Wetsuit: where to start?

Originally posted by DanielG http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/index.php/home/us#Get on x-terra's mailing list and wait

Agree with this.

Also "Like" them on facebook and you'll get good notifications on their sales.

I bought a suit based on their interactive fit tool and instructions and it's a perfect fit.  

Helps that a $400 suit was actually $169 after their discount email.

Dean

X3 for Xterra being a good place to look for a budget friendly suit. As far as sleeve vs. sleeveless... I have not swam in a sleevless, but I can tell you that a sleeve suit works just fine as long as you put it on correctly. If you don't get the bottom half on correctly the top half will not fit properly and can really restrict arm movement and your breathing. When a sleeved suit is worn properly you hardly notice it is there. 

That is EXACTLY how I feel about Xterra suits.  I've never seen a suit that rips so easily.

My Xterra suit has been going strong for 5 years now. I now only wear it for races since I'm pool training the rest, but I used it 3x/week in ocean water for 3 years before that.

They probably do get small 'sharkbite' finger-rips a bit more easily than some other wetsuits, but these don't at all affect the performance or cosmetics of the wetsuit. 

I'm sure at that price point (mine was $99 on sale back then, I'm sure the sale price is higher now) it's not the best, but it will likely give you 95+% of the performance of a much higher priced wetsuit and yes, it will last (unless you cnosider those small sharkbite rips a nogo.)

I've had an Exterra wetsuit for over 5 years, worn it dozens of times, never torn once. I guess you just have to be smarter than the wetsuit

I have both sleeveless and sleeves. I like them both. I like the sleeveless for training in warmer weather because it's easier to put on. I've swam in water cold enough that I would not have wanted to wear the sleeveless.

So if I was going to recommend a first wetsuit, I'd recommend a full sleeve.