I am a self-conscious triathlete. I just got my full-length wetsuit, and I’d like to take it for a test spin in the pool. I’m a BOP swimmer (2:00/100y HIM pace). Would wearing my wetsuit in the pool make me one of those “strange denizens” that we like to poke fun at in the other thread? Should I wait until open water season? I’ve never seen a full-length wetsuit in the pool, but then again, I haven’t been swimming for very long.
I’ve done it. I’m sure I received more than a few looks, but who cares. I did have one guy start talking to me about what race I was preparing for – it was weird, he kept talking about PRs – PR this, PR that – almost like it was the only fitness-related acronym he knew. Next to him, I felt pretty normal.
Sounds a little odd but who am I to judge…
My concern would be the chemicals in the pool. They do a number on my swim suit ($40), not sure I would want to find out what they do to a wetsuit ($200+)
It does make you kinda strange to everyone else around the pool. On the other hand, it is important to get used to your new wetsuit. When i was in a similar situation, i just waited until about an hour before the pool closed, and then had the pool all to myself.
I did it once whem I first got my wetsuit. It’s worth bearing the looks to satisfy your need to try it out.
And maybe you’ll be immortalized in some memories.
If you do wear it, watch out becuase those walls will come up AWFULLY fast.
If you get a wetsuit and live in a cold climate, where else are you going to test it out? Who cares what other people think that you’re doing - do what you need to do. I wore my first wetsuit in the pool when it was new only once and probably swam fewer than 500yds total. And when you get out just rinse it out with fresh/clean water and let it dry. Good to go.
I have a friend who was wearing his wetsuit for every swim at the pool that I used to swim at … their heater broke down and he was the only one doing any swimming there for a month 
I’ve done quite a few wetsuit swims in pools over the years. One training group that I was with years ago used to always have a wetsuit swim the day prior to each race just to get used to the feel of it and practice taking it off quickly so that you would be ready the next morning.
Check with the manufacture 1st.
Unless the suit was designed for pool chemicals chances are all warranties would be void. I don’t think a trip or two would hurt but I’m not chancing it with mine.
My Zoot suit came very clearly marked to keep out of Chlorinated pools.
Yes! Please wait until open water season.
I’m around the same pace as you - the “Mendoza line” of triathete swimmers. I’ve worn it in the pool once or twice, but the only reason was to make sure i’d tried it out a few times before the race. not for my regular workout.
oh, and i rinsed it off like crazy afterwards.
i tihnk i was already a strange denizen, though.
I’ve done it, but my pool is filled with other triathletes so they all new what was going on and most non-triathletes have seen it go on enough I think they even mildly understand…
Matter of fact… once at a masters swim we had a QR representative come in with a bunch of test suits… 2 dozen seals in the pool… and damn were our 100 splits faasssttt.
While I live in Florida the air temperature can get cool and the outdoor pool I swim at can be chilly even though heated. I use my wetsuit and if anyone stares so what their on the deck watching me swim. The advantage I have though is the pool is salt water and so no chemicals to worry about although I do wash the suit with fresh water in the shower when I’m done for the day. But check the warranty on the suit because some will be void if used in chemicals.
roll up wetsuit…put on shelf in a cool dry place and forget about it until you can use it in open water. If you decide to wear it in the pool, yes, everyone there is snickering
at you, and not just the cool people. Even the fat people doing water aerobics.
The only way it would be OK would be if you were ridiculously fast. Then you can pretty much do whatever you want and it is cool.
I’ve done it!
Jodi
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Using my new wetsuit in the pool - would that make me a “strange denizen”?
No need to worry.
You are bound to a get a few strange looks, but how else are you to know how the wetsuit feels when you are swimming in it? This is something surprisingly few triathletes do, and it’s something they should do. Why? The wetsuit changes your body postion and stroke mechanics quite a bit. To take full advantage, of the improvements that the wetsuit will give you, you should swim in it regularly to get used to those changes.
There is a great concern that a wetsuit will disintegrate instantly after exposure to pool water. I can’t speak for any other wetsuits, but I know this is not the case with Nineteen’s suits. We do most of our testing in pools and I know many triathletes who swim regularly in pools with their Nineteen wetsuits and there is no problem. What you do need to do, is what you should be doing after any swim with a wetsuit is give it a thorough rinse in fresh water and then hang it up inside out to dry. This is easy at a pool - you can just take the wetsuit in the shower with you and rinse it out there.
If you are swimming with your wetsuit in a pool, flip turns may be more challenging ( an open turn may be a better option) and when pushing and accelerating off the wall, it’s not uncommon to have water channeling into the suit at the neck and/wrists, depending on the fit of the suit. This should not be a concern as you will never experience those sorts of accelerations when swimming in open water.
Hope this helps.
The only way it would be OK would be if you were ridiculously fast. Then you can pretty much do whatever you want and it is cool.
LOL. 'tis true!
I think you should test it in the pool, including for a longer swim to make sure that it indeed fits properly and works for you. Be careful about overheating though.
Training regularly in a wetsuit in a heated pool doesn’t make sense, but testing is appropriate.
There is a great concern that a wetsuit will disintegrate instantly after exposure to pool water. I can’t speak for any other wetsuits, but I know this is not the case with Nineteen’s suits. We do most of our testing in pools and I know many triathletes who swim regularly in pools with their Nineteen wetsuits and there is no problem. What you do need to do, is what you should be doing after any swim with a wetsuit is give it a thorough rinse in fresh water and then hang it up inside out to dry. This is easy at a pool - you can just take the wetsuit in the shower with you and rinse it out there.
My wetsuit is an older model (2003 or 2004) QR Superfull that I bought used, so no warranty concerns, though I would hope that the wetsuit would be able to withstand the barrage of chemicals that will “violate” it during a quick 2k pool swim!
Also, I’m already planning on going to the pool when the fewest people are there (today around lunchtime, right when the pool opens) so the fewest people will see me in the wetsuit, haha.
Wearing once for the first 5 or 10 minutes, just to make sure the fit is right is ok. If you are already sure the fit is right then no need. Any joker wearing a full wetsuit in an indoor pool for any other reason than fitting purposes is absolutely a strange denizen, and quite possibly the biggest Tri dweeb/geek on the planet.
Now sometimes in the early summer in the outdoor pool for cold early morning swim workouts wetsuits are permissable. Chlorine is not so good for them though.