Another member brought to my attention that maybe the short-of-breath, have-to-resort-to-backstroke feeling I get in my wetsuit may not be entirely (though I know it was mostly) due to lack of fitness. I’m wondering how much difference it would make to upgrade to a better wetsuit. In your experience, do the higher end ones tend to be easier to breathe in? I’m in a Nineteen Pipeline fullsleeve right now. I would say it fits pretty well, I certainly wouldn’t want it any larger or it would likely bunch and wrinkle at the elbows and knees.
It’s WAY more about fit than anything else, but generally speaking, yes. A higher end wetsuit is typically more expensive because it uses more flexible rubber (and usually nicer jersey fabric too). So there’s more stretch. Which makes it easier to breathe.
But a cheap wetsuit that fits you well is easier to breathe in than a really nice wetsuit that doesn’t.
Other difference in higher end suits is the use of different thickness panels. Some suits will use thin material for shoulders arms and the separation between the chest panels. This allows for bouyancy and stretch for easier deeper breathes.
Otherwise, what Rapp said.
In a open capitalistic society, you get what you pay for. And yes, that means that you can breath better in a high end suit. Tim
Everyone gets that feeling the first time and up to the 10th time.
Ways to avoid or ease this “feeling”
#1. Make sure wet suit fits and that you put it on correctly.
It takes time and helps if you have a helper to get the arms and shoulders feeling right.
#2. Practice… Swim with it on. And if you can swim with others it will repeat the anxiety you feel and allow you to get used to it.
#3. Put your wet suit on correctly and run around a bit get your heart rate up. You will see you can breath. So why can’t you breath in the water? Get out of your head!
Good luck with this…
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Thanks for the tips, everyone. I think I might be able to solve part of my problem through inching my wetsuit up a little more to see if I can get a bit more freedom of movement. And practicing more in it. If that fails, well, then I’ll have had time to save up for a nice fancy one. Lol
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Fit is king. Even a pos will swim better if it fits. I still have my original cheap PD suit. It fit ok, a bunch of higher end one I tried didn’t. My 2 cents when and if it comes time for a new one try Desoto T1. I had compression problems in many suits. Took me a while to find a nicer suit that was ok if I had it on right. Big if. If I was in a hurry, late for my start it was not good. The nice thing is the desoto just goes on, no fussing around to get it right. One of its many big advantages for us AG’ers.
I race in a Helix and have never felt any chest compression in the slightest. Its the same as swimming without a wetsuit.
I think Occam’s razor would dictate that your suit is too small. Not that you need fancier rubber.