wetsuit: full v. sleeveless

[lharris]

I am about to get a wetsuit for my first triathlon (Westchester NY in September) and am debating whether it is better to go for a full sleeve or sleeveless wetsuit. Most people I know say that they have sleeveless for a better range of arm motion and so they can feel the water. However, the local tri store (SBR) says that it is better to get full sleeves for maximum speed and bouyancy. What do you use / recommend? Any advice would be much appreciated!

[Lise]

I base my decision on coldness of water. I have a sleeveless, short-legged wetsuit that I wear in a tri when the water is mid-70s. I bought a full wetsuit with arms to wear in a tri where the water can be much colder. Haven't used it yet. I'm told I'll really benefit from the extra bouyancy. The swim is the shortest part of the tri, so I'd say consider comfort (including water temp and range of motion) as well as price. What distance are you doing? For a sprint, you're just not in the water that long. For an Oly, it might make a bigger difference in fatigue for the rest of the race. Etc.

Running Mommy, who did an IM in April, used a sleeveless wetsuit. Maybe she'll chime in with an opinion.

Welcome to the boards! Lise

[Tri Girl]

I agree with Lise. I've used a sleeveless wetsuit in all my tris so far. I've only had one where the water was pretty chilly (about 67 degrees)- but once I got going I never noticed it again. There is usually a big difference in price between a sleeveless and full sleeves, so if you think you'll be doing most of your tris in the late spring through early fall, a sleeveless should probably be ok (if the lakes you're swimming in are not too cold). You're in NY tho, and water temps can be considerably cooler than in the midwest where I live.
A REALLY nice long sleeve suit will be built where the shoulders will have less material and more range of motion, but will be thicker (more bouyant) in other key areas. I certainly know that a full suit will be more bouyant overall, but really, in my case I just really need the extra bouyancy in my gigantisaurus butt/lower half where my sleeveless suit covers anyway.

Can you ask other trialthletes in your area for opinions on what they generally wear? Others in your area may have better experience with lake temps/ comfort in the two kinds.

Best of luck to you!!! :D

[kiwi girl]

I have an old (I bought it second hand 7 or 8 years ago) sleeveless suit that only fits me at the lower end of my wieght range (ie definitely not at the moment). When I bought a new one this past summer I went long sleeve. The reading I did suggested that a properly fitting long sleeve suit is faster (which I took to mean in a suit that fits properly you get more advantage from the bouyancy than disadvantage from having the suit around your shoulders in terms of freedom of movement.

But actually the clincher for me is that I am a complete and absolute wuss when it comes to swimming in the open water if it is even slightly cold.

[lharris]

Thanks, Lise. To answer your question: I'm doing an olympic length tri and the water temperatures are supposed to be in the low 70s. Wetsuit price is actually not a concern right now since I'm doing this through Team In Training and they will supply the wetsuit regardless of which I choose. They are giving us ORCA wetsuits, we just need to tell them the size and full v sleeveless.

[TriChickie]

I have a full and love it in the early spring when the water is cold, but do get pretty heated up in the summer in warmer lake temps. That's a sweet deal you're getting from Team In Training! Maybe you could try one of each on at a local shop and see if the difference matters to you.

[triathfirstimer]

Definitely go with teh sleeveless and if you can, id also do shorts. I rented a full one, and trust me, its really a drag. literally...