A Beginner’s Guide To Buying And Wearing A Wetsuit

As you start to contemplate tackling a triathlon for the first time, one of the biggest things on your mind could well be how you can adapt to swimming in a wetsuit.

You can put in all the hard yards you want in the pool to get your stamina up to a suitable level - but travelling as quickly - and safely - as you can across a stretch of open water is a rather different kettle of fish.

To start with, you’ll certainly be wearing very different kit. While trunks will suffice indoors, in the open air, for lots of reasons, a wetsuit is the best choice.

Being in the water is also somewhat different from being on it. That means you really need a swimming wetsuit, as opposed to a surfing suit.

What’s the difference? Well, because they’re designed to be worn in the water, a swimming wetsuit puts its insulating properties at the top of the list of priorities. It’s all about keeping your body at a constant, comfortable temperature which will allow you to move quickly and efficiently through the water.

Fit is everything

A swimming wetsuit is intended to give you an aerodynamically efficient shape, and help you move through the water with as little effort as possible.

So the suit has to fit you precisely without sacrificing comfort - you’ll soon be hampered if your concentration is being affected by feelings of discomfort from various parts of your suit.

Thankfully, the neoprene material which makes most modern wetsuits highly efficient at keeping you warm, and giving you extra buoyancy is also very stretchy, which means that, although it will cling tightly all over, you shouldn’t feel at all restricted. And for the purpose of swimming as quickly as possible, that’s the important bit of course.

For the very reason that a wetsuit has to fit you very closely, you should take your time to find one which is right for you. Like most other clothes, one brand’s sizing can be different from the next. So while quite a few brands will trumpet the fact that they’re the top choice of such-and-such a top athlete, you shouldn’t be swayed by these endorsements.

So take your time doing your research, and remember that, if the fit feels right, that’s more important than many features, price - and certainly the colour.

Comfort, performance - or both?

Bear in mind that there might be more than one size - especially from different wetsuit manufacturers - which feels right.

But the biggest factor to remember is that manufacturers size their suits according to a wearer’s weight, rather than their height.

So be guided by your chosen suit manufacturer’s own size guidelines for your weight.

The other major factor to consider is that many manufacturers, such as Zone3 and Orca, produce wetsuits designed for either comfort or speed in the water. If you feel you need more comfort, then we’d suggest going for one size above that which the makers recommend. That will make your suit easier to put on and take off. Which brings us to…

How to put on a wetsuit for the first time

You need to start off correctly when you do this, after which you should find that everything else falls into place, so to speak.

Start by fully opening the zip - and remember, this should go at the back.

Then, grabbing the suit from the inside of the crotch, turn the top section of the body inside out - but leave the arms the right way out.

First, while still keeping hold of the inside of the suit, pull the legs over your feet and up your body as far as possible. Depending on the length of your legs, you should have 1 to 15cm of skin showing above your ankle.

Continue to pull the suit up over your hips. At this point, you might need to make further adjustments. Start again at the bottom and smooth the material over your legs. You should be aiming to get the lower leg seam across your kneecap, and for the suit to feel snug to your crotch.

Take your time with all of this, and be extra careful not to catch the neoprene with your fingernails, as this can cause nicks which could eventually become tears, and will ruin the suit.

Once you’re happy with the fit over all of your lower body, pull the rest of the suit up and over your shoulders and put your arms in the armholes.

Now then, once you’re fully into the suit, you almost certainly won’t be able to reach the zip - so call in someone to help with doing it up. Many suits’ zips can be pull up independently however, as they’re fitted with a long pull cord.

As you fasten the zip, take care that the inner lining doesn’t catch in the mechanism, and try to keep the inner flap straight, so that it doesn’t bunch or fold.

What’s a good fit?

Well, that’s down to what feels comfortable on you, first and foremost. But if you choose a suit that’s a ‘performance’ rather than a ‘comfort’ fit, you should expect it to feel tighter around your waist and torso generally.

Some suits, including the Zone3 Aspire and Vanquish, are designed to give more compression to the lower half of your body, particularly your legs and torso. The top sections are designed to afford extra freedom of movement around the arms and shoulders, so your stroke is affected as little as possible.

Bear in mind, too, that the material in every wetsuit will get more ‘give’ the more times you put it on. Also, the material reacts better once it’s been submerged in water a few times, so it will mould better around your body after a few wears - and dunks.

General wetsuit wearing advice

One of the most common problems with the fit of a wetsuit is if you get an area on your lower back which doesn’t fit tightly.

This could let water in, so to fix it, pull the suit up tight into your crotch and then pull up the neckline as far as it will comfortably go.

Extend your arms out straight either side and parallel to the ground. In this position, the suit’s material should fit closely into your armpits. Don’t worry if you notice some bumps or ridges on the top of the shoulder - this is perfectly normal. To adjust it, pull the arm of the suit carefully up towards the shoulder using your other hand.

If you now put your arms out straight in front of you and cross over your wrists, you should find there is a little space or a few folds - but if the suit’s neck is loose or there is billowing in the chest, it’s probably too loose.

If there’s any discomfort around your neck, pull the backs of the suit’s legs and the area around the zip up. Holding the bottom of the zip, gently pull any excess material towards your shoulders. This will loosen the fit around the collar.

Don’t be put off that the suit feels oddly high around your neck while swimming - this is a standard feature so that the material can stop water from getting inside it.

Finally, if you feel the suit is a little uneven in general, it will mould to your body’s shape the more you wear it, and you’ll notice the benefits of this especially when it’s wet. That’s why it’s called a wetsuit, after all!

Carrying your wetsuit safely

And of course, a wetsuit can be a large and unwieldy item to carry, and it should certainly always be carried with care. So a backpack with plenty of room can also be a big help, in allowing you to carry the rest of your kit without any risk of it coming into contact with and damaging your wetsuit.

If you want to try out a number of products before settling on the right one for you, one solution could be to hire a wetsuit and see how it fits and performs.

We have a sister website, Mywetsuithire.co.uk, which gives you just that opportunity. You can choose from more than 50 different wetsuits, and hire one for from as little as two weeks, to a full race season.

Finally, if you’re ready to take the plunge and invest in a new wetsuit, at Mytriathlon.co.uk we can give you lots of real-world advice, based on our own wide experience of swimming in lots of different suits. So when you buy from us, you can benefit from all this insight.