DEBOER WOMEN’S OCEAN 1.0

£1,150 If we thought the Zone3 was tricky to get into, we thought again when we tried the Ocean 1.0 – it’s a rigid suit with very tiny, tight cuffs! Once on, it gave a toasty swim experience thanks to a ‘ThermaFur’ lining and close fit. We found it speedy as well, knocking a minute off our usual 1km time in the lake. We did experience a cold trickle down our neck, though. Deboer tells us this suit is for use down to 8°C water, or you can add the Polar gloves, booties and hoodie (sold seperately, see p85) and use it down to 6°C. We actually managed relatively long swims without the hoodie at 5°C, with the caveat being our tester is well-acclimatised to cold water swimming and every swimmer is different. Finally though, there is that price tag. Unless you’re seriously into winter marginal gains, it’s pricey! deboerwetsuits.com