colby
04-29-2006, 08:31 AM
I didn't want to drag myself into anyone else's wetsuits thread, though I promise I did read them ;)
I'm starting out from the beginning on this one, and all of the information is swirling around in my head. I was a competitive swimmer for a long time, but that involves "you wear this swimsuit and cap, what size please?" and not much choice. For pool swimming (and warmer water lake swimming, and kayaking) I wear a normal ol' speedo, but I would like to start lake swimming early this year (well, now). Living by a lake, I figure I might as well take advantage :cool:
The lake-o-meter says the lake is currently 51 degrees, and will warm up quite a bit over the next couple of months (I imagine into the 70s by August), but I am impatient. I am fairly tolerable of temperature, but I'm honestly probably too tolerable for my own good and I'd rather do something better for my body. So... I want to swim in a wetsuit, but if possible I would like to get used to it so I could use it for training AND racing.
I've scanned a lot of information, I just don't know how to turn it into a purchase. Is there some kind of different rating for different water temperatures, or is it just the obvious (more fabric = more warmth)? Will I get too hot if I get a full suit and then end up wearing it into warmer water temperatures? Would I be better off getting something more like a short suit and ditching the transition time of having to take it off? Will I be too cold if I have a shorter suit and start in the water now?
I don't want to waste money, but I'm willing to spend reasonable $ to have something worthwhile (money's not the issue, but wasting it is ;)). I'm concerned about wearing a full wetsuit, especially for racing, mostly for the "I don't want to have to take the stupid thing off" factor -- I wear a 1-piece compression suit for cold weather running/biking/skiing and it's bad enough to take off when I'm sweaty, I'm not sure I want the joy of removing it soaked.
The local shop (http://www.americanwave.com) I bought my polypro compression suit from (which is great, though not so much for biking because of the crotch zipper) has several wetsuits, which seem to be rated in thickness, but I don't know how that compares to anything else. I also see women-specific and not women-specific (unisex) things everywhere, am I really in for trying on wetsuits to find out which is better, or are there some criteria I can use to say which would be better?
Help me Team Estrogen Forums, you're my only hope! :confused: :D
I'm starting out from the beginning on this one, and all of the information is swirling around in my head. I was a competitive swimmer for a long time, but that involves "you wear this swimsuit and cap, what size please?" and not much choice. For pool swimming (and warmer water lake swimming, and kayaking) I wear a normal ol' speedo, but I would like to start lake swimming early this year (well, now). Living by a lake, I figure I might as well take advantage :cool:
The lake-o-meter says the lake is currently 51 degrees, and will warm up quite a bit over the next couple of months (I imagine into the 70s by August), but I am impatient. I am fairly tolerable of temperature, but I'm honestly probably too tolerable for my own good and I'd rather do something better for my body. So... I want to swim in a wetsuit, but if possible I would like to get used to it so I could use it for training AND racing.
I've scanned a lot of information, I just don't know how to turn it into a purchase. Is there some kind of different rating for different water temperatures, or is it just the obvious (more fabric = more warmth)? Will I get too hot if I get a full suit and then end up wearing it into warmer water temperatures? Would I be better off getting something more like a short suit and ditching the transition time of having to take it off? Will I be too cold if I have a shorter suit and start in the water now?
I don't want to waste money, but I'm willing to spend reasonable $ to have something worthwhile (money's not the issue, but wasting it is ;)). I'm concerned about wearing a full wetsuit, especially for racing, mostly for the "I don't want to have to take the stupid thing off" factor -- I wear a 1-piece compression suit for cold weather running/biking/skiing and it's bad enough to take off when I'm sweaty, I'm not sure I want the joy of removing it soaked.
The local shop (http://www.americanwave.com) I bought my polypro compression suit from (which is great, though not so much for biking because of the crotch zipper) has several wetsuits, which seem to be rated in thickness, but I don't know how that compares to anything else. I also see women-specific and not women-specific (unisex) things everywhere, am I really in for trying on wetsuits to find out which is better, or are there some criteria I can use to say which would be better?
Help me Team Estrogen Forums, you're my only hope! :confused: :D