I am mostly stocky and muscular (5’9" 190 lb 49 year old) and find my Zoot Fuzion sleeveless wetsuit too constricting around my neck making it difficult to breath properly. I have a 16" collar, 42 inch chest, 33 inch waist 23" thighs and 17" calves. Since I’m not a typical triathlete build the wetsuit manufacturers don’t seem to offer much for guys like me. Any suggestions as to make and model to try out? Since I live in Florida I would prefer a sleeveless though open to other suggestions. Thanks.
I find the QR sleeveless good for my barrel chest. You might try them out.
Check DeSoto two piece wetsuits, might help with your fit issues. Also, you can mix and match the different tops and bottoms, makes 4 wetsuits.
Give them a call, great customer service.
I have almost the same measurements as you (5’8", 16" neck, 41" chest, 33 waist, biker quads), and have had good luck with both the De Soto two piece (size 4 top and bottom…though on the top I’m boarderline 4/5) and the Blue Seventy Helix.
+1 on DeSoto - you can mix and match top and bottom sizes. Their fitting process is thorough and exchange practice means you will ultimately get it right.
When I was at Nineteen, I never liked to pitch people on the fact that our suits, were cut and fitted for the “bigger” athlete, but that is a fact. Compared to several of the other key competitors in the space, the Nineteen suits are a more generous fit through the body of the suit.
im 5’10’’ 215 lbs 33’’ waiste chest 48 plus 8 pecent body fat… i use xtera sleeveless . I feel sleeveles give great mobility in the shouders . never been too cold… I have a shorty also but always feel constricted…
your arms will be fine in the water without a wetsuit covering them.
I mainly do halfs …
I’m 5’8", 205, 34" waist, 48" chest, 18.5" calves, 26" thighs and I wear an XL Xterra Vector Pro sleeveless suit. I shortened the legs a couple inches, but the rest fits pretty good. Its the only wetsuit I’ve owned and swam in and I bought it used from a seller on ST.
Another vote for De Soto here…not only will you have the freedom to mix/match but you’ll also get amazing customer service and support throughout the suits life.
also I find the separate top/bottom to be incredibly comfortable in the water.
I am similar dimensions to you and like others I switched to the two piece DeSoto and finally found my perfect fit.
- whatever for DeSoto. Love having the flexibility to choose between sleeved and sleeveless. Super comfy as I’m sure others that fight right are
I have similar proportions (5’8", 170ish lbs, 41" chest, 31" waist with large thighs and calves, along with a short torso and long legs ) and I’m happy with how my Xterra Vortex fits. That said, I have nothing else to compare it to. But I haven’t noticed any of the issues that one reads about with ill-fitting wetsuits.
I am 6 foot and between 210-215 with a 34 inch waist.
With full sleeve wetsuits I have had good luck with Blue Seventy the Helix model
With Sleeveless I have had good luck with my Xterra Pro Sleeveless Wetsuit.
I did trying buying a TYR Cat 5 full sleeve suit and that thing just didn’t work for me.
Hello,
Emilio De Soto here. T1 Wetsuits offer many advantages over one-piece wetsuits, with one of the best advantages being that you can buy different size top and bottoms to customize your fit more accurately. In your case we offer 7 sizes of Speedvests, and 7 sizes of Bibjohns, giving you 49 different size combinations. If you look at all the other fine wetsuit brands out there, none have this many size choices.
Given your prefer a sleeveless, I would recommend the Speedvest in size 4 and First Wave (or Black Pearl) Bibjohn in size 5.
With this combination, the top and bottom overlap by about 10 inches around the midsection, keeping your vital organs warm, while giving you all the freedom of shoulder and arm movement you are after.
I want to personally invite you to try the product out and form your own opinion. Please read our guarantee below, let me know if you have any other questions.
T1 WETSUITS 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
De Soto Sport offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our wetsuits. We invite you to buy a T1 Wetsuit, swim in it, and see for yourself that it is the best swimming wetsuit in the world. If one of our wetsuits does not perform to your expectations within 15 days of the purchase date, return it for a replacement, a different size or model, or a complete refund. Any T1 Wetsuit you buy from one of our authorized retailers is guaranteed through the retailer. All exchanges and refunds must be done through the retailer. Their policy may be different so please ask before purchasing.
5’7 and 160 pounds here. I have quite solid shoulders and arms from playing rugby and doing weights and am chasing a wetsuit that would fit me pretty well, not much restriction in the shoulders. I have a bit of a swim background and have been using an Xterra sleeveless which has been pretty good. But am keen to go back to a sleeved. My first sleeved wetsuit was a 2XU Z:1 and that felt too tight in the shoulders.
We are twins… actually my chest and neck are +1
I wear a Roka MaverickX is ML… fits well, not overly tight at all.
HUUB makes a size called SS (short/stocky) I have yet to try one.
I have a narrow waist, but my shoulders show some evidence of the decades of lifting weights. The only full suit that I could ever make work was a 2 piece T1, which is what Emilio described above. Ultimately tho, I settled on sleeveless.
This is a great thread!!
6’ 215lbs and I have a TYR cat 5…and my shoulders HATE it. I can yank it around and “make it work†but if it’s not perfect it makes for a long, miserable swim. I’ll look at some of these options for sure!
You and I sound similar.
I’ve tried many, but a DeSoto size 5 top and bottom are what have worked perfectly for me over the past several years. Given their return policy, its kind of a no brainer to give them a try.
I’m 5’ 7-8" with 16" neck, 32" waist, 42" chest and 22" thighs. I get on really well with my Zone3 wetsuit (Aspire model as that was my price point). My weight can fluctuate quite a lot and the wetsuit is still comfortable at 70 or 80kg and doesn’t irrecoverably stretch when I get to the higher end of my weight.