How to Find the Perfect Fitting Wetsuit

You've ordered a brand new wetsuit online. You spent hours doing research of what you need, finding the buoyancy ratio that you think would be ideal, researching if the brand is reliable, figuring out if you really need to spend £500 on this or if you should invest in a more budget friendly hobby; drawing is pretty cheap, and Netflix is already there, but you've done it and you've purchased it. 

You've been more anxious at the door than your dog when it somehow managed to get its face into your entire jar of coffee beans right as the mail man arrived (he now just leaves parcels at the door and never knocks). 

On a fateful Thursday afternoon, low and behold, a box is on your doorstep, glistening in the light. A single leaf has managed to drift its way on top, it's clearly been waiting all day for your arrival. 

Snatching it up, you trip over your dog on the way up the stairs to try it on. Finally, you can throw away the old surfing wetsuit that for some reason felt like it was weighing you down more than lifting you up, and you can experience the true feeling of freedom in the water. 

Ripping open the bag, scuffling through the 5 layers of tissue paper that's included for no apparent reason from these 'eco-friendly' brands, and there it is! 

Opening the gloves and putting them on (very important, don't put a hole in your brand new wetsuit on day 1), you attempt to inch it up your skin but... no matter how hard you try to pull it over your shoulders, it just won't squeeze on, or there is so much neoprene around your stomach that one drop of water will have you looking more like Dumbo than a professional athlete. 

Don't worry, we've all been there, sizing guides are difficult and it often feels like each and every brand wants a unique one just for the sake or irritating customers even more.

There are a few tricks though that can help you find the perfect size the first time around. 

Chest is the Most Important Measurement

No matter the weight and height of a person, if their chest is miles off the sizing guide then they won't be squeezing into it any time soon. 

As a general rule of thumb, the most important measurement is the chest, then weight and then finally height. If a person is 'too short' for a size, then that's generally okay, but if a person is massively too tall for one then that may cause an issue, so always try your best to find a middle ground.

Different Brands Fit Different People Better

If you're looking at a ZONE3 wetsuit and it seems like you're somehow between 4 different sizes all at the same time, then it may be worthwhile looking at Orca or 2XU. Often you can find a similar wetsuit in an alternative brand with a sizing guide that simply lines up a bit better with your measurements, so it's always worth checking!

Accurate Measurements

Getting your height and weight is pretty simple, step on a scale (probably after using the toilet) and make sure you stand up straight. What some people may get wrong though is the chest.

When measuring your chest, make sure it is over the largest point of the bust and try to be as 'in-between' breaths as possible, not fully inhaling or exhaling. As you've just learnt, this is the most important measurement so make sure you try to get it as accurate as possible.

Anomalies

There are some brands, that we have learnt from experience, that don't have the most accurate sizing guides. The worst offender for this being HUUB, with their wetsuits often coming out tight, so if you are between sizes for them, consider sizing up! 2XU can also come out a little bit tight, so just keep that in mind.

How They're Supposed To Feel

Wetsuits, in nature, are designed to feel skin tight. Afterall, you don't want a wetsuit to balloon full of water the moment you step foot into the lake, especially if you're looking for something streamlined.

When you have a wetsuit on properly, you should still be able to take a full, deep breath in without it holding you back. You should also have full shoulder movement without it feeling like your arms are being pulled backwards. 

You should be able to feel the neoprene around your full body, but never to the point of restriction.

If you want to make sure you have got your wetsuit on properly, follow this link to our full page dedicated to how to properly put on a swimming wetsuit!

I'm Still Not Sure...

If you're still not confident, then you can always reach out to the people at MyTriathlon who offer free wetsuit fitting advice over phone, live chat or email. There are people in the office at MyTriathlon from 9am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday, so you'll get a response quicker than what your dog can scare the mail man off again... (sorry Tim).