Zone3 Vanquish X wetsuit review

The Vanquish X from Zone3 is another triathlon wetsuit that has stood the test of time and continues to do so into 2025.

A development of the brand’s popular Vanquish, we first saw the Vanquish X in June 2022 when our (male) tester awarded it 82%.

Impressively, this suit has remained the same price in a market where many others have seen year on year increases (though admittedly, it’s still very much a top-end purchase).

There’s a dizzying array of tech on display here, and the panel diagram (showing the materials and buoyancy profile) shows a whopping 11 different types of material used in the construction – there’s no doubt that Zone3 has really thought about every inch of this suit.

Tech includes a mix of neoprenes from tissue-paper-thin 0.3mm (yes, that’s 0.3 of 1mm!) on the arms, through 1mm and 1.5mm in the shoulders and under arms, down to 5mm in the core and upper legs, and then 2mm in the cuffs and ankles.

Like the Agilis, a bag is included, too – here a handy dry bag.

Buoyancy performance

Of course, that’s a whistle-stop tour, but what this gives you to start with is a suit that is insanely flexible and thin through the arms and supportive and buoyant through the core.

With the Vanquish X, there’s no difference between the buoyancy profiles for the men and women, which did make the suit feel very positively buoyant.

Buoyancy is helped by Aerodome material on the front of the legs and buoyant NBR material (as used in life jackets) sandwiched between two layers of neoprene to give even more lift.

While this suited our male tester last year, this female tester found it a little too buoyant.

Fit and ease of use

We also found it a bit of a struggle to get in and out of – although Zone3’s Silk X lining as used here, as well as in much of their range, is always hugely appreciated and makes the suits very fast to pull off, too!

We would like to have seen more available sizes, though – this tester found the medium a little small, but the large would have been too big. A size ML likely would have hit the sweet spot.

Flexibility

As for the top end of the suit, this really is a buy for the swimmer who wants to feel completely unrestricted in their stroke.

That mix of very thin neoprene with 0.3mm panels made it feel almost like you were wearing nothing in places.

Warmth

Zone3 has added an ‘alpha titanium lining’ on the upper body for warmth, but we did find our arms felt the chill a little more on our test swims, which wasn’t helped by the ‘cool spot panels’ on the forearms to help with feel for the water.

That said, our tests were done this year in waters around 55°F/13°C (thanks British weather!) and we would hope to be racing in waters much warmer than that by race season!

The bottom line

In all, this is a very technical suit with many superb features to recommend it.

That may be a little over the top for some swimmers who are looking for a more ‘natural’ feel in the water, but for a triathlete who wants plenty of help in achieving a fast, supported swim and a speedy transition, it’ll be worth the spend for the marginal gains.

Zone3 Vanquish X wetsuit specs

Pricing	$949 / £699
Sizing	Women’s: XS, S, ST, M, L, XL (Zone3 sizing) Men’s: S, ST, SM, ML, M, MT, L, XL (Zone3 sizing)
Material	Yamamoto bio-rubber; Alpha titanium lining; Silk X lining; SCS 0.3mm on sleeves

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