so now i’m curious–why get a full suit vs. a sleeveless? i’m not arguing that a full suit isn’t as good, if not better, than a sleeveless. it just seems that sleeveless are much more versatile and don’t restrict your range of motion nearly as much as a full (even properly fitting fulls). i do most of my racing in GA so wetsuits aren’t really a concern, but in the future i hope to race in pretty cold places. other than keeping your arms warm, why do you guys go for the full suits vs. the sleeveless?
does the material covering the arms give you that much MORE buoyancy than its sleeveless counterpart? i thought buoyancy gains were made in the mid-section and leg areas.
The material covering your forearms creates a larger pulling surface.
There is some drag created by water entering a sleveless suit around the armpit area.
A few years ago (QR/Dan?) compared full vs sleeveless in a controlled environment. The full suit came out faster every time even though the swimmers often swore they were faster in sleeveless.
Fullsuits are absolutely faster than sleeveless suits. I have tested them a few different times in the pool. I was an all- american swimmer in high school and resisted the full suit for a long time but I would never wear anything else.
Look through Dan’s archives on this website.
He says that without a doubt sleeves are faster.
He describes how many elite, and non-elite swimmers he has tested. Since he invented the triathlon wetsuit, he has done his fair share of research and testing.