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The Zenith Wetsuit by Zoot
A HISTORY OF THE WETSUIT AND THE ROAD TO ZENITH
Comments from Karen
Sing, Wetsuit Product Manager, Zootsports.
I’ve been in the tri wetsuit business since 1989, two years after Dan Empfield went to a surf wetsuit manufacturer in Orange County and had a surf suit made of smoothskin rubber that he could swim in. Quintana Roo wetsuits were born, and the “standard” was set:
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Thick 4 mm or 5mm piece of smoothskin rubber down the front,
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2mm arms and side panels,
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Enough 3mm mixed around to make the suit easier to put on and take off.
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A back zip, high collar, and some Velcro completed the package.
Fast forward to November 2005 when Brian Enge came on board at ZootSports: We determined that although neoprene technology had advanced, tri wetsuits all looked very similar, followed the 20-year–old “standard,” and problems still remained:
PROBLEMS
1. Thicker, more buoyant suits were too hard to get on and off, and sometimes felt restrictive while swimming. Sleeveless, and thinner,more comfortable suits weren’t as fast in the water because of reduced buoyancy.
2. Small rips in the thicker parts of the suits due to the high modulus. In spite of the best efforts of manufacturers and retailers to educate customers, extremely low density rubber is more fragile than its less-buoyant counterparts, and tears when put under stress.
3. High necks keep out water, but are sometimes uncomfortable, and because they are attached to the thick front and back panels, lack flexibility.
4. Long-sleeved suits feel restrictive, especially to very good swimmers because even the thinnest sleeves attach to the front and back panels. This limits any kind of lung/chest expansion and arm extension.
5. It’s hard to kick or run to transition in thick wetsuits. Some swimmers have even reported leg cramps in longer swims.
6. Triathletes are extremely well informed, technically savvy, and very particular and vocal about their equipment. Not necessarily a problem, but they do gather a lot of their product information from websites, open forums, and blogs.
Real innovation in tri wetsuits was long overdue and the time had come to re-think the project. “ Form follows function,” (What do we need the garment to do?)
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Warm and buoyant for comfort and optimal body position in the water (Yamamoto neoprene.)
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Reduce friction while swimming (SCS* coating on neoprene.)
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More flexible areas in arms, chest, back, neck while swimming; room for kicking or simply maintain bloodflow to leg muscles.
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Keep water out.
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5mm or less in the thickest areas.
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Easy to put on/ take off.
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Comfortable, non-claustrophobic out of the water, maintain circulation in legs for running, walking, or waiting for race to start.
How to “Re-invent” the Tri Wetsuits? Could we combine existing materials and technologies in new ways to create a suit that would solve the problems and move ZootSports to the front of the very crowded wetsuit pack? Why not build a 2mm suit of Yamamoto SCS-Nano-coated lightweight neoprene and put some 3mm panels in? This was the pivotal moment, and aside from some small speedbumps, the project moved along quickly.
Challenges:
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Where is the best place to put the panels inside the suit?
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What kind of adhesive could be used to attach the panels?
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Pattern sizing: the suit was so flexible, our normal patterns were much too big.
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Could the suit be mass-produced without costing a fortune?
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Would it work in the water?
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How could we possibly keep the secret until the June 06 sales meeting?
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What could we name this new suit?
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Click on the image above for a larger version |
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Where did the Batman look come from?
The distinctive 3 Dimensional appearance of the suit was discovered quite by accident. Because I had stuck all the panels to the inside of the suit before taking it to be blindstitched, the seamstress wanted all the edges trimmed and glued down before she would sew them. The panels popped out, and we now had a completely unique look to our new suit.
How could we test the suit and keep the secret?
Our friends swam at 3 AM at 24 Hour Fitness, and they did everything we hoped and more! Patent applications were filed, the suits were sent to the factory, the secret remained intact, and Zootsports was well on its way to a completely new and different tri wetsuit offering. Because it was meant to be the pinnacle, we named it “Zenith.”
ZENITH SOLUTIONS
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Buoyancy: 2 mm areas in chest, legs, back.
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Total friction reduction: SCS-Nano coating.
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Flexibility:2mm arms, side panels, and channels throughout the suit.
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Maximum arm, shoulder, and chest expansion/extension : 2mm horizontal channels at front and back waist as well as vertical channels in chest and upper back.
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Lower, more flexible collar is attached only to 2mm rubber.
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2mm channels in front and back of legs: suit is easy to put on and take off while allowing complete blood circulation in thighs and calves.
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3mm panels and 2mm base suit rather than one layer of 5mm rubber, suit is much more durable, less vulnerable to fingernail and stress tears.
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The technology makes sense and the suit does everything we promise, all while looking radically different from all the other wetsuits on the market.
Success! We had Reinvented the Tri Wetsuit!