Hey guys, I have owned a few different wetsuits, still looking for the “one.” My biggest concern is shoulder flexibility. I wear a sleeveless for most races because but sometimes the race calls for a full sleeve (ie Alcatraz) and I would like to wear a full sleeve all the time if I could find one that I don’t notice straining my shoulders. I have not tried a TYR Cat 5, Orca 3.8 or Alpha, Huub, or Blue Seventy Helix. I know those are some of the most popular out there but I just havent had the chance to try them. I live in Oxford MS so there is nowhere close to try multiple suits on so your opinions are appreciated. I currently swim in a Synergy Hybrid and really like it but would like less material in the shoulders. Let me know what you think. Thanks guys.
I was just like you Dave. One thing that I found was that I was not pulling my wetsuit up and on far enough. I now spend about 10 min just getting the upperbody pulled in the right directions. I have a Blue Seventy and love it since i have learned to get it pulled up correctly
I bought a 2XU V:1 a couple of years ago based on the ridiculously flexible shoulders, but still had problems with tired shoulders until I learned to put the damn thing on properly.
Not only did I need a bunch of material on my shoulder, I also need a bit on my biceps. Once I learned to do that, the wetsuit seemed to totally “disappear”
Before you go out and spend a heap of hard earned (or ill gotten!) money on a new wettie, make sure you are putting it on right.
There was a great thread on getting into a wettie correctly a while ago (possibly by Dave Luscan??)
For me, given my relatively wide shoulders for my height, the best wetsuit for me over the past 6 years has been the QR Superfull. I have used Nineteen, 2XU, Orca. The other one that worked nicely was the Ironman Branded Aquasphere Wetsuit (it was the top end one, predecessor of the phantom)
One note here and it of course relates back to things we are doing. Sometimes complete flexibility is not the answer. Most of us have flawed swim strokes. Some suits will actually help your stroke through not letting you cross over the centerline leading to better rotations and less fishtailing.
I agree with Chris, that proper swim stroke can be part of the issue for some. But if the suit can be restricting if it doesn’t fit or isn’t put on properly. Ensuring that the sleeves are pulled all the way up and there is no extra material under your arm, will help to eliminate most restriction. Additionally, if you haven’t pulled the suit all the way up in the crotch, you will likely have the shoulders of the suit pulling down without even moving. Make sure that there is no extra material in the crotch as well.
From there it will be the construction of the suit and how it fits that will help you the most when it comes to restriction.
In all of our Aqua Sphere wetsuits, we have a something called the Bio-Stretch zone. What this is, is a very thin panel that goes from under your arm into your lower back. This paneling allows for a broader range of motion, and eliminating the restrictive feeling you may get on the reach phase of your stroke. This Bio-Stretch panel, combined with a very thin sleeve will help to give you that unobstructed feeling and help you get that benefit of a full sleeve suit.
The Phantom is our top of the line offering that I’d recommend if you are considering the suits you mentioned.
I had a similar dilemma in that I had a B70 Helix sleeveless that I’m very happy with but also wanted a full sleeved wetsuit upgrade (I have an old and cheap Orca that feels like a suit of iron).
I tried the B70 Helix full in the same size as my sleeveless but it just didn’t seen to fit as well, at least not without some serious gymnastics on my part.
Instead of splashing out $650 for the same wetsuit as my sleeveless suit, just with full arms, I thought “Why not just buy the arms of $40 instead?”.
These literally just arrived this week and I haven’t had the chance to use them yet, so I can’t comment on how it works but it shouldn’t be too far from how one would imagine. Sure, there will be a small gap on the upper arms/shoulders but that’s the compromise for complete shoulder flexibility. I’m unlikely to do any races that have arctic like conditions, even then, the Helix is likely not the suit to use because it is very thin and built more for outright speed than super warmth.
The other benefit of this is that I can change the suit style depending upon the weather and water temp conditions without lugging 2 wetsuits to every race or only one and fretting about decisions.
It’s an ingenious solution! I’ll let you know how it works out once I get in the water with them.
Personally, I’d prefer having one nice, well fitting full sleeved wetsuit that works well in all conditions than a sleeveless and those ridiculous sleeves.
I just finished looking at a De Soto 2 piece and the theory is intriguing to me and I know they make a very good product, but I had never considered a 2 piece before. How are they as far as getting out of them in transition? Looks like it would take a little longer.
I had the same problem, tried a few suits over the years finally settled on DeSoto. Even then I had the same issue, discovered that I needed a slightly bigger top than bottom. Problem solved! I can get out of my two piece as fast as most get out of their one piece.
I bought a 2XU V:1 a couple of years ago based on the ridiculously flexible shoulders, but still had problems with tired shoulders until I learned to put the damn thing on properly.
Not only did I need a bunch of material on my shoulder, I also need a bit on my biceps. Once I learned to do that, the wetsuit seemed to totally “disappear”
Before you go out and spend a heap of hard earned (or ill gotten!) money on a new wettie, make sure you are putting it on right.
There was a great thread on getting into a wettie correctly a while ago (possibly by Dave Luscan??)
I just finished looking at a De Soto 2 piece and the theory is intriguing to me and I know they make a very good product, but I had never considered a 2 piece before. How are they as far as getting out of them in transition? Looks like it would take a little longer.
I love the DeSoto two piece suits.
The lining on the inside of the DeSoto wetsuits is pretty slick and the two pieces come off every bit as fast as any one piece suit I have used.