A triathlon wetsuit allows a triathlete to remain warm while they are swimming in the open water. This is important since the open water can be very cold. It is also more buoyant than the wetsuits that are used by divers and surfers. In addition to providing the triathlete with more safety in the open water, the added buoyancy will also allow the triathlete to swim faster. This is because the body will be positioned higher up on the water. A triathlon wetsuit can cost between $100 and $400 dollars. There are two styles of triathlon wetsuit to choose from: full suit and long john. A full suit triathlon wetsuit uses more rubber than a long john wetsuit. This means that the full suit will provide more warmth in cold water than the long john. It is designed to be used in water that is at a temperature below sixty degrees. The extra rubber also makes it more buoyant. Also, the seals of the full suit will let less water in than a long john would. However, the older full suit models inhibited swimming strokes which put a lot of strain on people's arms. The newer full suit models use a combination of new manufacturing materials and freedom panels to allow wearers of the full suit to enjoy more flexibility with their swimming strokes. A long john wetsuit is meant to be used in water with temperatures above sixty degrees. It does not have any sleeves. A wetsuit without any sleeves will allow you to have more flexibility with your swimming strokes in comparison to the full suit. Another advantage of long john wetsuits is that they are easier to remove. This is important for a triathlete because he has to quickly get out of his wetsuit and into his bike riding gear. A long john wetsuit is also more affordable than a full suit. Both full suit and long john cover both legs down to the top of the calf. A triathlon wetsuit is not designed to be used for any activity other than swimming. It is made out of smoothskin neoprene rubber that is designed to maximize your speed while you are swimming. It is constructed out of three different thicknesses: 2, 3, and 5 millimeter. The 5 millimeter thickness is used for the front of the wetsuit and is meant to maximize buoyancy and warmth. The 2 millimeter thickness is used for the sleeves and the 3 millimeter thickness is used for the back. Using this thinner material will give you more flexibility with your body movements and swimming strokes. Also, the stitches in a triathlon wetsuit are made so as to cause as little chafing as possible. A triathlon wetsuit should only be used for non-contact water activities such as snorkeling and water skiing. It should not be used by surfers or divers because these activities can puncture the delicate smoothskin neoprene rubber a triathlon wetsuit is made out of. A triathlon wetsuit is much less durable than the nylon laminated wetsuits that surfers would use. It is less durable because it is more flexible than and not as tough as a surfing wetsuit. A surfing wetsuit is constructed in such a way as to not be punctured even if it comes into contact with a surf board. However, in a swimming competition, a person wearing a surfing wetsuit would have no chance of beating a person wearing a triathlon wetsuit.