tips for a wetsuit to fit broad shoulders and narrow hips?

[lph]

I'm doing my first sprint tri in a month, and am pretty close to buying a wetsuit. But not many shops here carry them, and I won't have a lot of time to try on a lot of different ones. Can anyone point me in the direction of a suit that might fit me? I have a broad upper back and fairly large biceps and underarms, tiny boobs, thickish waist, narrow hips, and sort of medium legs for a cyclist. Maybe I should just go for a men's suit :rolleyes:

I've tried a friend's Orca Equip, and the buoyancy was great but it did balloon around the hips and pull over the shoulders. I think the ones I'll be able to try on are the following:

Blue Seventy Fusion
Blue Seventy Reaction (but it's a bit pricy)
Profile Design Wahoo (the cheapest)
Zoot Z Force 3.0

and possibly:
Aquaman Triprocess
Aquaman Blitz
Aquaman ADN Lady

Happy for any pointers about these suits!

[colby]

If you have a more womanly torso and leg configuration, the womens suits will probably still fit better.

Did you try the TriSports Wetsuit Calculator Thingy? http://www.trisports.com/wetsuits.html - it's not super exhaustive but might help you narrow it down. I put in "Wide Shoulders & Narrow Hips" with some other basic weight/height stuff (average) and it recommended 2XU and Zoot. (I don't know if it checks Aquaman and Profile Design, I don't know if they stock them - definitely won't check Xterra since they distribute differently)

I have a 2XU suit and it was one of the few that I felt wasn't too long in the torso for me. I do not have narrow shoulders, probably average to broad, but I do have breasts. I feel like the 2XU and Zoot suits have more give in the neck than the Xterra and Blue Seventy suits I've tried on, maybe that's a factor of the shoulders not being broad, never thought about it that way. The 2XU suit fits snugly around my hips and is harder for me to zip up than some others, so I think it is more of a narrow shape (could just be a function of having to size down in order for it not to be too long overall).

You might call one of those places that sells a lot of variety (and even TE) and chat with them specifically, many of them do rentals or size enough people that hopefully they can help - even if it's to narrow them down.

[lph]

Thanks colby! I hadn't seen that calculator, will def try it. I'll keep my eye open for 2XU suits, but surprisingly for a cold country there aren't that many brands on sale here.

Eta: that calculator was really cool! With "wide shoulder and narrow hips" and my specs the 2XU suits came up first, then the Desoto, then the Orca. When I changed to "swimmers build" or "runners build" the 2XU were still on top with BlueSeventy suits rated second, when I changed to "cyclists build" the BlueSeventy suits came up on top. I'm guessing this reflects decreasing space for the upper body and more space for the legs. Very handy to know.