For a bit of open water swimming & maybe a tri. what do I need? Any reason this wouldn’t do?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OSPREY-MENS-FULL-LENGTH-WETSUIT-35-44-CHEST-XS-XXXL-/170607080623?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Wetsuits_WatersportsClothing_CA&var=&hash=item6d6f847788#ht_1617wt_827

That’s the wetsuit equivalent of a Tesco Direct 18 speed ‘mountain bike’.
Many people would be happy with it, but it won’t last long and will be quite uncomfortable after a while.
A basic Tiki/Alder/Sola wetsuit for £20 more will fit better, last longer and keep you warmer…bit like an entry level bike from Trek/Marin etc…

You get what you pay for…

Surely a Tri wetsuit iis completely different to a ‘normal’ wesuit?

There’s no way I’d want to ‘swim’ further than arround a capsized boat or through some waves to surf in mine, it’s just too thick, but for surfing/sailing it’s fine.

trident-uk are good, mines lasted years of intermittent use, used for twice weekly sailing for about 3 years, then hung up and brought out for odd ocasions since. And they do proper sizing, so you can have short/fat tall/thin options.

For Tri it is too thick, but for surfing is fine for fair weather seasons, so mid spring till maybe october.

At the minute I am surfing with a 5/4/3 mm and in the next month it will be it will be time to move down to a thinner suit.

The one you are looking at is a 3/2.5 which is good for summer weather when the ocean is a bit warmer.

Thanks chaps, just the sort of basic advice I was looking for. I live by a beach and th water looks really tempting.

Doing Tri in a normal wetsuit would be like trying to ride a DH run on a Cross bike. Maybe just about possible, but not fun or comfortable.
Tri suits have a totally different cut and fit – so you can actually swim!
This is my sister’s company:
Mako Wetsuits
Quite popular on the pro circuit as they are probably the only brand actually designed by triathletes. You don’t need to spend this much, but scrimping too much will cause you bother in the long run.

I guess that was my original question – would the cheap ones do…if they are all for surfing (which I suspect) then the answer is likely “no”.

The sea is very cold…so you do want a thick wetsuit, but I dont recommend a cheap one.

I assumed this was for your planned beach ride….