wetsuit: full v. sleeveless

[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...