Orca wetsuit sizing advice

can anyone with experience give some advice about sizing (specifically a pflex)? i have heard they fit tighter than other suits and you should get 1 size larger than normal?

i’m looking at getting a sleeveless pflex. i’m 6’ and about 167lbs. evenly proportioned (not stocky). the size chart says:

size 7 for 5’9" - 6’3" 160-185 lbs
size 8 for 5’10" - 6’4" 170-194 lbs

i fit square into a 7, but if i “add 10 lbs” as i’ve seen suggested, an 8 would work as well.
any input would be appreciated. thanks!

(…and yeah, i know i shouldn’t be buying a wetsuit without trying it on, but it’s a pretty good close-out deal and i’m willing to take the risk).

I wear Orca–the Apex 2. I’m 5’10" and 155-160 lbs. I wear a size 7 and it fits quite nicely. I would say the recommendation to add 10 or so lbs to your weight is pretty accurate. You may want to consider the size 8. Hope this helps.

Mike

it does, thanks.

any other orca wearers with an opinion?

In Reply to

I bought my sleeveless Orca size 9 when I was 200lbs (and 5’10") and it fit very well. Tried an 8 but breathing was more important. It’s a couple years old now, but the sizing chart seems to be the same. Hope this helps

Chris G.

I am 5’9" and weigh 170 lbs and my size 7 Orca Pflex is as tight as a gnats ass. I would recommend you go for a size 8.

Just as a side note, the Orca Pflex was my first wetsuit and I used it for over two or three years on multiple triathlon and open water swim events. I never liked the damn thing and I always thought that I was a weak swimmer despite being a varsity swimmer in High School. Through the winter I worked on my upper body and swam about 3,000 meters a week in the pool (without a suit). After all that workout I finally thought that I was a be a better swimmer. Unfortunately my first open water swim competition was a disaster and my pool speeds were way faster than the open water speed. I finally concluded that the wetsuit was a big hindrance to my performance. I bought a Nineteen Tsunami instead and the difference was shocking. All of a sudden I could feel all those years of swim workouts and the Nineteen was not hindering my swim. I never wore the Orca again.

But that’s just me…