SWIM SKINS
Lucky enough to be racing somewhere hot? Then a swim skin can help you swim faster when wetsuits aren’t race-legal. We test 10 new designs...
Not many of us will be lucky enough to be heading overseas to race this year, but if you are and sunnier climes are your pick, then you may well find yourself having to race without a wetsuit. Mind you, with UK summers getting warmer, there’s a chance that some home races may end up being nonwetsuit legal as well (22°C for 1.5km swims and 24°C for 3.8km swims under British Triathlon and World Triathlon competition rules). For may triathletes this poses a problem as, not only will they lose the buoyancy and assistance offered by a wetsuit, but they’ll also find, as a result, their times will be slower. So what to do?
Well, if open-water swim splits are of concern to you, meet your new swim buddy. Swim skins are made of textile materials that are designed to be hydrodynamic, but without the thickness of neoprene. If you watch coverage of the pros racing at big events such as Kona, they’ll undoubtedly be wearing one. A swim skin is worn over your tri-suit instead of a wetsuit and most cost £200+, so splashing out on the off-chance your local race might take place on a sweltering hot day isn’t such a good investment for many of us. Plus, British Triathlon rules state that you have to wear it for the whole event in short-course races, which’ll be considerably less comfortable over the top of a tri-suit.
If marginal gains are your thing, though, our male tester quoted time savings of 2-3secs per 100m (as opposed to 4-5secs per 100m in a neoprene wetsuit) so read on to find the best one for you...
AQUA SPHERE PHANTOM V3
£352.99 That price tag puts the Phantom firmly at the top end of this grouptest, making it a considered purchase even against the likes of the Zone3 and Roka. The suit features a ‘core power’ system designed to improve posture and hip rotation. We noticed this effect in the water, although we preferred the way the Roka felt in achieving the same, as the overall fit was more supportive. This suit felt a slightly odd shape on this tester but we did like the feel of the two fabrics used, which were both relatively supple as well as highly compressive. The suit was water repellent and, although it featured a locking zip with guard, a pull cord would have been appreciated. On a side note, the styling was our least favourite. aquasphereswim.com
80 %
VERDICT CLEARLY GOOD TECH BUT EYE-WATERINGLY EXPENSIVE AND THE FIT WAS A BIT ODD ON THIS TESTER
HUUB AURA
£179.99 There’s no getting around the fact that for most of us, a swim skin is a luxury purchase. However, if you’re looking for one but don’t want to fork out close to £300, then Huub should be your first port of call as (spolier alert) the brand bagged our best value award this issue for both their men’s and women’s ‘entry-level’ suit – the Race on the next page being the men’s version of this Aura. Like our male tester, we found this suit comfortable and, if a little less compressive than the Roka for example, still high compression enough to make a substantial difference in our swim times. It felt good on and the hydrophobic fabric slipped through the water. Looks aren’t everything, but this suit was easily up there with the most stylish. huubdesign.com
82 %
VERDICT STILL A CONSIDERED PURCHASE BUT IF YOU WANT A SWIM SKIN THEN YOU CAN’T GO WRONG HERE
SAILFISH REBEL PRO 2
€299 The Rebel Pro 2 is one of three suits (along with the Roka and Huub) that also appears in their male version over the page. This tester has always found Sailfish wetsuits to suit her though, so how about a swim skin? Well, as with their wetsuits they come up a little large, so we’d recommend sizing down in this brand for a fully compressive fit. Patrick Lange used this suit when he broke eight hours in Hawaii so it comes with good pro credentials and, as our male tester noted, the densely-woven fabric gave superb hydrophobic performance. Touches such as the bonded seams and reverse zipper with long pull cord were appreciated. A sleeved version is also available and overall it felt like a quality suit. sailfish.com
84 %
VERDICT A FAST SUIT WITH GOOD CREDENTIALS AND SOME NICE TOUCHES. SIZE DOWN FOR A COMPRESSIVE FIT
ZONE3 SWIMSKIN
£295 The only sleeved swim skin in our women’s test this year, we were immediately drawn to the styling of this one. Sleeved suits are a little trickier over a sleeved tri-suit, but over a vested one (which Zone3 recommends) this created a smooth silhouette and fitted perfectly with just enough stretch (once on!) to give the range of movement needed through the arms and shoulders. Developed in collaboration with two-time Kona swim winner Josh Amberger, the suit has good credentials and the SCS (Super Composite Skin) technology felt highly waterrepellent and rapid. In our pool sessions this suit gave the most impressive timesaving over our 1,500m test session and the bonded seams felt good quality. zone3.com
90 %
VERDICT SLEEVES ARE A WINNER, GOOD STYLING AND THE FASTEST SUIT IN OUR WOMEN’S TESTING THIS YEAR
ROKA VIPER X2
£315 Having pro Lucy Charles-Barclay race in them can’t hurt the cred of the Roka swim skin and, worn over a tri-suit, this was a comfortable (if very compressive) suit. As noted in our male test of the same suit, Roka does recommend sizing up. Our medium worked well for swims up to 3km in the pool and open water, with the bonded interior support and Teflon DWR (durable water repellant) fabric helping us feel fast in the water, something which was again backed up by our Garmin stats. We did experience a little chafing under the arms, but this was solved by adding a short-sleeved tri-suit and/or lube. The suit also featured lower back support and we noticed that on longer swims our body position stayed as it should. roka.com
88 %
VERDICT IMPRESSIVE TECH AND WE LOVED THE SUPPORT IT GAVE. JUST PIPPED BY THE ZONE3 THIS YEAR
YONDA D2
£189 Yonda says the D2 uses ‘the fastest, most efficient hydrophobic fabric available’, which is warp-knitted and infused with Teflon to repel the water as you swim. It’s a much simpler affair than some of the other highly technical swim skins on test, and the only one with some flatlock stitching still visible on the outside of the garment. We also found the fabric was less compressive than others on test, which makes it among the more comfortable, leaving us chafe-free after each swim. Yonda claims that the D2 can improve stroke efficiency up to 4.5secs per 100m, which we found to be a little off the mark, but were still satisfied with the 2.5-3secs per 100m improvement we were getting in our times tests. The sticky leg grippers made it a little difficult to pull the suit up over our thighs, but this didn’t affect the performance in the water. yondasports.com
80 %
VERDICT SIMPLE, EFFECTIVE AND MORE WALLET-FRIENDLY THAN MOST RIVALS
SAILFISH REBEL PRO 2
€299 If you want to convince triathletes that your swim skin is fast, it’s not a bad idea to have your company MD break the Kona swim course record in it… and that’s just what Sailfish founder Jan Sibberson did in the previous version of the Rebel Pro 2 in 2018. As we find with Sailfish wetsuits, the fit was generous, and our size medium was quite wide across the chest. The material is described as ‘surface-compressed highperformance textile’ that’s densely woven for maximum hydrodynamics. As expected, we found the Rebel Pro 2 was fast in our timed tests, saving up to 3secs per 100m. A reverse zipper with a cord for quick removal in T1 is a welcome addition, and the seams are all sealed to ensure the smoothest, most hydrophobic surface possible. We did experience some chafing under the arms, so we’d recommend using an anti-chafing product for long swims. sailfish.com
82 %
VERDICT A PROVEN HIGH-END OPTION WITH QUALITY FABRIC, BUT A LITTLE ON THE ROOMY SIDE
ROKA VIPER X2
£315 Roka says its swim skins are now Kona’s most popular. After numerous upgrades, the top-of-the-range Viper X2 now features thermobonded taping to provide compressive muscle support without any breathing restriction, plus improved stretch which should stop any discomfort. The stretch-woven textile and hydrophobic Teflon coating are an ideal match, providing a swim free of any restriction and proving to be fast in our controlled pool testing. We did suffer slight chafing under the arms, but this was quickly solved by some Body Glide in our next test swim. Roka says the Viper X2 sizes up quite small because of the compression taping and although we found it tight, our usual medium was stretchy enough to suffice. We think the Viper X2 is worth the cash if you’re a front pack swimmer. roka.com
88 %
VERDICT A GREAT SUIT WITH LOTS OF IMPRESSIVE TECH WHICH JUSTIFIES THE PRICE
QUINTANA ROO HYDROSPEED
$199.95 The brand that invented the triathlon wetsuit describes the Hydrospeed as ‘the simplest, most powerful swimskin on the market’, claiming that where others ‘compromise performance for fashion’, Quintana Roo’s focusses on performance at a fair price.While we’ve found some short-sleeved swim skins restrictive in the past, we experienced no restriction or discomfort whatsoever in the Hydrospeed, which allowed us to focus on what matters - swimming fast. The Lycra-free design features quality hydrophobic, moisturewicking materials throughout, with a zip garage at the neck to prevent any irritation. The zipper is fast and easy to undo for a speedy transition, while a choice of seven sizes means everyone should find a size to suit them. The affordable price and equally impressive performance make this best in test. windwave.co.uk
VERDICT A SUPER COMFORTABLE,
91 SHORT-SLEEVED SUIT WITHOUT % ANY RESTRICTION
HUUB RACE
£179.99 Huub’s Race swimskin plays second fiddle to its top-end Agilis (£264.99), but after numerous test swims, we preferred the Race due to the less rigid material that we found easier to get on with. It’s actually a classic revived by Huub, who’s brought back this version of its original swim skin to provide a more affordable offering. In the water, the hydrophobic fabric did its job, and we experienced very little restriction across the chest. Huub says the suit has ‘high compression to reduce frontal area’, and while the compression isn’t as great as the offerings from Roka or Sailfish, the slightly more relaxed fit might be appreciated by some swimmers. A fulllength zip guard covers the easy-unlock rear zipper to prevent any discomfort, and the leg grippers hug your thighs while being nice and easy to get in position before you set off. huubdesign.com
80 %
VERDICT A CLASSIC SWIM SKIN THAT WILL SERVE YOU WELL FOR A REASONABLE PRICE