De Soto - I'd like to hear about that too

I have a Zerod and a champ sys elite suit. The champ sys is ok but I could have gone a size down. The Zerod is nice and snug.

In the water the zerod feels faster and most similar to the 1st generation fastskin and aquablade bodysuits I wore as a swimmer. Currently waiting for my Project Elite Suit for AG worlds.

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I havent tried it but the desoto liftfoil trisuit probably meets your needs.

I have done short races in the desoto riviera trisuit. It felt fine to me. I didnt notice the pockets dragging in the water. I'm sure the liftfoil would be sightly faster since it has no pockets and uses swimskin material.

I mostly do wetsuit legal races. And my next race thats not wetsuit legal I will use a swimskin.

Orca by Orbea makes Tri suits.

I own a 226 Compression by Orcasuit and it holds together well and feels quit nice in the water. The leg grippers are probably my favorite part of this suit. No silicone used and stays in place.
The Chamois fits what I like also. Not too thick and more on the dense side. I'm not sure what the newer models are like but my 226 is nice.

I have a swimming background and generally only wear a speedo/trishorts when swimming and avoid wetsuits whenever I can. Anything above 60 degrees, maybe lower depending on the air tempturature, is a no wetsuit race for me.

Had an old De Soto (2009 Forza?) similar to the photo (with 3 mesh pockets in the back and 1 on each leg) and was a total drag suit.
Didn't like the chamois, either.

Worn once.



I loved my ChampSys Elite ITU suit (no chamois)

I've been wearing De Soto tri suits since 1999 (yeah, I'm old). Over the years I've tried out some others (not going to talk trash about other brands) and have always gone back to De Soto. In my humble opinion, the De Soto Forza Trisuit is the absolute best. The fit for me is perfect and I love the pockets. Have no idea what I would do without the pockets actually. Finally, you can't beat the customer service at De Soto. Just great people!!

i have a Kiwami Amphibian Rio. i've only done one swim (well, one race and one quick practice swim) without anything over it, but in that swim, it performed well and felt nice and snug. no noticeable "bagging and dragging," as you put it.

I use the same in non-wetsuit races and per Emilio's recommendation (on this forum, noless) I used fabric tape to close up the back pockets, and I don't notice any appreciable drag. The side pockets don't create much drag.

And I like the chamois.

kiwami rio amphibian
http://www.kiwamitri.com/rio-amphibian-p/rio.htm

not a lot to say except i love this suit. i am racing in the spyder this year, and I think I might like the amphibian more in the water. neither suit has pockets to drag. In the spyder i feel like i get a little water in the chest if it isn't positioned just right, something i didn't notice with the amphibian, but i have only used the sypder twice.

I've used several suits

Voler tri suit from my club order back in 2008 was a total drag suit, probably should have sized down
Louis Garneau Competitor suit wasn't much better
Kiwami Amphibian 008 is my favorite
Kiwami Amphibian Prima is not far behind, mine seems to flutter just above my hip
Kiwami Spyder is a very close second if not equal to my 008. I just like how the 008 doesn't have a pad.
TYR Carbon Rear zip from 2013 is really good too, even with the 008 but still has a pad that is fairly comfortable.

The last four suits all have a high neck and are rear zip. They all do well on the bike too.

I have the TYR Carbon 1 pc. suit & it is a tight fit. Really no loose anything & support is great. The feel of the material is a bit stiff like sandpaper--I may end up getting a new version which isn't as stiff (non-carbon), which was a common complaint with users. The issues I have with it is it has no sleeves for the bike and the bike pad sort of chaffes quite a bit. It is the official Team USA suit provider (they have a 2 pc option as well)...but overall if it had a better pad it'd be a great all around suit I think. Its fit is a lot like my B70 swim skin, not sure I'd even ant to use a swim skin with it. I haven't been swimming with it but will this September in OKC. I had to get it for duathlon but it is an ITU "tri" suit as you say. Haven't biked longer than 40K at one time in it, so I may have to pull the zipper down just to relax the pressure on the lower back.

As for the other suits on your list, haven't tried them aside from the Speedo Aqua Blade which fits like TYR standing still, but no pad & would never do a race in it aside from used as "skin" for OWS. Plus the neck chaffes as bad as any swim skin in salt water environment (regardless of the lube you use).

Tha'ts my input.

I can only speak to the female version but I really like Zoot one-piece suits. I swam competitively all my life and find that their suits tend to be built more like a swim knee skin (not the tightness, but the fit...especially in the back and shoulders) with minimal pockets and drag. I also like the chamois. It's soft but not bulky

Desoto lift foil. Have it, race in it, love it . Im 5'11 165lb chest 36" waist 30-32 wear medium ( little tight but I like) no restriction on the swim . Kind of a speed suit and tri suit in one. Comfortable pad . Floats too.
No pockets though so maybe not the best for long stuff.

Second the recommendation for the Desoto liftfoil. I love it, although as pointed out it lacks pockets. I have used it for long course also, very comfy even for long races and not too hot.

De Soto Liftfoil user.

It does not slow me down in the water at all compared to a jammer. I pool tested it and found it to be slightly faster than a jammer and De Soto's race bottom with the floating pad. I wear a Large at 6'2.5 and 195lbs - Its quite tight. The chamois is fine.

But, I feel like it hinders sweat cooling during the run on very humid days - I have ended up rolling the top portion down to my waist in an attempt to cool off.

David K

as some have mentioned here, our kiwami amphibians and kiwami spiders trisuits are incredible fast swimskin as well. you'll see quite a few at every itu race and at rio.
the main qualities are in the super light/breathable and water-repellent fabric. you have a very snug fit and the stretch is minimal over time.
don't hesitate to contact me if you have any question: contactATkiwamitriDOTcom.

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http://www.kiwamitri.com
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I have a Desoto Liftfoil and like it a lot. I'm 6'1/192#'s.....and I couldn't get the L zipped up.

I haven't tested it against other swim skins.......but it's a nice garment that I don't hesitate to wear in a non wetsuit legal swim tri. I'd be comfortable with it in "up-to" an Oly.

Another vote for Kiwami. Been using their suits for a number of years now, and they are amazing. Superb, tight fit, fast in the water, quick drying, and really durable. This season I'm in the Spider models, and have used Amphibian in the past. As Andre said, look to ITU and you'll see quite a few.....

Thought I would mention that Blue Seventy makes the TX3000 and you can get front zip at a good deal if you can find old stock. It swims fast for sure, very close in speed to the PZ3 swim skin. Quality made fabric.

6'1" 170lbs I have a MED and it's a bit short for the torso and quite tight in the legs.
I wish there was an MT I might have to go large. Pix of the suit is on my profile.

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Desoto Liftfoil 5'9" 174 pounds med fits tight , no bagging, seems to lift me in the water, my times are faster wearing it, DeSoto is the best i have had.



I'm eager to hear from athletes who fit a couple of criteria about any and all options for one piece tri suits that could be used for non-wetsuit swims (without a speedsuit). I guess this could also be dubbed an ITU legal suit if we specified rear zip - but I don't think we have to.
The criteria I'd like to ask for is...

You're commenting on a suit in which you've raced or trained. [/li]

You have a sense of the feel of suit that bags and drags and one that fits tight in the water. [/li][/ol]

The TYR Carbon Zipper Back [/u]fits this bill - the zipper front itsn't ITU legal but is it tight enough to swim in? [/li]

I have swam in a Champion System Apex Blade[/u] and it's pretty good, would like to know about Elite Tri Suit[/li]

Anyone tried a 2XU Perform Rear Zip[/u]? [/li]

Speedo[/u] has stepped away from tri[/li]

Pearl[/u] only makes front zip suits, I'd like to hear from anyone who has swam in that.[/li]

I think those Arena[/u] suits are very cool, no zip, back cross straps but tough to get in U.S.[/li][/ul]
Others??

Ian[/quote]

I've had two tyr carbon suits with rear zipper in a row. Big fan of them. The newer ones are even thinner than the older versions and is comfortable in the heat. Did an xterra race up in canada on a very hot day a few weeks ago, and they follow itu rules, which means no pulling the top down or torso showing. Normally I feel like I wanna rip my shirt off, but the tyr is pretty thin and I really didn't notice it. It was non-wetsuit for pros - first non wetsuit swim I've done in awhile - and I didn't feel any dragging or bagginess - aside from me generally dragging ass.

My gf has a pearl izumi suit that is a zipper back and has a hydrophobic coating. It's pretty nice also. It's a year or so old though - not sure if they make a men's version.

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I use a TX3000 in non-wetsuit races and love it. The fit is tight but the suit feels very fast in the water. One potential downside is no pockets, but I usually use it for short course.

I've used two different 2XU suits - an older one which had no pockets + front zip and a newer, compression-based one with pockets and rear zip. I don't think it's the Perform though. No problems with either in the water, no sense of drag although the compression fabric one fits tighter and feels better. They're not as fast as a wetsuit or swimskin but for warm water or sprints, they're fine. To give you an indication of my swim competence, I usually come out of the water at or near the front in triathlons of any distance. I go backwards after that though.
Does that help?