Eco comfort: Why wear Yulex swimwear?

It’s our favourite cold water swimming mashup where the warmth of a wetsuit meets the freedom and flexibility of swimwear. Rowan Clarke tests out Sumarpo’s fantastic new range of Yulex swimwear – and explains how it can enhance your swimming experience.

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A better recovery

It’s always been the hottest outdoor swimming debate – do you wear a wetsuit or not? Wetsuits work by trapping a layer of water against your skin, which warms up to your body temperature, keeping you warmer.

“With a layer of rubber between your skin and the water, some swimmers see wetsuits as diminishing the cold water experience,” says Rowan. “This isn’t true, by the way – you still get the benefits of cold water in a wetsuit, but they are a faff to get on and off, and some swimmers find them uncomfortable.”

Neoprene swimwear, on the other hand, is as easy to put on and take off as a swimsuit. With extra warmth around your core, this makes the most difference to your post-swim recovery. So, neoprene swimwear allows you to enjoy the water for a bit longer and warm up more easily.

Sumarpo’s Yulex swimwear is soft, supple, and flexible, featuring a long zip down the front that makes dressing and undressing super easy, especially in the sleeveless version.

More buoyancy

For distance, speed or endurance front crawl swimmers, wetsuits offer a distinct advantage because they make us more buoyant and streamlined in the water. But not everyone wants to swim further or faster – and not everyone wants to swim front crawl.

“Breaststroke in a full wetsuit is tricky, especially for women because we naturally have more body fat in our legs and bums,” says Rowan. “Wetsuits make my legs too floaty for breaststroke, which is uncomfortable and awkward. So, I love having the option to wear a wetsuit with no legs.”

Being a bit more buoyant can make us feel safer and more comfortable while swimming. Having our legs and arms free for kicking and pulling makes swimming even more comfortable, whichever stroke we enjoy. It’s all about choosing pleasure over performance.

Multi-uses for more fun

The extra warmth and protection you get from Sumarpo’s Yulex swimwear has a variety of uses all year round, from winter dips to summer adventures.

“I love discovering secret coves with my swim group or on my paddleboard, swimming in and out of sea caves and from one beach to the next,” says Rowan. “My Sumarpo is perfect for these summertime adventures and for bodyboarding while my son surfs.”

You get SPF 50+ protection, which is another great reason to choose the long-sleeved swimsuit in particular for sunny days on the water. And if you want to wear it in outdoor pools (or an artificial surf reef), it’s also chlorine resistant.

For eco-conscious swimmers

Yulex is the only truly sustainable option for wetsuits. While the open water swimming market is working on producing Yulex wetsuits, they are still few and far between. We’re delighted that Sumarpo has used Yulex in its new range of swimwear.

Sumarpo’s Yulex swimwear comes in three styles, two long-sleeve and one sleeveless, in UK sizes 6 to 20. We found the sizes to be true to size – we recommend picking your dress size and sizing down if you’re between sizes.

Rowan is 5’11” and a UK size 16/18. She wears the Women’s Yulex Long Sleeve Neoprene Swim Suit (£121) and Women’s Yulex Sleeveless Neoprene Swim Suit (£98) in a size 16.

For a sleek, smoothskin swimsuit, choose the snazzy Siren neoprene swimsuit. This is made of Yamamoto neoprene (so not eco-friendly like Yulex), but its iridescent colourway is wild, and the smoothskin outer means it’s more akin to Sumarpo’s performance wetsuits.