How to choose your triathlon wetsuit?

A key element contributing to the smooth running of your triathlon, the wetsuit must be chosen with care. But it is not easy to decide on a model given the growing range available.
Benefiting from an increasingly technical design based on innovative materials, the triathlon wetsuit is available at all price points, with numerous characteristics varying according to your goals but also, and above all, according to your swimming technique.

Here is some guidance to help you find the right wetsuit.

Key points

• Triathlon wetsuit specificities;
• Materials: classic neoprene, limestone neoprene;
• Thickness and multi-panel construction;
• Cut and thermal protection;
• Sizing.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRIATHLON WETSUITS

TRIATHLON WETSUIT SPECIFICITIES

As a preamble, let us clarify that a triathlon wetsuit has nothing in common, in its design and characteristics, with a surf or diving suit, as the constraints are absolutely not the same. Admittedly, like those models, a triathlon-specific wetsuit allows you to protect yourself from the cold. But it also fulfils many other roles. It can significantly improve your buoyancy, particularly at the leg level. It also offers less water resistance than bare skin, thus promoting glide.
Finally, and this is the difference compared to open-water swimming suits, triathlon models are also designed to facilitate transitions, being easier to take off.

Please note: the use of a neoprene wetsuit is mandatory when the water temperature is below 16°C, and permitted when the temperature is between 16° and 24.5°C.

MATERIALS

Triathlon wetsuits are all made from neoprene. But behind this generic term lies in reality a multitude of materials, making all the difference in terms of comfort, performance, and therefore logically price.

A few entry-level wetsuits are still made from classic petroleum-derived neoprene, but increasingly, brands are turning to limestone neoprene, whose leading specialist is the Japanese manufacturer Yamamoto. In addition to being environmentally friendly and known to cause fewer skin allergies, limestone neoprene is more water-resistant, lighter, warmer and more stretchy. It thus offers better buoyancy and displays an elasticity close to that of skin, guaranteeing exceptional comfort.

Different qualities of limestone neoprene are offered according to your technical level and objectives: more or less dense, warm, elastic, smooth… These qualities can also be combined according to the zones of the wetsuit, as the constraints are not the same across the whole body.

To protect the neoprene and enhance glide performance, the wetsuit may receive an additional treatment. And for greater comfort and faster transitions, wetsuits also include an inner lining most often made from a Lycra-type fabric.

THICKNESS AND MULTI-PANEL CONSTRUCTION

A triathlon wetsuit can have a thickness of up to 5 mm (the maximum thickness permitted by the regulations). But this thickness is generally not uniform across the entire wetsuit, which is made up of a multitude of panels and inserts. The greatest thickness is generally found at the chest, where thermal protection is most important. Conversely, at the shoulders and under the arms — where the need for flexibility is greatest — panels of very fine thickness can be found, sometimes less than 1 mm on the highest-end models.
In practice, the thicker the wetsuit, the more buoyancy it will provide, and the thinner it is, the more flexibility and therefore freedom of movement it will offer. It is therefore all a matter of balance and compromise.

On entry-level models, there are fewer panels and these are sewn together. While this helps to reduce the price, it provides poorer waterproofing and a much lower level of comfort than with thermally bonded or heat-welded panels. These techniques, in addition to greater durability, ensure a smoother connection between the different panels and also allow the number of panels to be increased for a perfectly tailored fit.

CUT AND THERMAL PROTECTION

To cater for all tastes and situations, manufacturers offer, in addition to standard models, more specific models: reinforced in terms of thermal insulation for long-distance competitions taking place in cold water (down to 12°C), or sleeveless, or even of the shorty type with or without sleeves for events taking place in warm water (always within the limit of 24.5°C) for less cold-sensitive swimmers. It should indeed be noted that above 20°C, you can feel warm, or even very hot in a wetsuit, and quickly become dehydrated since it is obviously not possible to drink during this discipline. A sleeveless wetsuit will then help regulate body temperature.

This type of model will also suit swimmers seeking the greatest possible freedom of movement and time savings during the transition.
It is also with the aim of saving precious seconds when removing the wetsuit that the highest-end models feature particularly refined inserts at the wrists and ankles.

SIZING OF A TRIATHLON WETSUIT

A correctly sized wetsuit should feel like a second skin. It must therefore perfectly follow the contours of your body and feel snug, while maintaining great freedom of movement at the arms and shoulders.
It must not compress your ribcage and prevent you from breathing properly, even though once wet, it will loosen slightly. But it must also not be too large, otherwise water will seep in, making you cold and restricting your movements.
You will find for each brand a detailed size guide with the specific advice particular to each of them.

WHICH WETSUIT FOR MY PRACTICE?

Depending on your swimming technique and your goals, you will need to prioritise comfort, buoyancy, elasticity or warmth. Many brands thus segment their offering according to these criteria.
Another selection criterion is the type of events you are taking or will take part in: XS, S, M, L (or Half IronMan), or even IronMan: the time spent in the water will not be the same, and consequently neither will the equipment.

• Beginner swimmer

  Swimming is not your strong point and you dread this discipline? In that case, you should prioritise buoyancy, with significant thickness (5 mm) at the chest and legs. This corrects your body position, builds your confidence and means you expend less energy moving forward. If you are planning to enter a long-distance event (L and above), do not overlook freedom of movement at the arms (ideal thickness of 1.5 mm) — even at the cost of a little buoyancy — so as not to deplete your energy reserves too much.

• Intermediate swimmer

  Swimming is not your strong point and you dread this discipline? In that case, you should prioritise buoyancy, with significant thickness (5 mm) at the chest and legs. This corrects your body position, builds your confidence and means you expend less energy moving forward. If you are planning to enter a long-distance event (L and above), do not overlook freedom of movement at the arms (ideal thickness of 1.5 mm) — even at the cost of a little buoyancy — so as not to deplete your energy reserves too much.

• Experienced swimmer

  You have been swimming for many years and your technique is very good, with an already horizontal, elevated and aerodynamic position? In that case, you need the most supple and flexible wetsuit possible, both at the legs and at the shoulders and arms (1/2 mm), with great fineness so as not to limit your technique or alter your position. The thickness can be greater at the chest (1.5 to 3 mm) to ensure good warmth.