Orca Swimrun Wetsuits Review

<p>Orca Swimrun Wetsuits Review</p><p>Welcome to the fifth Löw Tide Böyz <a href="https://lowtideboyz.com/gear-reviews">swimrun gear</a> review show! This review is once again co-hosted by our friends Annie and Brooke from the <a href="https://swimrunlabs.com/">Swimrun Labs</a>.</p><p>This episode is all about <a href="https://www.orca.com/us-en">Orca</a> Swimrun Wetsuits and Accessories. Brooke and Chris have used several Orca suits so they review while Chipper and Annie ask the questions. It’s good stuff so let’s get right to it.</p><p>Orca has been around for a long time with triathlon, open water, free diving and kids gear. Relevant for this show is their evolving line of Swimrun-specific wetsuits. Their first iteration of suits, The Core and RS1 suits, were basically triathlon suits where they cut the legs and sleeves off and put the zipper in the front. We’ve seen an “evolution of industry-standard” with their second iteration of suits that we’ll talk about later in the show.</p><p>The Swimrun Core Wetsuit (First Iteration)</p><p>Both Brooke and Chris have used the Swimrun Core. It’s Orca’s entry-level wetsuit that runs under $200. (You can read Swimrun Labs super in-depth review of the Core <a href="https://swimrunlabs.com/7977/orca-core-wetsuit-review-2019/">here</a>.) It has the standard zipper in the front and it’s definitely a swimrun wetsuit with thick-ish neoprene on the chest and thigh region with thinner shoulder and back neoprene. It comes with removable neoprene sleeves for colder conditions, a small hip pocket that can hold one or two gels or the team bandage, a whistle and a medium size zippered pocket in the lower back. It’s a versatile suit that works well in various water temperatures and was overall pretty good in the water. While running, the thick thigh neoprene didn’t feel super inhibiting but hip flexion might be an issue for a really long event. Brooke has issues cabbing down in the suit but it wasn’t a deal breaker. </p><p>PRO-TIP: you don’t need a lot of hip buoyancy in the suit if y