Competition swim trunks

[uk_wildcat]

My son is going to be starting on the swim team in January. I know that once he is on the team he will need a specific kind of trunks that the team wears, but I want some that don't cost as much and he can wear just for practice. Does anyone have any websites that sell them for a good price. I found a place called swimoutlet.com, but it gets very mixed reviews.

 

[princessmom29]

Our teams don't wear trunks??? they were a bike short type suit. O would think anything that ftis close to the body lilke that wouldbe fine for practice.

 

[Colleen27]

When I was swimming, the boys wore their regular trunks for practice and the team "uniform" suits which were more like bike shorts for meets (and us girls wore a second, looser suit - usually an old one where the elastic had started to give out - over our main suit for practice). The extra little bit of resistance from a less streamlined suit helps to build strength and endurance, though not every coach buys into that thinking any more.

I'd suggest you wait and see what your son's team expects before spending any money on suits. They aren't cheap, so why jump the gun and start buying things you might not even need?

ETA: The teams I was on and the local teams in my area now generally have preferred suppliers and give the team members coupons/codes to use with those suppliers at the start of the season, so that's another reason to wait and see. I always ordered my suits through the same company that supplied our uniform suit, because with the 20% discount for being part of a member team they were cheaper on plain old Speedo suits than any of the local sporting goods places.

 

[Aimros]

My son is going to be starting on the swim team in January. I know that once he is on the team he will need a specific kind of trunks that the team wears, but I want some that don't cost as much and he can wear just for practice. Does anyone have any websites that sell them for a good price. I found a place called swimoutlet.com, but it gets very mixed reviews.

Former competitive swimmer of 18 years and present high school swim coach here...

I LOVE swimoutlet. It is by far the cheapest site with high quality products I've found in my 10+ years of buying swim gear online. I have never had a problem with them in terms of my orders or shipping (everything always comes super quick too!). The only advice I will give is to get a quality suit, not the swimoutlet brand, because they fall apart very quickly. Get a Speedo Endurance, even though you'll pay more for it, it will last him the whole season (as long as he doesn't leave them balled up in his swim bag every night after practice... ).

And good for him for joining the team! I might be a little biased, but I think swimming is one of the best sports a kid can participate in. Best of luck to him, and PM me if you have any questions!

 

[WDWisTheBest]

When I was swimming, the boys wore their regular trunks for practice and the team "uniform" suits which were more like bike shorts for meets (and us girls wore a second, looser suit - usually an old one where the elastic had started to give out - over our main suit for practice). The extra little bit of resistance from a less streamlined suit helps to build strength and endurance, though not every coach buys into that thinking any more.

I'd suggest you wait and see what your son's team expects before spending any money on suits. They aren't cheap, so why jump the gun and start buying things you might not even need?

ETA: The teams I was on and the local teams in my area now generally have preferred suppliers and give the team members coupons/codes to use with those suppliers at the start of the season, so that's another reason to wait and see. I always ordered my suits through the same company that supplied our uniform suit, because with the 20% discount for being part of a member team they were cheaper on plain old Speedo suits than any of the local sporting goods places.

Good advice to OP.

 

[DVC'96]

I second the Speedo Endurance suits! They are great. You might want to get on the mailing list for Speedousa.com . Closer to Christmas, they have had 15-20% off and free shipping. You can get some really good deals then and they have a sale/clearance section that is great. I usually get a couple of suits for my kids as Christmas presents.
Good luck with swim team!

 

[akcire]

I generally swim daily. This store has a local location, but before I moved to this town I ordered from their catalogue (before the internet) for 15 years.

I have always been happy with their service and products.

http://www.kiefer.com/

 

[Swimalie]

The "trunks" are called jammers. Some boys wear the poly training drag suits that look like square suits. Swim Outlet is a great place to order from. They have grab bag suits that you can order from. Same original quality but last year's patterns. It will save you a lot of money.

I am a current competitive swimmer who competes with masters (over 18) but trains with teenagers (#1 ranked team in the country ) and go through about 10 suits a year. I personally don't like polyester since it doesn't stretch like lycra does. But that's a personal choice. If he sticks with it, try Marshalls, Ross and TJ Maxx around February- April for suits. They will get in last year's suits as well. This past April I managed to pick up 6 suits (Speedo and Nike) for a total of $65! Yes, $10 each for 5 of them and 1 was $15.

Oh and buy a size smaller than you think he can wear. The smaller the suit, the longer it will last. If it's too big to start with, the drag will get water in too soon and will wear out faster.

 

[jbmom]

I order practice jammers from Swimoutlet for both my sons. I've never had a problem. The boys always wear jammers for practice, most are the cheaper ones and they keep their good suits for competition.

 

[Mrs D]

All the swim teachers at my YMCA order our suits from swimoutlet.com

 

[uk_wildcat]

Thanks for all of the replies. I think I will try out swimoutlet and see how it goes. I was thinking of doing one of the grab bags but was worried we would get something in a color he wouldn't like.
I know I wrote trunks in the title, but jammers are what I am looking for. I am new to the whole swimming thing, so this should be an interesting experience.

 

[jmpellet]

I've gotten my daughter's at swimsuitdiscounters.com -- around $20 plus $4 shipping. This is a great price for girls. They have an ebay store as well.

 

[Swimalie]

Thanks for all of the replies. I think I will try out swimoutlet and see how it goes. I was thinking of doing one of the grab bags but was worried we would get something in a color he wouldn't like.
I know I wrote trunks in the title, but jammers are what I am looking for. I am new to the whole swimming thing, so this should be an interesting experience.

If you are looking for decent goggles, try Club Sport from Swim Outlet. I think I have something like the S2 from them. I usually wear Women's Vanquisher's from Speedo but lately I've been going through them so fast and at $16 each it felt like waste. So I tried these out and after a week, I'm very pleased. Can't beat the $6 price either. I have a meet this weekend where I'll go back to my competition Vanquishers but I've been diving during practice with the Club Sport and they've been staying on and staying relatively fog free.

 

[Aimros]

If you are looking for decent goggles, try Club Sport from Swim Outlet. I think I have something like the S2 from them. I usually wear Women's Vanquisher's from Speedo but lately I've been going through them so fast and at $16 each it felt like waste. So I tried these out and after a week, I'm very pleased. Can't beat the $6 price either. I have a meet this weekend where I'll go back to my competition Vanquishers but I've been diving during practice with the Club Sport and they've been staying on and staying relatively fog free.

Just stay away from Club Sport bathing suits!

 

[Swimalie]

Just stay away from Club Sport bathing suits!

I haven't tried their suits yet. I love EQ suits for practice (when I'm not finding bargains on Nike and Speedo) http://www.eqswimwear.com/ Made in the US by a woman who decided she didn't like the quality of training swim wear out there. She's a great woman, too. I used to swim with her when I lived in Oregon. She has a sale about once a year of buy 2, get 1 free if you get on her mailing list. That makes her grab bag women's suits about $17 each!