Generally replying to everything that was said and thinking out loud. Thanks for entertaining me, ladies.

Quote Originally Posted by GLC1968 View Post
Colby - where is the suit too long for you? The legs?

Have you tried any Xterra suits? Maybe they run shorter and I just got lucky? They do have a 30 day return policy and they allow you to wear it for a swim to test it out before you decide.
And,

Quote Originally Posted by Susan Otcenas View Post
The opposite, actually. Weight works better on the size chart. Height is less important. Blue Seventy suits are "trimmable" if they're too long in the arms or legs. When you flip the suit inside out, you can see that the last couple inches are seam taped. As long as you don't trim shorter than the tape, the seam won't open up.
For general reference, here's the size chart for the Fuzion (http://zootsports.com/spring2010/pro...ens%3Awetsuits) - http://assets.k2sports.com/zoot/ftpz...s-wetsuits.jpg - I am pretty much smack dab in the middle of the large short on the sizing chart, for both height AND weight.

The earlier-model blue seventy suit (from before they were blue seventy) I have is I believe the precursor to the Reaction, not the Helix. It's too long in the torso for sure and also too long in the legs. Even if I cut it off, which solves the length problem, I think the material from the torso would still have more give into my legs as I move which makes it ride lower and the material gather behind my knees (which makes painful chafing, which brings me to not wanting to wear it again).

It's also much harder to get on from my legs to my torso, probably because there is more extra material to negotiate. I want to be careful to compare technology from 2009 to 2005, though, the materials in the Fuzion are likely entirely different, which could make it seem easier to get on.

I haven't tried any others on... yet?

Maybe I should measure the dimensions of the suits I have themselves for comparison? If I am true to the size chart, for the xterra I would also be a large, and for the Helix I'd be a medium-large. If those suits are too long in the torso (from crotch to neck, basically), it will just push the material in places I don't want it (that back of the knee thing hurts something awful, and I feel like I'm wearing a sagging diaper when the torso starts pulling downward). The fuzion is exactly proportional to my size in that regard, so at least using it as a reference seems prudent.