Wetsuit questions and recommendations?

[luckeeesmom]

Hello all,
I will be doing a sprint tri in May that includes 750m swim. I looked a blog from someone who had done the race in the past and the water temp was 69 F. I had not planned to get a wetsuit but now I'm reconsidering due to the amount of info I've read about better performance through increased bouancy and fear of being cold. I am on a tight budget and also concerned about ease of removal of the wetsuit during transition.

I also saw some neoprine separates on sale that seem like they would be easier to get in and out of. Has anyone had experience with these or would you recommend just going with a full suit? Here are the product names of the separates I am considering:
De Soto Speed Collection Speedtube 2
and
De Soto Black Pearl Pullover
or
De Soto Speed Collection Speedvest


Thanks

[KSH]

Here is a review of all of the wetsuits I bought... tried on and tried out in the water:

I have bought, tried on, and swam in the following brands:

Blue Seventy (BS)
QR
2XU
Zoot
Desoto

Yea, I have had a time finding a wetsuit that fit me right, can you tell? I am also being really picky about my wetsuit, because I'm a good swimmer and a cheap wetsuit will slow me down, and I will be bothered by it.

BS is a nice wetsuit. For women, it's good because it's cut for someone with booty and boobs. That is what I needed. The neoprene is nice and I didn't have any issues with the one I rented for a race. Shoulders were flexible. I bought the Energie. I did not keep it though. http://www.trisports.com/blseenfuwe.html

QR is a really nice wetsuit too. Honestly, I liked this neoprene the best. It was just different. Very flexible. This wetsuit is made for someone with beefy legs and a large chest (not necessarily big because of boobs!). The size that should have fit me, was HUGE on me. If you are a beefy guy, this would be a good wetsuit for you. http://www.trisports.com/qr20hytrwe.html

2XU is a nice wetsuit. No complaints really. It was just cut for someone who is very thin without any hips, boobs, or a booty. If you are a thin guy/gal with very little "sticking out" muscle wise, etc. this wetsuit would be good. I think I got this one on sale: http://www.trisports.com/2xueltrwe.html

Zoot Zenith is a VERY NICE wetsuit. Totally different from all the other ones. It has these pieces of boyancy swen into the inside of the wetsuit. None of the other wetsuits are like this one. Unless you see a picture of the inside of the wetsuit, you don't really understand how different it is. I kept this one. It's flexible and I could swim in it just fine.
http://www.trisports.com/zootzenith.html

Desoto is an OK wesuit. Not very innovative. The neoprene was the worst in the bunch. It was thick and not very flexible. Compared to the other ones, I would rank this one the lowest. The bib john was odd and pulled up into my crotch (fit issue). The top was a pain to get on and then it fit oddly around my boobs. A lot of people love this wetsuit, but fit wise it didn't work for me.
http://www.trisports.com/t1blpebi.html
http://www.trisports.com/t1fiwazipu.html

In the end though, buying a wetsuit is ALL ABOUT FIT. Each brand is cut differently and fits differently. Just because you fit the "size" on the chart, doesn't mean it will work for you in the water.

You might also want to think about renting one if you don't think you will use it a lot.

Good luck.

[KnottedYet]

I use a sleeveless kayaking wetsuit; padded butt and all!

Nice wetsuit for paddling and goofing around in the water, very very easy to get on and off. I knew this suit from using it for other activities. My swimming skills s*ck, so a draggy wetsuit wasn't going to hurt me at all.

And it only cost $105.

(mind you, when I say my swimming s*cks, I really honestly mean that. I doggie paddle and sidestroke. Took me nearly half an hour to swim 750 m.)

I got my suit from the shop that I'd rented the same kind from before. I second the idea of renting a suit if you can. Rent one for a week, train in it, try another one the next week, and so on. Kind of fun, and you'll quickly figure out what you do and don't like in a suit.

[roadie gal]

3+ on renting a suit first.

In addition to the suits that KSH mentioned Promotion makes a good, middle of the road suit for less than most of the others. They're at www.wetsuit.com. I'm a C+ - B- (on an A-F scale) swimmer and I've been very happy with my suit. The Promotion people are also very good about exchanges or returns if the suit isn't right for you.