First Things First
Before wearing your new suit, it’s important to understand how to properly handle smoothskin neoprene.
1. Make sure your nails are cut and that you never allow your nails to touch the smoothskin neoprene.
2. When grabbing the smoothskin neoprene, make sure that only your fingers touch it. Grab the material between your thumb and fingers.
3. Pull with your fingers—always avoid letting your fingernails contact the smoothskin.
Wetsuit Fitting – A Comprehensive Manual
1. Unpack your new Synergy Wetsuit and unzip the back.
2. Turn the top half of the suit over and put in one leg. Point your toes down. (If your foot is hard to get through, try using socks or a plastic bag.)
3. Following the “First Things First” instructions above, pull your foot through the leg.
4. Place the lower leg so that the leg hole sits just above the ankle with both side seams running parallel to your leg.
5. Pull the suit up over your knee and smooth out any folds.
6. Put in your other leg and follow the same instructions as above.
7. Pull up the bottom half of the suit until it sits above your hips.
8. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Once the suit is pulled up over your hips, pull it as high into your crotch as possible—in both the front and the back.
9. The most common mistake is not pulling the suit high enough over the hips. It may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but it will adjust. If not pulled high enough, the suit will not fit properly on your shoulders.
10. Now it’s time to put in your arms. Carefully pull the neoprene through—just like with the legs.
11. Gently pull on the suit—be careful not to use your fingernails.
13. Place the lower arm panel just above the wrist with the grip panel squarely on the inside.
14. MOST IMPORTANT: Once both arms are in, pull the suit from your lower chest to your upper chest as high as possible into the collarbone/neck area. You want as much excess material as possible.
15. Place your neck panel low by pulling it down below your vocal cords. Don’t worry if the suit bunches up on your upper chest.
16. It’s time to zip up. Hold the bottom of the zipper with one hand, grab the lanyard, and gently pull the zip straight up. (Note: Due to different body shapes, most people need assistance.)
17. If you can zip the suit yourself, be very careful not to yank the zipper too hard.
18. Attach the end of the lanyard to the large velcro area and close the flap at a slight angle.
19. Make sure that the protective liner on the inside lays flat against your neck.
20. Stuff the lanyard gently inside the velcro flap to minimize drag.
All Done! If the suit hasn’t already settled on your body, it will within a few strokes in the water. If this is your first time, don’t fret. After a few uses, it becomes second nature.
- A triathlon wetsuit is meant to fit snug.
- It will feel much less snug when wet, so it should feel tight when dry.
- If you are wet or sweaty, it is nearly impossible to put on a wetsuit—make sure you are dry and cool first!
- The suit is not a dry suit; water will enter. If you experience excessive sloshing, the suit may be too big and require a size exchange.
- If the suit feels tight while swimming, try opening your neck slightly to allow some water in.
- New suits become more flexible after a few swims—take some time to ensure proper fit.