Description
Description
The Orca Vitalis Shorty is a men's open water wetsuit cut short at the elbow and the knee. It is built for swimming first, with orange hi-vis panels down the sides and sleeves, and it is tough enough in the legs to take out on a board or a kayak. It replaces the Openwater Core Swimskin in Orca's range.
Who it's for
Men who want one suit for a warm-water summer. Swim a morning lap of the bay in it, then keep it on for a paddle or a snorkel over the reef in the afternoon. The orange panels are there so the surf club, a boat skipper or your mate on the beach can pick you out of the chop.
Buoyancy and flexibility
With short arms and short legs, your elbows, forearms, knees and calves are free, so the suit moves easily through the stroke and the kick while the neoprene body gives you lift through the torso and hips. The cut also makes it quick to pull on and peel off, handy when you are changing in a car park with a towel round your waist.
The legs carry Orca's DuraSkin outer fabric, which stands up to the rubbing that a paddleboard deck, a kayak seat or a rocky entry hands out.
Getting the size right
Start with your weight and height, then check your chest.
- 4: 55–61 kg, 157–170 cm, chest 85–91 cm
- 5: 61–66 kg, 162–172 cm, chest 90–95 cm
- 6: 67–74 kg, 167–175 cm, chest 95–99 cm
- 6T (tall): 68–76 kg, 177–188 cm, chest 95–99 cm
- 7: 75–82 kg, 173–185 cm, chest 98–104 cm
- 8: 82–89 kg, 180–188 cm, chest 104–108 cm
- 9: 89–97 kg, 185–193 cm, chest 108–113 cm
- 10: 98–106 kg, 190–196 cm, chest 114–124 cm
- 11: 107 kg and over, 193–200 cm, chest 123–134 cm
On dry land the suit should feel snug everywhere, with no loose folds at the lower back. It eases as soon as water gets in. Fit your torso first: with short arms and legs, height matters less than it does in a full suit.
Water temperature range
The Vitalis Shorty is a warm-water suit. It is at home in Queensland and northern New South Wales for most of the year, and in the southern states at the height of summer, when you want some neoprene on your core and bare arms and legs. For cold winter water we'd step you up to a full-length suit from the Vitalis family.
Looking after neoprene
Rinse the suit in plenty of fresh water after every session, salt or pool. A little pH-neutral soap is fine if you rinse it out. Dry it in the shade or somewhere airy indoors, then store it folded over a hanger at the waist. Do not hang it by the shoulders, and keep your fingernails off the neoprene when you pull it on.
Specifications
Specifications
-
Material
-
Weight
-
Chest
-
Outer Shell Material
-
Size Range
-
Height
