TYR Hurricane Category 5 Wetsuit Review

TYR Hurricane Category 5

Over the weekend, I was looking at my Facebook feed and saw some photos from Age Group Nationals in Vermont.  What floored me a bit was the fact that so many people were wearing TYR wetsuits, in particular the Cat 5!  Being the inquisitive I am, it warranted further investigation.

The Facts:

• The wetsuit is made of the highest grade Yamamoto 39 cell neoprene, with 40 where the red stripes are on the shoulders.  This allows for unparalleled flexibility.
• A higher cut on the legs makes this suit extremely easy to put on and take off.
• The wetsuit itself was designed with valuable input from pros such as Andy Potts.
• Over 30 of the top triathletes switched to the Hurricane before it even launched.  To name a few, Chrissie Wellington, Andy Potts, Mirinda Carfrae, Hilary Biscay.
• Graded force catch panels – Thick graded panels are strategically aligned on the forearm to allow a catch and pull stroke like a built-in paddle.

The Swim

• Shoulders feel great
• Core stabilization feature is impressive.  The material that ends up wrapping around your core seems to separate the rest of your body, to ensure a proper swim form.

Taking it Off

• Taking off the Hurricane Cat 5 was pretty easy, especially when it’s wet, thanks to the higher cut on the legs.

TYR makes their Cat 5 as a sleeveless wetsuit as well.  See the rest of the TYR Hurricane Wetsuits.

TYR Cat 5 Hurricane Wetsuit Review

TYR has arguably put themselves in a class of their own with the Cat 5 Hurricane Wetsuit. The technology and science behind this suit is simply genius. Let’s begin with what I noticed the instant I tried it on, which I’ve never felt in any other suit:

The 360° Core Stabilization System. What is this and why does it matter? This is a panel on the wetsuit which surrounds the abdominals, providing what feels like a tightening affect. This system allows for two things.

1. One, optimal body position in the water and
2. Two, the conservation of precious energy due to not having to constrict your abdominals nearly as much.

Free Range of Motion: The ability to not feel constricted around the neck as well as the arms comes paramount to most triathletes when looking into wetsuits. This goes to say, the flexibility and Free Range of Motion in this suit are unreal. This can be attributed to the use of Yamamoto SCS Rubber which happens to be the lightest and most flexible on the market.

The Form Fitting Wrist Cuffs keep the water out around the writs and the Quick Release Ankle Cuffs allow for the suit to slide right off your feet (which we all know is a real pain in transition).

To sum it up, this suit is going to move with you, not against you.  This isn’t your every day wetsuit to train in. But, if you’re looking for the highest end best performance race wetsuit, here it is.

If you want to try out the TYR Category 5 Hurricane wetsuit here are some options:

1. Buy it:

Click here for the Cat 5 wetsuit for men (full sleeve)

Click here to buy the Cat 5 wetsuit for women (full sleeve)

2. Rent it

Click here to rent the suit at OneTri.com. (As of this writing I don’t think any other store in the country rents the Cat 5.)

If you want to see all triathlon wetsuits that One Tri offers you can click here.