SLEEVED VS. SLEEVELESS SWIMSKIN: WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Swimskins are a must-have for warm-water swims. They provide real, measurable speed for those races where wetsuits aren’t allowed due to safety rules (overheating in warm water in a wetsuit is a real thing).
At face value, swimskins are just that: a skin. Unlike a wetsuit, swimskins offer no floatation benefit. But they do help triathletes move more efficiently through the water. They cover as much of the body as legally possible (down the thighs, and up to the top of the shoulders), wrapping the chest, hips, and back in a cocoon of slick skin that mimics the rubbery, hydrophobic skin of seals, sharks, and whales, providing a seamless surface for water to glide over with minimal resistance.
Yes, human skin is generally considered hydrophobic, but hair and follicles dotting the surface of the epidermis add drag. Quintana Roo’s swimskins test 3-5 seconds faster per 100m than swimming without a swimskin. That's a 2-3 minute advantage over a full-distance 3.8k (2.4-mile) swim! Whether you're a beginner or a pro, a swimskin is the key to maximizing your speed and efficiency. (Kudos to those throwback triathletes that go old school with a swimsuit or Speedo!)
If you’re ready to dive in, Quintana Roo has two swimskins that represent the pinnacle of technology and speed: The HYDROspeed Sleeved and HYDROspeed Sleeveless. So, what’s the difference? And which should you choose?
Sleeved vs. Sleeveless HYDROspeed Swimskins
HYDROspeed Sleeved Swimskins
Pros: Pound-for-pound, a sleeved swimskin is faster. With more surface area (especially the shoulders) covered in the HYDROspeed’s hydrophobic slickskin textile, the leading edge of your body becomes more hydrodynamic, reducing drag and helping you glide forward in the water.
Cons: Since the shoulders are stitched to the body of the swimskin, depending upon how snugly you’ve pulled the sleeves up and into the armpit and underarm, you can experience a bit of resistance during the overhead reach phase of the stroke.
HYDROspeed Sleeveless Swimskins
Pros: No sleeves, no resistance. Swimming purists (and a lot of pros) gravitate toward sleeveless skins for one reason: freedom of movement. This is especially true for those with hypermobility in their overhead reach. Ditching sleeves gives them the ability to reach as far forward as possible.
Cons: You lose the advantage of covering the leading edges of your body in hydrophobic slickskin. Granted, it’s a small portion of the entire construct, but some triathletes want every advantage you can get.
What Do the Pros Choose?
We’ve explained the basics of what you need to know, but a lot of the decision comes down to personal preference. To find out why some athletes choose one over the other, we decided to ask six Quintana Roo pros which version of the HYDROspeed swimskin—sleeved or sleeveless—they prefer and why.
Haley Chura
“I prefer a sleeveless swimskin. I love my broad shoulders, but sometimes I feel constricted in sleeved clothing, so sleeveless gives me a ton of shoulder mobility, helping me be more comfortable, and therefore faster, in the water. I also love that friends and family can spot the bright colors of my kit sleeves mid-swim!”
Jamie Hayes
“For me, I go sleeveless. I come from a swim background, and honestly, even just swimming with a plain old tri suit over my shoulders sometimes feels restrictive in comparison, especially since I rarely (if ever) train in a tri suit. I'm really trying to nail the full-distance Ironman, so for me it's just a bigger priority to feel totally unrestricted with full shoulder mobility since 2.4 miles can be a very long way to go.”
Miguel Mattox
“I've always chosen sleeveless over sleeved. I believe it comes down to a matter of comfort and preference. If you prefer more material and a little less exposure to the water, go with sleeves. If you come from a swim background like I did, sleeveless is probably going to be more comfortable because of the extra shoulder mobility that comes with it – it's why you see most elite triathletes and swimmers opting for sleeveless these days (but don't just do what the pros say!).”
Jon Breivold
“For me, it is definitely sleeveless. It should be said that I've never tried a swimskin with sleeves, but I don't think having a swimskin with sleeves over a suit with sleeves will be very comfortable, nor will it give the same flexibility as a sleeveless swimskin.”
Jenna Haufler
“My go-to is the sleeveless swimskin. My tri suit is sleeved and snug already, so having fewer layers of fabric on my swimmer shoulders allows for better shoulder mobility (and thus, less fatigue and more comfort) during my stroke. However, if my tri suit was sleeveless, or if the sleeves fit looser and moved around while I swam, I'd consider wearing a sleeved swimskin.”
Matt Hanson
“My go-to is for the sleeved swimskin in most circumstances. Skin is typically slow, so the more you can have covered with a faster material, the better. If the water is going to be really hot, I might go with the sleeveless version and swim with my kit rolled down to try to stay a little cooler.”
Alice Alberts
“I am a sleeveless gal! I much prefer the range of motion it provides me, especially since I also wear my tri suit up, so that already impairs mobility some.”
Final Thoughts
Six out of seven pros we asked prefer sleeveless swimskins, with Matt Hanson being a pretty fast outlier. But as Miguel Mattox said, you don’t have to follow the pros.
One thing to consider with these anecdotes is that many of these pros are exceptionally strong swimmers and come from a swimming background. They are highly adapted to swimming without sleeves, and as some mentioned, their buff swimmer physiques can make sleeves feel a bit tight around the shoulders. Hanson, our one outlier, is a very strong runner, and he chooses a swimskin with sleeves to support his “weaker” discipline. With plenty of big results over the years, it clearly works for him!
Consider your sports background, your physique, and your weaknesses. Whether you choose sleeved or sleeveless, you’re set for a faster-than-ever swim thanks to the technology Quintana Roo has designed into these speedy swimskins. If you want to maximize your potential, consider trying one in your next triathlon!
