Tag

triathlon wetsuit

Browsing

Trigirl’s Triathlon Wetsuit Buying Advice for Larger Sized Women

It is important that your triathlon wetsuit fits you well – not too tight and not too big. But what do you do, if your wetsuit size is not available? What if you are looking for a women’s larger sized triathlon wetsuit? And why are XXL women’s wetsuits so hard to find?

Since this appears to affect quite a few women, we have gathered a few tips on larger sized triathlon wetsuits for women. 

A good fit is key

A good wetsuit fit for open water swimming or triathlon is important because it will enable you to swim well (and fast) without giving you a feeling of restriction. If your wetsuit is too small, it can restrict your blood circulation causing your legs to cramp. If your wetsuit is too big, water can enter through the collar and cuffs and exit through your leg hem and back zip as you swim. This means new, cold water constantly flushes through and your suit will not keep you warm and you will get cold quickly. 

You want to swim, not surf

Surfing wetsuits are available in a much larger range of sizes (and usually at a lower price point too), and so you may be tempted to opt for a women’s surf wetsuit instead. However, a surfing wetsuit will not work. Open water swim wetsuits are designed to improve your body position when you swim front crawl. Buoyant and flexible neoprene panels are combined in a clever way to allow you to swim more efficiently. Generally speaking, the shoulder area features highly flexible neoprene to help your front crawl arm movement. The legs feature thicker neoprene to aid buoyancy. 

Neoprene thickness and properties are very different in a surfing wetsuit. Surfing wetsuits are predominantly designed to keep you warm as you stride atop the surfboard. Swimming wetsuits are designed to make you swim faster in the water. Insulation is less important as you constantly move while swimming.

High quality, open water beginner swimming wetsuits have become like gold dust in recent weeks – even expensive mid-range wetsuits have sold out fast.

Covid-19 has disrupted everyone’s 2020 triathlon training and racing agenda. Although most races are cancelled for this year, each separate discipline of triathlon has seen a surge in participation. Open water swimming is booming as a result of pool closures. Summer weather has also prompted people to look for social distanced exercise outdoors. When open water swim venues re-opened a few weeks ago, they have been swamped. 

So what wetsuit can you buy if you are on a budget?

Open Water Swimming Beginner WetsuitThe wetsuit experts from Zone3 are launching a new open water beginner wetsuit – the Valour. Offering a perfect mix of flexibility and buoyancy, at an affordable price, the Valour is ideal if you want to try open water swimming this summer. With an emphasis on comfort, the Valour offers some excellent features, usually only found in more expensive wetsuits. 

An innovative “Extreme Flex” inner-lining material gives excellent flexibility around the shoulders and arms for a comfortable and energy efficient swim. The low neckline and perfect fit, as well as fully stitched and glue bonded seams throughout, make it one of the best value entry level wetsuits available.

Check out the full product description and all features of the Valour here

Trigirl have been very lucky to get hold of a few of these very much anticipated entry level wetsuits for you. Available in the most popular sizes SM, M and L, you can pre-order the Valour (£169) from our website today for delivery mid of July. But be quick as stock is very limited and expected to sell quickly.

Enjoy your swim!

You may also be interested in our article Wetsuit Buying Tips here.