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Disintegrating Swimming Costumes

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kyle4jem
kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
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I've been swimming again regularly since October last year and I love being back in the pool even if I can only swim breaststroke - I've never found the coordination required for freestyle/front-crawl. I'm not a particularly fast swimmer, but I can swim lap after lap and regularly do 150 x 18m length and spend about 85-90mins in the pool swimming about 4-5 times a week.

When I started I was quite a BIG lad and wore nylon beach-style shorts, but as I've lost weight and swim more, I've started wearing Speedo-style swimming trunks/shorts which are commonly 80% Nylon and 20% Elastane (Lycra/spandex) but I've noticed that despite following the care instructions, my poor swimmers are disintegrating at an alarming rate.

The other day I came out the pool and they had lost all their elasticity and it was like I was wearing a pair of granddad's pants :laugh:

So, fellow Swimmers, how long do you find your swimming costume lasts swimming in a chlorinated pool? And do you have any tips for getting more life out of your bathing costume?

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  • crazydv
    crazydv Posts: 183 Member
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    Hi

    I swim about 4 times a week for about 70 minutes. Although I am female, our suits are made of the same fabric. My suits usually do not last more than 5 or 6 months. I have tried ever product on the market and they didn't seem to help me

    I do rinse my suit out in cold water for about 2 minutes and make sure that as soon as I get home I hang it up to dry.
    My other hint is when you find them on sale...buy atleast 2 so you will never be without!

    Have to tell you that your description of your saggy suit made me lol. Ive had many suits like that

    Hope you enjoy your next swim!
  • Monkeylost
    Monkeylost Posts: 132 Member
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    Go on speedo.co.uk and get a pair off there they are all chlorine resistant and last up to 20 times as long as normal swim suits. I have one of their leg suits, so far its lasted for 8 months and you know how much I swim!!! Lol Yes you pay a bit more but its well worth it in the long run.

    Hope this helps chick Xxx
  • NicoWoodruff
    NicoWoodruff Posts: 369 Member
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    Look into Speedo brand suits labeled "endurance" which have chlorine resistant dyes. They definitely hold up a lot longer.

    Another tip is before you get in the pool step into the showers first and wet your hair and suit and everything. This way when you get in the pool your skin/hair and suit all absorb a lot less of the chlorine. Rinse everything off again immediately when you get out of the pool and from there get the suit in the wash as soon as you get home.

    I've definitely gotten more life out of my swimsuits this way and I swim 2 to 3 times a week.
  • veganswim
    veganswim Posts: 13
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    As others mentioned: Speedo Endurance fabric holds up longer. Other brands have similar fabrics, too.

    Any polyester suit, as opposed to lycra/spandex, is the kind that will last longer. I like the feel of the fabric better also. I just got some for the first time because some other Speedos I had disintegrated after only a few weeks of regular use. I still rinse them carefully after workouts, etc.

    I buy all my stuff on Swimoutlet.com . Everything on there site is cheaper than I've found anywhere else, but also you can refine your search for suits to only the polyester kind, which is super helpful.
  • FitMama2013
    FitMama2013 Posts: 919 Member
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    Ditto on the polyester and on swimoutlet.com - I still have one from college that I wear (5 years ago) and it's going strong. The elastic will die before the material!

    With polyester, it's a tougher fabric so if you are swimming quite a bit, there's potential for chaffing. I always get it on my lats - so I just apply a little vaseline first and that does the trick.
  • murdy745
    murdy745 Posts: 71 Member
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    I was a college swimmer and competitive for most of my life---we keep swimsuits forever...the worse they get, the more drag they create which is awesome for training!!!! For racing, swimsuits don't last long at all
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your sage advice :happy:

    I actually have a pair of Speedo Endurance+ shorts. I'm saving them for the Big Swim.

    Not sure my last pair of Speedos were Endurance+; I bought them via John Lewis online and they lasted about 3 months. My Jasper Conran shorts from Debenhams considerably less, but I think I killed them by spinning in the washing machine and drying over my towel on the radiator :laugh:

    I'm currently using a cheepo pair of Slazenger shorts I got in SportsDirect. Their online store has a lot of cheep swimmer in their sale, so I'm going to get some and I have another unworn pair of Jasper Conran's in the drawer ready to be used when my current pair give up the ghost.
  • drewbird911
    drewbird911 Posts: 120 Member
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    I buy a new regular (Lycra/Spandex) swim suit every 3-4 months. Swim 2-3 times a week. Swim outlet dot com has grab bag, I like the Tyr
  • drewbird911
    drewbird911 Posts: 120 Member
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    I've heard that Spandex /Lycra will disintegrate regardless of how often you swim after its exposed to chlorine. I have one Poly suit that has lasted forever, but is not my favorite, it's my back up suit ~6 years old... Rinsing helps...
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
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    I looked on Swimoutlet but sadly it's a US store as I really like the look of the Dolfin Uglies :laugh:

    I don't remember my trunks disintegrating when I was a kid and was never out of the pool, but then they probably didn't have any lycra in them. (yes I am that old!)
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
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    Well, another pair bites the dust!

    Yes, I can report that my cheapo Slazenger trunks finally lost all their elasticity today. Sheesh! :ohwell:

    I might go back to wearing nylon swim shorts instead of my budgie-smuggler trunks :laugh:

    I'll be breaking in my Speedo Endurance+ on Sunday's Big Swim... I'll be intrigued to see how long those £22 shorts last! :huh:
  • IsNull
    IsNull Posts: 8
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    One thing I've found is you get what you pay for. Quality poly suits from Speedo, Areana, Tyr are going to cost more than some of the lesser known brands, but with proper care seem to hold up better. When I started back I went with a cheap Dolphin suit from Swimoutlet. While the suit itself is still ok, the legs no longer are tight. Good ole mom got me a nice Areana for Christmas, nice thick and rock solid. Guess mom's really do know best.

    I rinse mine after swimming, then put it in a mesh bag until I can get home to hang it up.
  • dol826
    dol826 Posts: 26 Member
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    Polyester all the way. Dolfin Uglies are my favorite. They never die. My boys also have TYR Durafast jammers that are holding up well. My oldest usually does his swim team practice in regular old cheap trunks.Those things last a very long time.
  • arserine
    arserine Posts: 63 Member
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    Going to throw in another plug for Speedo Endurance. I'm a varsity college swimmer and I have 3-4 suits that I rotate through 6 practices a week, so each suit gets used probably twice a week for 5+ months and then less time out of season. I've had some of my endurance suits for about 2 seasons now and they're just starting to get unusable, and that's because of stretching in the arms, the fabric in the majority of the suit is still fine. They're nearly reasonably priced on swimoutlet when you get them on sale (about 28 each). They're by far the best suits I've had.

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