Question for Ajock re: swimsuits

briee

Cathlete
We are heading out for a mini family vacation again to the Kalahari Waterpark and my swimsuit is more than ancient and worn.....soooooo I headed into the mall to look at swimsuits (I rarely venture there and now I know why). Upon entering Marshall Fields swim suit department, I realized that swimsuit styles have evolved into something I can't quite describe, at least in polite terms on Cathe's forum. I guess I said a little too loudly...."would anyone really wear a pink and brown spotted swim suit with rings around the spots, I wouldn't pay 50 cents for this at a garage sale, I think this is almost worse than PONCHOS!!" My two children that happened to be along, ducked their heads and pretended not to know me...but I KNOW they agreed!!! Just standing in the department made me want to chuck (can I say that here?)

To the point....where can one find a decent swimsuit that can be worn to a waterpark without being lost down the slide. I'm asking you because you must have to wear a swimsuit that you can "move" in without it moving so to speak. I really like racerbacks (tback type). Any internet sites that have a brand/style you prefer to use in your aerobic classes, as I think this may be appropriate? (don't send me back to the mall) Thanks a bunch!!

Briee
 
Answer for Briee re swimsuits:

Hi, Briee! Thank you for giving me my ritual dose of envy for your mid-winter Florida trip!

Regarding swimsuits, I always buy mine from The Kiefer Company; this is a catalog and website company that exclusively sells aquatic gear and apparel.

www.kiefer.com

I always get my suits, which are always one-piece tanks with a higher thigh cut, from their "Grab Bag" selection, which cuts down on the price considerably, down to between $28 and $32.00 per suit. I prefer the Tyr brand rather than the Speedo. I recently got two from Kiefer, and one was a seriously cool emerald-green and black abstract print with slimmer straps over the shoulders, and a black and red abstract pattern one with more traditional tank strap over the shoulders.

There is also a neat style of athletic swimsuit called a "tankini" which is, as you might have guessed, a tank top coupled with more of a modest bikini bottom. Those look cool.

I'm sure Tyr and Speedo have their own websites; my experience with Speedo is not so great in the customer service department.

HTH - have fun on your trip!

Say "hi" to Buckingham for me!

Fiona
 
Perfect site!!! I have spent the last hour perusing EVERYTHING. At least Tyr, speedo, nike, etc... still have a sense of practical style ....didn't see any brown/pink bullseyes anywhere on the site...bless you!!!

Thanks thanks thanks. Oh yes, I'll have to check out lands end as well, more thanks

Briee

And to Fiona (didn't realize she'd have time to read with her continual workouts) who sports Ponchos and no doubt pink/brown bullseye bikinis....my sincere apologies (I'm sure they look fine on squirrels) and a hearty paw shake from Buckingham.
 
Rocky said he's never seen Fiona in anything more modest than a thong (which must be an interesting look if you have a tail).
 
Any suggestion on suits that are slower to disintegrate in chlorinated pools? I love my Speedo racerbacks, but they just fall apart after a while. It's annoying.
 
Hi, Bunbun! (btw, luvluv the screen name!)

Actually, the Kiefer company sells a rinse for swimsuits that retards the destructive effects of chlorine. You have to fully rinse the suit out with water immediately after getting out of the pool. I'm not sure how the rinse works, or how well it works, but it's out there.

I don't buy Speedo brand myself, only Tyr. As an aqua instructor, I've just taken suit burnout as an occupational hazard. But maybe Tyrs might last a bit longer.

A-Jock
 
Thanks! Any particular reason you prefer Tyrs? I haven't tried them, though I'm pretty sure the store where I get my suits has that brand. The rinse sounds interesting, but half the time I'm not going home after the pool anyhow, so it'd be a pain to have to use it at the gym. Plus--I'm lazy!

Thanks, re the screen name, too. :) It's actually a nickname that my bf gave me--am so used to it that I decided to use it here. :)
 
Hello, again, Bunbun! (Maybe for Cathe's site we should call you "NubNub" so that we won't be confused with DH.) (My DH calls me "Dolly" among other names, but don't tell anybody.)

I like Tyr's better than Speedo's because they use more lycra in their fabric blends; Speedo's tend to be more "nylony" and not quite as visually appealing. And the weird thing is with Speedo's, the inner lining wears out more slowly than the outer nylon fabric (which is the fabric everyone sees) so you have a form-fitting inner lining and this baggy, nylon mess on the outside. And - I just like the Tyr tank styles better.

I hear ya on the lazy part. I just sop my suit in a towel to et all the excell water out after an aqua class, throw it in my gym bag, bring it home and hang it up. No wonder I plow thru suits at the clip I do.

A-Jock
 
I just got the new Title Nine Sports catalog and there are some very cute TYR suits in there. You can check them out online at: title9sports.com

:) Nicole
 
I happened to be down in the neighborhood of Paragon Sports here in NYC today (big sporting goods store with decent prices, at least for NYC), and I stopped in. They had a bunch of Tyr suits on sale, so I picked one up and will see how it works. It's polyester, which I think I'm going to like--at least I think it looks better than Lycra.

I've seen that baggy Speedo thing, too--happened with my last suit. Current Speedo isn't at that stage yet, but I'm starting to see patches where the elastic in the outer layer is just falilng apart. I love it when it suddenly gets to that stage where--oops!--you can see right through in parts of the suit that *weren't* see-through last time you wore it.

Nubnub it is. :)
 
Another quick plug for Tyr suits and Title 9. I love them. I buy separates, but they still stay on great because the tops are like sports bras and the bottoms are like little low-rider shorts. (I like to show off my abs)
 
I'm a TYR fan as well, they look great, they hold up and there are different designs of suits so you can find the one that compliments your body type.

"Don't forget to breathe!"
 
Fiona obviously does not frequent waterparks. Wearing a thong on a ride entitled the Master Blaster...well I needn't explain. (not to mention what the Tanzanian Twister could do). Oh my. :eek: :eek: :eek:

Briee
 

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