[fox-runr]

I hate buying things and not using them. Most of my friends are triathletes and do alot of open water swimming. I'm a beginner swimmer and it is advised I don't do open water without a suit. So when should I reward myself with a wetsuit.<br><br>
I'm up to 300 yards in the pool

 

[Ziggy]

I'd be very wary Foxy.<br>
I gave an old running mate an old cast wet suit of mine and have created a monster. He now swims sans wetsuit with a winter swimming group and has booked a pilot boat for an English Channel attempt in 2009.

 

[Auntie Moe]

I bought one online for $40 (from <a href="http://www.scubatoys.com" target="_blank">www.scubatoys.com</a>) . It was cheaper than renting one. I was an "angel" at the local Danskin Women's Tri last month and they strongly advised wearing one. Mine's a pretty good one but it's not a tri wetsuit; just a plain old 2mm shorty. I like it.

 

[mmoonptdeux]

As a beginner triathlete, I'd say invest in one:<br><br>
1) if you've determined that you'll be diving (no pun intended) into triathlons and/or OWS sessions on a regular basis<br><br>
2) after you've had a couple test runs in a couple to get sizing down and as to whether full suit or a longjohn feels better (full suits are faster, give you more floatation, and are generally better for the beginner; however, some just like the feel of longjohns and they will give you less of an overheating problem in warmer waters, etc.)<br><br>
There are a couple retail places near where I live where you can defer the rental cost of a wetsuit towards a future purchase at their store. If places that rent aren't available to you, you can try online at f2r.com (you can apply the rental to the purchase) or wetsuitrental.com (unsure about them.) I'm sure your triathlete friends would be able to guide you a lot further about how/where they got their wetsuits

 

[CactusTri]

Well, I rented one for my first OWS, a sprint Tri in a cold lake. I then bought one a few weeks before my next tri (that was also wetsuit-legal) and tried it out twice before the race.<br><br><br><b>Moonie</b>'s suggestion to try different kinds is very good advice. I haven't worn mine in about 3 months due to the warm summer water and probably won't use it again till later this fall.<br><br>
It sounds like you are pretty new to swimming, so if you are spending most of your swim time in a pool, don't worry about a wetsuit or now. (chlorine + wetsuit = BAD) BUT, if most of your swimming is in a lake, river or ocean that is cool enough for you to want something to keep you warm, rent a few and get one.

 

[fox-runr]

a friend brought one over tonight, her friend is a skinny, running dude....it's too big <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/sad2.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="sad2"> I laugh because she said that she tried it out....she's 5'10 150# I'm 5'4 120# and I was "this isn't going on my thighs". She was "sue, think of me on my bed rolling around, trying to fit into it"<br><br>
Oh yeah, it was too big in the chest area <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/sad2.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="sad2">

 

[Tithers]

Be careful...tri wetsuits are DIFFERENT than scuba or surfing ones.<br><br>
They are expensive, so make sure it's really what you want. I spent $400 on mine...(with discount)

 

[Sisu]

I bought a women's Ironman sleeveless wetsuit on eBay for $60. It was only used a few times and like new when I got it. I had tried one on before so I knew what size I needed. It's been well worth that $60!!

 

[Roadie Gal]

1+ on renting them first if you can. Each brand fits completely differently.<br><br>
I bought a Promotion suit. It's not a big "name" brand, but they make good suits (always well rated in Tri magazines, etc.) My sleeveless suit was less than $200.

 

[Tithers]

Guess I have expensive taste...plus huge thighs...I needed a 2 piece<br><br>
desoto first wave LS<br><br><a href="http://www.desotosports.com" target="_blank">www.desotosports.com</a>