daily swimmer

martin6651

I swim 365 days in Galway Bay(Blackrock) and was wondering if it is possible to get a 2-3mm set of neoprene leggings i.e from waist to ankles. I don't want a full wetsuit.

kris71

Hi Martin

Haven't seen anything like it, I'm wearing two pairs of jammers, and it does the job for me.
Can I ask you why would you like to have something like that instead of a wetsuit that will keep your core warm?

martin6651

Hi Kris I have swam using togs only for years and don't find the water temp. too bad. I want them for a little more buoyancy as I have just passed the 60 year mark. I have tried a 3mm shorty and found it too cumbersome(any way I get too much stick from the regulars if I turned up in a wetsuit).

kris71

I know what you mean. To be really honest with you I wouldn't be worried about their opinion, at the end you are doing it for yourself not for anyone else I believe that you've proven already that you can do it without a wetsuit, funny thing is that elite swimmers are using wetsuits in open water races when temp allows them to wear them but folks still see them as a 'sissy' thing. Maybe sleeveless suit would be a solution then. They will probably laugh for a while but I'm sure that eventually they will get over it and if they won't it's their problem not yours I wouldn't be surprised if some of them would follow your path shortly

joey100

Canoeists use neoprene trousers instead of wetsuits too, Palm are a company that definetly make these, im sure there are other brands too.

Only problem might be that these tend to be designed for canoeists and not swimmers, by this I mean that they are designed to be worn when sitting so have a higher back and this could gather and might not be tight enough if worn for swimming

martin6651

Thanks Joey I will check them out

martin6651

Found a place in Bantry Bay and ordered one here's hoping it does the trick.

kris71

Great, hope it will do the job for you.

I'm going to say something now that will probably make most of you to hate me but I truly believe we (as open water swimmers) should stop laughing on newbies in wetsuits, If we want to make open water swimming to growth we have to give new people time to blend in and get used to water temp at their own pace rather then pointing them out and make them feel uncomfortable. Not everyone wants to be pure hardcore sometimes it will encourage them to take wetsuits off but I'm afraid that majority of them will move to triathlons where no one will make them feel different because of a wetsuit.

To make it clear I'm not a big fan of wetsuits nor I'm their reseller I believe they are killing the spirit of the sport making it way to easy to swim, but on the other hand I would love to see more people getting into open water swimming, so if there is a case where someone wants to try swimming in the wetsuit first please be nice to him for a few weeks and I'm sure that eventually he will figure it out that if everyone else can do it then he is able to as well

thank you
Hope I wont get banned for this ;P

martin6651

I have been a scuba diver now for over 35 years and know the restrictions of a wet suit so that is why I prefer the freedom of swimming in togs only. I meet the wetsuit swimmers on a regular basis in Blackrock and I would not make a laughing stock of them. We have a bit of friendly banter with each other about our preferences for swimming attire and then get into the water together and enjoy, we both do the same distance but they finish first maybe because of the extra buoyancy. Hope to have the leggings this weekend and I will let you know how they work.

kris71

Martin I'm glad to hear that, but I seen it happen several times and i thought thats the main reason why you don't want to wear one as well. My mistake then.

Diving suits and swimming wetsuits are different. As they are designed for swimming, there is way much less restriction i swimming/tri suits.

doherta5

Well I got jibes galore one day I wore my wetstuit in Sandycove. What made my blood boil more was the fact that the yokes who were passing comment were only in for about 2 minutes! I wear the wetsuit in winter (along with a few dips in the togs to keep me accustomed to the cold) and the togs in the summer, so I'm not a total loser. But I was certainly made feel like one, and a newbie to boot!