm a Women's Medium. So, that's what I ordered. But, I have a friend who has a Women's Medium/Small (which in no way the size chart says should fit me). I can get into the women's medium/small and it's definitely snug. I have to take a few deep breaths to feel ok in it and it's definitely like a second skin. In the Women's Medium, there is more room in the chest area but also seems to be some "excess" (not a lot--not as much as the blue seventy--but some) in the arms--especially in the armpit area.
Sooo....I'm debating whether I'm in the right size in the Medium according to their chart, OR if the medium/small is the better fit? I have 14 days to return the new one for a different size. I'm doing a HIM this weekend in my prep for IMFL and really want to wear the size suit I think I'll wear in Florida.
Just how tight is it supposed to be? And, does anyone have any suggestions, similar experience with size charts, etc.? Help!
OK, fast forward to now. I've decided to purchase a new suit. This time, I've gotten an Xterra. By their size charts, I'm a Women's Medium. So, that's what I ordered. But, I have a friend who has a Women's Medium/Small (which in no way the size chart says should fit me). I can get into the women's medium/small and it's definitely snug. I have to take a few deep breaths to feel ok in it and it's definitely like a second skin. In the Women's Medium, there is more room in the chest area but also seems to be some "excess" (not a lot--not as much as the blue seventy--but some) in the arms--especially in the armpit area.
Sooo....I'm debating whether I'm in the right size in the Medium according to their chart, OR if the medium/small is the better fit? I have 14 days to return the new one for a different size. I'm doing a HIM this weekend in my prep for IMFL and really want to wear the size suit I think I'll wear in Florida.
Just how tight is it supposed to be? And, does anyone have any suggestions, similar experience with size charts, etc.? Help!