Just got my TYR Hurricane Cat5 today. I’ve never worn a wetsuit before. It’s a large. I’m 6’3", 175 lbs. 42 in chest, 32 in waist. On the advice of some other STers, I went up to the large from the medium long suggested by the website. When I tried it on today, it felt like a full body compression suit. Didn’t restrict breathing, just kind of tightened everything up. Just checking to see if that’s how a wetsuit should feel. I haven’t taken it in the water yet. I just want to know if this is how it should feel. Basically a little tight all over. I’m afraid I won’t be able to exchange it if I take it in the water.
a wetsuit when put on dry should feel border line uncomfortable. It is designed to perform in the water. Especially it being the first time, it will feel foreign. Swim in it. Practice in it. Get used to swimming with a wetsuit.
I’m 6’4, 175 with 42" chest and 33" waist. I just bought a TYR Cat 5 in Large. Love it! Soak it in water overnight. It fits great! Best wet suit I’ve ever worn.
Soaking your suit in water overnight won’t do much. While the inner fabric liner will get wet, neoprene is a closed-cell foam, it doesn’t significantly interact with water. Many people do not understand how wetsuits work, or how they fit, and how that fit changes in when you’re in water, and why the fit changes.
To actually get a realistic idea of how your wetsuit will fit (short of actually jumping in a lake and swimming), do this: put the suit on (over no clothes, or a trisuit, or a swim suit). Go to your backyard (or shower if no backyard). Get the hose out. Pull open your neck just slightly. Take hose and pour tons of water down your chest, tons down your back, and lots down your shoulders/arms. Pour enough water so the inside of the suit is soaked and some water pours out at your sleeves at the wrist and out your legs at your ankles. Stop pouring the water. Walk around a little until nearly all the excess water pours out. Bend and move your legs and arms. The suit will move on your body and ‘re-distribute’ itself fit-wise. Now you’ll have a pretty good idea of how it will fit when swimming.
I’ll add that though you want it snug everywhere the places that really count are the neckline, shoulders and end of arm openings.
You want the neckline as tight as it can be without causing any rubbing issues. You don’t want and extra room to catch water, but then you don’t want it too tight to choke or cause issues with head movement. Some folks have nothing but issues with neck rubbing and some don’t have any at all.
Out of the water, you want to be able to hold a tight streamline position without a lot of extra strain on the shoulder muscles, this is basically the position each arm will be in when reaching forward in the water. You don’t want it to be a struggle to get in that position each stroke or eventually your stroke will start getting shorter and choppier up front as you get more tired.
Last but not least you want a real snug fit on your arm openings so that you catch the least amount of water possible when reaching forward on each stroke.
The rest of the wetsuit should be snug, pulled all the way up so the crotch should be nice and snug as well.