Wetsuits keep you warm, they don’t keep you dry. They work by allowing a small amount of water in your suit when you jump in the water the first time. The neoprene, the rubbery material that the suit is made out of, is an insulating material which works in conjunction with your body to heat the water, trapping it against your skin and keeping you warmer while you’re in the water.

A triathlon wetsuit is designed explicitly for the needs of triathletes, providing thermal insulation, buoyancy, and hydrodynamics for racing. It is made with thinner neoprene material than a diving or surfing wetsuit, as it needs to be flexible and allow for a full range of motion during swimming.

A wetsuit should fit clingy to the skin, kind of like a glove. You’ll know that a suit is too tight if it restricts your breathing, or if you can’t reach upward without it really hunching you over. A suit is too loose if it bunches beneath the arms, chest or waist. A wetsuit that is too big won’t do you any good because it will just flush with water, instead of doing its job to maintain body temperature.

Glued and blindstitched, which is also referred to as GBS, is where the material of the wetsuit joins together by being glued and stitched. This process forms a bond that reduces water penetration.