Swim giants Zoggs have long been known as the company to beat when it comes to swim clothing and kit. But after a promising start in 2015 with the launch of the FX range, wetsuits have been notably absent from their product line-up.
Until now that is, as yesterday (27th September), 220 were lucky enough to join the brand at Shepperton Lake for an exclusive look at 10 new wetsuits, due to launch in the UK in February 2024.
So what’s new for triathletes? The good news is that six of the 10 suits are designed with triathletes in mind and can be divided into two models: the Predator range with more buoyancy for swimmers who need a little help getting into the optimum horizontal position; as well as the Hypex range which is less buoyant and uses thinner neoprene for a more flexible, natural feel.
The Predator wetsuits
Three tiers of suit are available within the Predator range and they are identified by similar ‘X’ graphics to the well-established Predator goggles. These are the suits to choose if you want more buoyancy to achieve the optimum body position in the water (so perfect for swimmers with ‘sinky legs’).
Each is available in a men’s and women’s fit (2XS-2XL for men, 2XS to XL for women), with the same colourways being used on each suit regardless of gender, which is a refreshing change. All three of these suits have 5mm and/or 4mm Yamamoto neoprene in the lower body as well as thinner, 2mm neoprene around the arms and shoulder.
Predator Ultra FS
The top tier Predator, this suit (neon pink graphics) uses 5mm Aerodome Yamamoto 40 neoprene in the legs and on the front of the body to achieve maximum lift, with compression around the core for a supportive fit.
On the back, 3mm is used for more flexibility while the arms are 2mm. The cuffs and back of the calves are 1.5mm to help with fast removal in transition. This is also the only Predator suit to feature a reverse pull zipper.
In short, this is a wetsuit aimed at triathletes who want maximum buoyancy and support from their suit, combined with features to help a fast transition.
Predator Pro FS
At the mid range, the Predator Pro (neon yellow graphics) again has a buoyant profile, only with 4mm Yamamoto 39 in the legs and 4mm Aerodome on the body.
Again you get core compression and some 1.5mm fabric on the cuffs and back of calves to aid with quick removal. This suit features a normal zip.
Predator Tour FS
Sitting at the entry-level of the more buoyant suits (with blue graphics), four types of Yamamoto 38 neoprene combine here to create a suit that is 4mm on the front and legs, 3mm on the back and 2mm on the arms.
The 1.5mm fabric is still used on the back of the calves but not on the wrists. Again, a traditional zip is used.
The Hypex wetsuits
Again with three suits available in the range, think of the Hypex as the suits to wear if you want flexibility and freedom rather than buoyancy and structure. These are identified by their ‘muscle’ design on the right leg and arms which the Italian designers say is to help put on a very flexible suit (if the graphics are wonky, so is the suit!), which can be easy to twist if not pulled on carefully.
Again, all three suits are available in men’s and women’s sizing (2XS-2XL for men, 2XS to XL for women), with the same colours for each gender. Zoggs’ new ‘Hypex Construction’ is a way of increasing the neoprene elongation and stability, without compromising on stretch.
Hypex Ultra FS
This top-of-the-line wetsuit is striking with green and gold graphics and Zoggs tell us it offers unrivalled flexibility.
The construction is made from flexible Yamamoto 40 neoprene with 2mm on the legs, shoulders and back, 1.5mm on the arms, sides, ankles and calves and 3.5mm on the core to give a little compression for the core and hips. Again as the top-end suit, the Ultra FS features a reverse-pull zipper.
Hypex Pro FS
With teal graphics, the Pro again sits in the mid-range and uses Yamamoto 39 neoprene with a mix of 3mm on the front body, 2mm on the legs, arms and back and 1.5mm on the sides, ankles and wrists. The suit features a normal zip.
Hypex Tour FS
The flexible entry-level wetsuit, the Hypex Tour (pink graphics) uses the same Hypex construction as the other two but in Yamamoto 38 neoprene. The majority of the suit is 2mm with 3mm on the front of the body and 1.5mm on the sides and back of the calves.
The Open Water range
Also launching at the same time are three suits aimed more at the open water swimming market.
The Explorer Ultra FS designed as a top-end flexible option but a little more durability than the triathlon range with four neoprene thicknesses, the Explorer Pro FS in 2mm and 2.5mm panels and the entry-level Explorer Tour FS in 2mm with a 3mm chest panel.
All suits use elements of double-faced neoprene to increase durability. Finally there’s the Scout FS made from 2mm double-faced uncoated neoprene all-over, making it versatile for all kinds of watersports.
First Swim
First up – it’s great to see something new and to have Zoggs back in the wetsuit market. The range seems well thought-out with the key needs of triathletes – buoyancy, support, flexibility and speed in transition.
Something is available for all types of front crawl swimmers here with level of speed and support considered. Pricing has yet to be shared, but the three tiers in both the Predator and Hypex range lead us to think each type of wetsuit will hopefully sit at the budget, mid and top end of the usual market wetsuit pricing. (More info on that when we have it.)
At the launch we swam in the top-end Hypex Ultra FS. We chose this as a very buoyant swimmer who doesn’t like to feel restricted by a structured wetsuit and who has also had a previous back injury which can be aggravated by suits with buoyancy.
There’ll be a longer review to follow soon after we’ve had time to really become familiar with the suit, but over our initial 1km this was just superb – buttery soft and easy to pull on (with gloves, as the fabric is so stretchy and thin!) this is the closest we have come to feeling like we weren’t wearing a wetsuit while wearing a wetsuit. In 17 degree C water we felt toasty warm, too.
Our size large (for a UK14 female swimmer) fit well and we didn’t see any water ingress and timing our second 500m we were as fast, if not a few seconds faster, than in our usual equivalent race suit from another brand. Again, we’ll be doing more swimming in this suit to find out.
So more to share closer to the February 2024 on sale date – but we’re keen to put the wider range through testing (and racing!) to see how they perform. Find out more about Zoggs on their website here.
