Customer Service

Fit Troubleshooting

How to Put on your XTERRA WETSUITS

Pointers for a better fitting wetsuit

  1. You may need help zipping up depending how big your lats and shoulders are, especially if the suit hasn't been adjusted yet (the back may feel overly tight and you may have trouble zipping it up until after you make these next few adjustments).
  2. Start down at your legs and lower body area adjusting the suit to ensure it is as high in the crotch area as possible (the higher the better). Work the material up in each leg of the suit starting with the ankle area (a couple times) up to bring material up into the crotch area.
  3. Once it's all the way up, bend over 90 degrees and pull the ripples in front of your belly button out away from your body. Pull the suit up from there and work it up into your shoulders and around to where its comfortable in your shoulder/neck area.
  4. At this point, if you feel pressure on the front of your neck you may need to do the last step but for the material on the back of your suit to alleviate any lingering pressure (until you get in the water it may still feel a little tight).
  5. Raise your arms above your head and feel under your armpits to determine whether your sleeves need to be adjusted the same way you did for your legs. If the suit is not flush against the skin under your armpits you need to make this adjustment as well.
  6. At this point, the suit should then be high up into your arm pits

Neck too tight

  1. 95% of the time the wetsuit is simply brand new and the neoprene needs to stretch out through use.
  2. Often the user tries on the suit (dry) and does not adjust the suit properly (as explained in the User Guide). This adjustment ensures maximum wetsuit material into the torso/shoulder which can help alleviate the neck feeling overly tight (as it loosens up in the water).
  3. Swimming in the suit in the "try-on" phase will also help alleviate tightness in the neck. Allowing a little bit of water to enter through the neck can also help.
  4. New suits do take time to stretch out, so practicing in them multiple times before a race is suggested.

Arms/Legs Too Short - Too Long

  1. If the arms or legs are too short this is not important and will not affect your race.
  2. If the arms or legs are approximately 3 inches too long you can cut them to the desired length (only after you decide to keep your wetsuit - it is not returnable after this adjustment is made).
    To cut them simply flip them inside out and cut into the seam tape that appears over the last 3 inches of the sleeve/pant leg. DO NOT cut any more than where the tape appears, if cut more than that, the seam will unravel.

Short/Long Torso

  • If you have longer legs and a shorter torso, subtract 2 inches from your height. If the opposite, add 2 inches.

Chest/Shoulder Size

  • If you have a larger chest and/or shoulders, then add 7 pounds to your weight (see Size Chart).