I recently went the De Soto Sports route, due to an old Xterra suit with a number of holes in it, closed pools, and the necessity of swimming open water this season, in Wisconsin.

I'm 6'4" and about 175 lbs and ended up ordering a size 4 top and size 3 bottom. I received it, tried it on, and liked the fit. However, I crashed on the bike, breaking my collarbone, and haven't had a chance to try it in the water yet. The construction seems good and it was reasonably easy to put on and take off. The zipper goes down to close, rather than up.

With the current Slowtwitch 25% off sale, it would be a good time to give them a look.

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-- Scott

Ouch on the collarbone.

I looked at their sizing guide and size 3 seems really small for your measurements? I sized myself in roughly a 4 for both bottoms and top with the T1 sizing guide.

I'm all arms and legs with a normal sized body. When I tried it on, it fit snug, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was short in the legs and sleeves, but all wetsuits are for me.

Good luck on your choice.

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-- Scott

The most important thing about a wetsuit is getting a wetsuit that fits. If the medium-tall was the right size for you in BlueSeventy Helix, but you don't like the top to bottom zip style then I might suggest getting a BlueSeventy reaction. It is technically a step down but it is very similar to a high-end suit without the top to bottom zip. I do have arrangement with BlueSeventy and whatever available deal I have I put here. Right now it is for 20% off.

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What you should do is order a bunch of wetsuits, buy a pair of latex dipped gloves & get a plastic grocery bag, maybe 2.

Try them all on to see which one fits the best. Send the rest back.

The difference between a well fitting wettie and an ill fitting wettie can be 2-3-4 minutes and a whole lot of uncomfortableness.

https://accelerate3.com/wetsuit-test-results/ old data but you can see the spread between older suits over 400 yards plus there is other info to think about that's still relevant when buying a wetsuit

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

That could be construed a good thing. Not that I've heard of it happening, but I could imagine a typical wetsuit being unzipped by an errant hand during a race. Not gonna happen with the T1 suit.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

+1000 on the DeSoto T1. I have had 2 of them and they rock! Super buoyant, super stretchy, no shoulder restriction, no full length zipper, and mix / match sizing. If you have larger legs and thinner upper body you can get different sized bibjohn and pullover (top). The latest Concept 5 which has thick arms feels like you are pulling paddles (almost). If you have any questions about sizing, call the company and you get to speak with the founder, Emilio DeSoto himself - tough to beat their customer service. They have been around a long time in the tri market for a reason, their products are fantastic.

Enough shilling, you should at least check them out, try one on, and if you do not dig it, their return policy is great.

Excellent suggestion, just like shoes, clothing, girlfriends, etc., just try out a bunch and see what fits or works.

Also, thanks for the article, very informative, and I'm sure it is still relevant in some regards.

Thanks for the rec. I may pick a set up and see how they work as my old suit is pretty worn out as well. Can you swim in just the bottoms or would that just suck water in? Obviously not for racing, but for swimming when it's warmer and you don't want to overheat.

The last few days I've been swimming in my old helix, decided if I quit being a weak little biatch I can easily get it zipped up on my own.

Aqua sphere makes a pretty nice wetsuit (I’ve had several) and their website has several at half off right now. And the team really helped me once when I needed a wetsuit right before a race.
I don’t *need* a new one but just bought another one.

You can't swim in just the bottoms (bib johns), but they do sell a separate product, speed tube I think?, which can be used on its own. They also have a sleeveless top for hot days.
I love my DeSoto T1. Given their return policy, its a no brainer to try one.