hey all
i have gotten my wife into ½ im distance (nothing like sharing a hobby ) but since we live in denmark she needs a wetsuit no matter what event she participates in.
so for christmas i think i better buy her one
she is a “good” swimmer, has been swimming her entire life, has a good swim technique and “natural bouyancy” but she gets cold REALLY easily (like the pool can make her uncomfortable cold when doing normal sessions)
she swims 1k meter in about 14:00
so which wetsuit is best for her? please state both a budget option and the best performer. (is it possible to combine nice and warm with not pushing you too far upwards?)
and please dont just say the one that fits her, because we will have to buy it online and try it out anyway (no real stores with wetsuits near where we live/roam)
bonus question
i use a aquasphere phantom 2013 (im a fish too, around 55:00 on im swim) will i gain anything by upgrading to another and newer suit? maybe desoto?
I also have a Roka Maverick Pro, not a fishie but man this full wetsuit feels great, doesn’t feel tight in the arms, not too difficult to get on and off. The reason I went with Roka is that during development of the product they focused on “fishies”, The wanted to develop a wetsuit to make swimmers swim faster rather than non-swimmers float better etc.
It’s not the cheapest one out there but in my opinion well worth it.
I used to travel to Denmark for work, not so much anymore but hoping to do a race out there some day, Copenhagen etc. I was usually visiting the really cool hip places like Bjerringbro, Viborg and Silkeborg
so which wetsuit is best for her? please state both a budget option and the best performer. (is it possible to combine nice and warm with not pushing you too far upwards?)
and please dont just say the one that fits her, because we will have to buy it online and try it out anyway (no real stores with wetsuits near where we live/roam)
The most important thing about a wetsuit is that it fits. It doesn’t matter what the brand is, if it doesn’t fit it won’t be the best choice. Beyond that, getting a value wetsuit is best done as a sleeveless, especially with with true swimmers. Buying a value wetsuit that is sleeved will likely end in a frustrating experience for your wife and shoulder restriction. I realize cold is an issue and you are in Denmark but when you swim in races you generate a lot of body with the effort, unlike floating around in training like we do sometimes.
My suggestion is to get BlueSeventy Helix. The name has mostly been the same so it is tough to distinguish model years, but the newest Helix’s have crazy thin arms and shoulders and provide the least restriction IMHO. Talking to many “sponsored” Roka athletes, who may have jumped ship after BS decided to cut back on cash sponsorship, talk about how much they preferred their Helix over the Roka. We also discussed this wetsuit a couple of times this summer, most recently in this thread.
Thomas mentions fit first and I couldn’t agree more.
I do think that a sleeved suit is the best option, particularly for someone that gets cold easily.
The current Aqua Sphere Phantom has been upgraded since the version you have. My personal experience is that it is a faster suit than the original Phantom.
My vote would be for a new Phantom for both you and your wife. But trying a few suits would be best if possible.
) but since we live in denmark she needs a wetsuit no matter what event she participates in.