Xterra Vector Pro 2 Wetsuit
Tuesday, 19th September 2006
I've been using the new Vector Pro2 wetsuit from the top of the Xterra range all season and have been very impressed with its performance.
With the desire to improve my swim times and comfort in the water during open water swims, I have switched from my well used Orca Predator 2 to the Xtrerra Vector Pro 2 and the immediate effect was very noticeable.
Xterra make a range of the wetsuits to suit different markets, budgets and offering different performance characteristics. Priced very competitively at the mid-range of the wetsuit market is the Ventilator, aimed at athletes requiring maximum buoyancy and warmth at a slight expense of flexibility. The Vortex is the next level up on the price scale and offers some of the features of the Vector and a lower cost. It uses different rubber thickens in the legs area comparing to the Vector making it again slightly more buoyant. At the very top of the range sits the Vector Pro2, offering elite level of performance.
The Vector Pro 2 is certainly one of the most flexible, if not the most, of all the brands of the wetsuits currently available on the market. This was immediately apparent when I first opened the packaging. This is due to the usage of the special Yamamotos #39 SCS rubber and a revolutionary soft inner lining. The Xterra sizing chart indicated that I should be using a similar size as all my previous wetsuits medium, however, knowing about the flexibility of this model I ordered size small hoping that the stretchiness of the material would compensate for the small size providing a tight fit. When I put the wetsuit on I was not disappointed. Although the fit was very tight and it took me a very long time to put the wetsuit on properly the fit was superb and it immediately felt much more comfortable than all of my previous wetsuits.
The result in the water was even more impressive. Due to the very tight fit of the Vector Pro2 and the innovative LOC Flex Collar the wetsuit would take in very little water making it faster than anything I've ever worn in the water. I was initially a little bit worried about the collar rubbing my neck during a long distance Ironman swim, but soon enough my worries have disappeared and the collar appeared to be very comfortable as was all the soft inner lining of the wetsuit.
The design of the Vector Pro 2 with the usage of different rubber thickness panels created a very comfortable yet still extremely buoyant product. With all my previous wetsuits, at the end of the Ironman swim leg, I would experience extreme tightness in my shoulder rotator muscles due to having to fight the resistance of the wetsuit rubber in the shoulder area. No such experience with the Vector Pro2. My arms were definitely a lot less tired exiting the water than before. The sensation can certainly be compared with using a sleeveless long john type of wetsuit with the additional warmth and water tightness that only a full suit can provide, so you get the best of both worlds.
Putting the Vector Pro2 on before the swim requires time and extreme caution. Due to the delicate nature of the rubber resulting in great flexibility, it is very easy to create small tears in the rubber, when pulling the material a little bit too vigorously in a hurry.
The key question is whether the Xterra Vector Pro2 is genuinely faster than other wetsuits? Well, we'll leave the readers to draw their own conclusions, but all of my open water swim times this year have improved significantly. The Vector Pro2 has also been used as the weapon of choice by the German swim super star Jan Sibbersen in setting swim course record times in numerous Ironman triathlons in the last couple of years.
In conclusion, if you're fanatical about improving you times and are looking for a top of the range wetsuit offering unrivalled flexibility and performance in the water and are prepared to look after it well, look no further - you might just have found the answer.
Source: Staff at Trisportnews.
More info: www.xterrawetsuits-europe.com; www.active-sportsnet