Does anyone have any good suggestions for wetsuits that won’t rip your neck to shreds? I have a 2XU high end suit which I love for speed through the water, but it is half a size too small / tight, and absolutely destroyed my neck skin in IMLT.
I used a TON of body glide, but I also had to sight considerably more than normal due to not being able to see the course in the fog / mist, and I caught myself loosing swim form and under-rotating my body on the breathing side a bunch (so head twisting against the suit too much). In short, I really like my wetsuit, but have a salt water IM swim coming up, and can’t risk a repeat of this type of injury (still looks like road rash 5 days later). This is not a critique of 2XU as others have great experiences with their suits, and their customer service was great when I had an issue with it last year.
I would love suggestions on other suits that are easier on the neck, or techniques to protect my neck beyond body glide (bandage on problem area before race as a precaution?). I also realize that the suit being half a size too small probably makes this much worse.
Would love any advice from others who have tackled this issue (and yes, I know that swim technique is part of the problem…working on that).
I’m in Australia and I use this product: http://www.lucaspapaw.com.au/
I have found bodyglide doesn’t prevent wetsuit neck rash for me, the paw paw gel is fantastic. I think the Lucas paw paw is avaialable online in the US.
Otherwise medical sticking plaster is one way to make a physical barrier.
DeSoto T1 wetsuits. Two piece suit. I just did Tahoe too. Didn’t use body glide or anything else & didn’t need to. Since the top is a pull over and zips down, it likely doesn’t even touch the part of your neck that got torn up.
DeSoto T1 wetsuits. Two piece suit. I just did Tahoe too. Didn’t use body glide or anything else & didn’t need to. Since the top is a pull over and zips down, it likely doesn’t even touch the part of your neck that got torn up.
I started out using Body Glide and experienced the same problems as you describe with my Orca S4. I’ve had next to no issues after switching to Vaseline.
I started out using Body Glide and experienced the same problems as you describe with my Orca S4. I’ve had next to no issues after switching to Vaseline.
Just FYI, wetsuit manufacturers advise against vaseline (or any petroleum based lubes) because it will damage the wetsuit over time. BlueSeventy’s Ben Bigglestone claims it will damage the stitching…others claim it will ‘rot’ the material or weaken the glue. Others just claim it is hard to get off, and will make repairs harder if needed (this last makes a lot of sense…getting wetsuit glue to stick when you first apply it is hard, trying to apply it to a permanently greased suit would be much harder.)
Had a few similar issues with my Blue Seventy Reaction; Bodyglide works for me up to a mile then I start feeling it. After 70.3 Ireland last year it looked like someone had sandpapered the back of my neck…got a hell of a fright in the shower before i’d realised how scraped up it was. Better now though, but I’ve used the suit quite a bit more this year than last so perhaps it’s softened or something.
Had similar issues with my Xterra wetsuit no matter how much bodyglide i’d use. With the T1, absolutely nothing. Forgot to put on bodyglide before IMWI and still no chafing at all.
Release (or loosen) the neck tab that covers the zipper. Also make sure the flap that protects you from the zipper is smooth and flat after you zip up.
The flap is there to keep the motion of your shoulders from pulling the zipper open. Some people needed it, some don’t. If you find you don’t need it (like I don’t) then just release it. Makes a big difference on how the suit contacts your neck.
If that does work we used to put sanitary napkins under our wetsuits between our necks in some cases. Laugh all you want, but those things are pretty tough. Think about where they are normally used and the conditions they are subjected to.
I had the same problem with chafing. Someone suggested using vaseline. I was hesitant because it is not recommended & will eventually break down the suit. I decided to try it & it worked well.I had no chafing . The suit seems fine. I figured that I am not gonna keep the suit forever & the comfort factor & no chafing was more important to me.
I caught myself loosing swim form and under-rotating my body on the breathing side a bunch (so head twisting against the suit too much).
You might have your answer right there.
Many swimmers have poor body rotaion when swimming. Wetsuits, depending on their design, tend to flatten the swim stroke out even more and decrease body rotation further. This will lead to exsessive head/neck rotation for breathing and, that’s usually one of the key root causes of neck chafing issues.
Also look for suits with reverse zippers - these suits tend to have less bulk at the back of the neck and a better overall fit at the neck-line.