REVIEW: TYR Hurricane Cat 5 Sleeveless

Last year I had the pleasure of discovering the Tyr Hurricane Cat 5 wetsuit.

Sort of hard to say "Discover," since the Hurricane was the hottest selling suit over the winter of 2010. Tyr's entry into the market took athletes by storm, and right off the bat, about 40 pros signed up. That is something when the suit had not even been released yet, but a lot of it had to do with understanding how hard Andy Potts had been working on helping design the suit from the ground up, as well as Tyr's stellar reputation as a company committed to excellence.

It had been a long process for me. I had been coming from a Quintana Roo Superfull which I loved but was now too big, and other suits I had tried, from the Orca 3.8 and Alpha to the Blue Seventy Helix, just did not fit right. Especially in my shoulders.

Now for the record, I am built more like a football or hockey player than the typical triathlete, and with 18" calves, 28" thighs and 48" chest, I tend to be in the upper end of suit sizing. I am still carrying about 25 extra pounds and working on that, but even as the waist goes down, it will take years and years, if at all, before a lot of my muscle mass changes.

So the first time I tried on the Tyr Hurricane (the Cat 3 for starters) the first thing I could notice was the freedom in the shoulders. Long story short... The suit was comfortable, my swimming seemed effortless, and I LOVED doing open water swims... In fact, the hardest part for me was come the middle of summer, when the New England air and water temps just got too hot to where a full wetsuit. I had gotten to know a couple of the Tyr reps, from races at Quassy to other chance encounters, and I frequently would needle them, "Hey, when are you going to release a sleeveless version?" I had even contemplated picking up a used or damages suit and cutting off the sleeves. Just wait. Tyr will be releasing one at Interbike I was told.

Prayers answers.

This spring, my sleeveless version arrived.

First impression. The suit looks good. As great as the full sleeve version is style wise, the sleeveless suit is equally attractive. I also noticed that Tyr had included a carrying/drying case as well as had made some subtle improvements in the Core Stabilization Panels. The real test would come in the water.

To be honest... I started second-guessing my desire for a sleeveless suit. I really loved swimming in my full sleeve suit, and started to wonder how much "flushing" the sleeveless suit would have with water coming through the shoulders, etc, as well as just the "balance" of the suit.

The temperatures in New England come end of June really started to spike. Days were now high 80s and low 90s as well as high humidity. Quassy had been a full suit race for me with the chilly air temps and 69 degree water, but with my small sprint race coming up, The Dam Triathlon, it was finally time to break out the sleeveless Cat 5 in Lake Gardner.

So what did I think?

Well lets just say that the suits have different "feels" to them, but that is not a bad thing. It would be like comparing a Ducati to a Ferrari. They are both fast, both agile, and each has a perfect fit. Regardless. It often comes down to a matter of "preference" between two such agile competitors.

The first thing I noticed with the sleeveless version was just how great the balance was. I am still learning to be a competitive swimmer. While my body position is improving, with the sleeveless what I really noticed was the buoyancy in the legs. I really felt a horizontal position in the water and less drag from the legs. As great as the full sleeve version is in this area, the sleeveless version excels here.

The second thing I noticed was even more improved fit around the neck. With the full sleeve version, I get some occasional light rubbing around my neck, but with the sleeveless version, this was perfect. The suit had no rubbing, chaffing or any discomfort.

The other part that I really loved which was one of my initial fears was no flushing of water. Maybe it is more from my scuba diving and windsurfing background, but I thought I would feel slight movement of water throughout the suit because of the extra opening areas. To the contrary, I felt nothing of the sort.

In summary, just love the suit. If I had to choose between the two versions, I don't know if I could, and thankfully I don't have to. For colder water and temps I have the full sleeve Cat 5, and as the water and air get warmer and overheating becomes more of a concern, I have the sleeveless version to allow for more skin surface to be cooled by the water.

Is their anything Tyr could have done better? Only thing I can think of off the top of my head is offering a package deal on both suits; Both suits excel in performance and compliment a range of water/air conditions.