How do you know when a 12&U tech suit is past its prime?

[Anonymous]

Serious question. Getting into this world of racing and want to know when these tech suits no longer "work" - reading online some reviewers say if you rinse them after you use them that they can last for months even with daily use. I have read on here they are only good for a few meets but perhaps that are the "real" tech suits and not 12&U.

Also, once your kid is 13, do you stick with the 12&U or do you upgrade to the $400 suit that does not last?



https://www.yourswimlog.com/best-12-and-under-tech-suits/

How long do 12 and under tech suits last?
12-and-under tech suits, and other budget-friendly tech suits that use woven fabric and sewn seams, last significantly longer than your typical, $400 tech suit.

The main reason for this is that tech suits are made of lots of elastane and Lycra Spandex, which stretches and thins out quickly from chlorine exposure and wear. Because 12-and-under tech suits have more polyester or nylon, they last way longer.

I’ve had suits like the Powerskin ST 2.0 that I even used as a daily training suit (2+ hours a day, 6x a week) for months. With even a bare minimum of care—rinse the suit with fresh water after wear—these suits can last a long time!

[Anonymous]

Until they start to look too thin/transparent.

[Anonymous]

When the seams start to unravel or the suit material looks stretched out.

Generally, my kid grows out of them before they need new ones, but I generally buy 1 new racing suit before a big meet (so the Florida meets in SC season and Zones in LC).

[Anonymous]

The 12&U suits do last quite a while. The expensive suits are not so long lasting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Serious question. Getting into this world of racing and want to know when these tech suits no longer "work" - reading online some reviewers say if you rinse them after you use them that they can last for months even with daily use. I have read on here they are only good for a few meets but perhaps that are the "real" tech suits and not 12&U.

Also, once your kid is 13, do you stick with the 12&U or do you upgrade to the $400 suit that does not last?



https://www.yourswimlog.com/best-12-and-under-tech-suits/

How long do 12 and under tech suits last?
12-and-under tech suits, and other budget-friendly tech suits that use woven fabric and sewn seams, last significantly longer than your typical, $400 tech suit.

The main reason for this is that tech suits are made of lots of elastane and Lycra Spandex, which stretches and thins out quickly from chlorine exposure and wear. Because 12-and-under tech suits have more polyester or nylon, they last way longer.

I’ve had suits like the Powerskin ST 2.0 that I even used as a daily training suit (2+ hours a day, 6x a week) for months. With even a bare minimum of care—rinse the suit with fresh water after wear—these suits can last a long time!

When your kid turns 13

[Anonymous]

At what point is a 12&U posting fast enough times that a tech suit will make a difference? I'm thinking here of the physics/drag, not of the comfort/psychological benefit (which I don't doubt could be genuine). Curious!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At what point is a 12&U posting fast enough times that a tech suit will make a difference? I'm thinking here of the physics/drag, not of the comfort/psychological benefit (which I don't doubt could be genuine). Curious!

A coach once described it this way to my child: imagine a cake. It has no icing and tastes really, really good. If you add just so-so icing to it, it is still pretty good. If you add amazing icing to it, it will taste really good. And if your cake was terrible to begin with, no amount of icing will fix it.

Being a good swimmer is the cake. The suit is the icing. It has a very small effect beyond a psychological one, but when you are very good, that small effect matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At what point is a 12&U posting fast enough times that a tech suit will make a difference? I'm thinking here of the physics/drag, not of the comfort/psychological benefit (which I don't doubt could be genuine). Curious!

A coach once described it this way to my child: imagine a cake. It has no icing and tastes really, really good. If you add just so-so icing to it, it is still pretty good. If you add amazing icing to it, it will taste really good. And if your cake was terrible to begin with, no amount of icing will fix it.

Being a good swimmer is the cake. The suit is the icing. It has a very small effect beyond a psychological one, but when you are very good, that small effect matters.

Yep, my kid dropped 2+ seconds after she started using a tech suit. Fixed a mental block.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At what point is a 12&U posting fast enough times that a tech suit will make a difference? I'm thinking here of the physics/drag, not of the comfort/psychological benefit (which I don't doubt could be genuine). Curious!

A coach once described it this way to my child: imagine a cake. It has no icing and tastes really, really good. If you add just so-so icing to it, it is still pretty good. If you add amazing icing to it, it will taste really good. And if your cake was terrible to begin with, no amount of icing will fix it.

Being a good swimmer is the cake. The suit is the icing. It has a very small effect beyond a psychological one, but when you are very good, that small effect matters.

I like this analogy! For the 12Us, most of the kids at the champs meets wear them, so that is usually the entry point for tech suits because the kid making one of those meets for the 1st time sees all the other kids wearing them. Then those kids wear them to their regular meets (PVS Opens, etc.), which is how you end up with whole swaths of a particular team wearing them, even the swimmers who won’t come close to making meets with cut times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At what point is a 12&U posting fast enough times that a tech suit will make a difference? I'm thinking here of the physics/drag, not of the comfort/psychological benefit (which I don't doubt could be genuine). Curious!

A coach once described it this way to my child: imagine a cake. It has no icing and tastes really, really good. If you add just so-so icing to it, it is still pretty good. If you add amazing icing to it, it will taste really good. And if your cake was terrible to begin with, no amount of icing will fix it.

Being a good swimmer is the cake. The suit is the icing. It has a very small effect beyond a psychological one, but when you are very good, that small effect matters.

I like this analogy! For the 12Us, most of the kids at the champs meets wear them, so that is usually the entry point for tech suits because the kid making one of those meets for the 1st time sees all the other kids wearing them. Then those kids wear them to their regular meets (PVS Opens, etc.), which is how you end up with whole swaths of a particular team wearing them, even the swimmers who won’t come close to making meets with cut times.

I tell my swimmers to save them for championship meets or later in the season if there is an event that they have not qualified for and need to. I want them qualifying in a regular suit, so when they "suit up" it will be a mental push.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At what point is a 12&U posting fast enough times that a tech suit will make a difference? I'm thinking here of the physics/drag, not of the comfort/psychological benefit (which I don't doubt could be genuine). Curious!

A coach once described it this way to my child: imagine a cake. It has no icing and tastes really, really good. If you add just so-so icing to it, it is still pretty good. If you add amazing icing to it, it will taste really good. And if your cake was terrible to begin with, no amount of icing will fix it.

Being a good swimmer is the cake. The suit is the icing. It has a very small effect beyond a psychological one, but when you are very good, that small effect matters.

I like this analogy! For the 12Us, most of the kids at the champs meets wear them, so that is usually the entry point for tech suits because the kid making one of those meets for the 1st time sees all the other kids wearing them. Then those kids wear them to their regular meets (PVS Opens, etc.), which is how you end up with whole swaths of a particular team wearing them, even the swimmers who won’t come close to making meets with cut times.

I tell my swimmers to save them for championship meets or later in the season if there is an event that they have not qualified for and need to. I want them qualifying in a regular suit, so when they "suit up" it will be a mental push.

A slow swimmer in a tech suit is a bold move. Kids will make fun of your kid if they get decked out in the best gear you can buy and then post B times

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At what point is a 12&U posting fast enough times that a tech suit will make a difference? I'm thinking here of the physics/drag, not of the comfort/psychological benefit (which I don't doubt could be genuine). Curious!

A coach once described it this way to my child: imagine a cake. It has no icing and tastes really, really good. If you add just so-so icing to it, it is still pretty good. If you add amazing icing to it, it will taste really good. And if your cake was terrible to begin with, no amount of icing will fix it.

Being a good swimmer is the cake. The suit is the icing. It has a very small effect beyond a psychological one, but when you are very good, that small effect matters.

I like this analogy! For the 12Us, most of the kids at the champs meets wear them, so that is usually the entry point for tech suits because the kid making one of those meets for the 1st time sees all the other kids wearing them. Then those kids wear them to their regular meets (PVS Opens, etc.), which is how you end up with whole swaths of a particular team wearing them, even the swimmers who won’t come close to making meets with cut times.

I tell my swimmers to save them for championship meets or later in the season if there is an event that they have not qualified for and need to. I want them qualifying in a regular suit, so when they "suit up" it will be a mental push.

A slow swimmer in a tech suit is a bold move. Kids will make fun of your kid if they get decked out in the best gear you can buy and then post B times

NP - well, then I hope you would correct those kids if you observed that dynamic. It's like thinking that slow runners don't deserve high quality running shoes. Snobbery around athletic performance is poor sportsmanship.

[Anonymous]

Our team does not allow them for regular meets - only championship meets that have prelims/finals. Most of those have qualifying times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At what point is a 12&U posting fast enough times that a tech suit will make a difference? I'm thinking here of the physics/drag, not of the comfort/psychological benefit (which I don't doubt could be genuine). Curious!

A coach once described it this way to my child: imagine a cake. It has no icing and tastes really, really good. If you add just so-so icing to it, it is still pretty good. If you add amazing icing to it, it will taste really good. And if your cake was terrible to begin with, no amount of icing will fix it.

Being a good swimmer is the cake. The suit is the icing. It has a very small effect beyond a psychological one, but when you are very good, that small effect matters.

I like this analogy! For the 12Us, most of the kids at the champs meets wear them, so that is usually the entry point for tech suits because the kid making one of those meets for the 1st time sees all the other kids wearing them. Then those kids wear them to their regular meets (PVS Opens, etc.), which is how you end up with whole swaths of a particular team wearing them, even the swimmers who won’t come close to making meets with cut times.

I tell my swimmers to save them for championship meets or later in the season if there is an event that they have not qualified for and need to. I want them qualifying in a regular suit, so when they "suit up" it will be a mental push.

A slow swimmer in a tech suit is a bold move. Kids will make fun of your kid if they get decked out in the best gear you can buy and then post B times

That’s so sad. Im so glad my kid (who is a really fast swimmer) really is encouraging to other kids (even if they aren’t fast).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our team does not allow them for regular meets - only championship meets that have prelims/finals. Most of those have qualifying times.

I appreciate this rule. Even the 12U tech suits are not cheap, and it keeps people from dropping $$ on a suit for their kid just so they can fit in with the others that have them.