Sumarpo Victory

 “Technically brilliant and lovely to look at, the Sumarpo Victory is proof that a wetsuit can perform magnificently AND be good for the planet.  A true Victory all round”.

Triathlon has been a little bit late to the whole sustainability party.  But the message is clear; price and performance aren’t enough anymore.  Customers want to know how green their gear is.

Enter Sumarpo.  Originally a UK design studio, they are now taking on the triathlon wetsuit market’s big players with their range of triathlon wetsuits. We got our hands on their flagship elite suit, the Victory to see if it can compete with the best.

Details

Make: Sumarpo

Model: Victory

Cost: $779.95

Buy here: https://www.sumarpo.com/products/mens-victory-eco-wetsuit

Unboxing and Sustainability

The Victory feels like a top-end suit as you unbox it.  The suit has a fast look to it, nicely accentuating forearms and legs.  We're not a huge fan of the central logo as it feels a bit casual against the purpose of the Victory.  But it's boxed nicely, and comes with a wetsuit bag and swim hat.

Sumarpo are pushing their green credentials, and keen to avoid greenwashing, they are very specific about how the Victory is 100% eco-friendly.  For example, the adhesives used in creating the Victory are Benzene-free, their neoprene is made using limestone instead of petroleum, and the lining of the suit is made from 100% recycled fibers.

Fit

Forget flexibility, cost, or anything else.  The single most important feature of a wetsuit is that it fits well.  Too big, and water ingress will make you heavy in the water and thus, slower.  Too small, and you will spend your entire swim fighting the suit.  The Victory has a pretty reliable sizing structure; our reviewer was 195cm tall and around 90 kgs, and like most major brands, the large (rather than the medium tall which tends to suit most slimmer taller athletes) was perfect.

The suit generally felt brilliant in terms of fit.  The sizing was perfect in the chest and back, and the shoulders and neck were extremely comfortable.

Sumarpo claims the use of a “slip skin” inner lining to allow for easy donning and removal.  We found this was a mixed picture. The main sections of the suit go on beautifully, but a word on the fit of the cuffs.  They are exceptionally tight.  Now, this is obviously by design and intended to prevent water ingress and preserve warmth.  It must also be noted that suits tend to be a bit more forgiving after a few wears.  However, this is not a suit you should put on without some presence of mind (and being a top-end wetsuit, nor should you). 

We would say that bodyglide or similar on the hands is a must, and once the suit is on, make sure your watch is at least partially underneath the cuffs.  On one occasion, we attempted suit removal and the presence of our bulky Garmin Fenix watch made removal of the sleeve almost impossible. These are raceday considerations, but it’s important.  Triathletes who care about their T1 times (which is every triathlete, really) should keep this in mind when wearing the Victory on race day.

Flexibility and comfort

The Victory is Sumarpo’s flagship wetsuit, designed for maximum performance.  To live up to this, it needs, among other things, the shoulder flexibility to go toe to toe with the big suits like the Huub Agilis or the BlueSeventy Helix.

Thankfully, it has it.  Once on, shoulder movement wearing the Victory is very impressive, finding a nice balance between supportive and mobile. We experimented with several swimming styles during our testing, including almost straight arm recovery and a ‘swinger’ style stroke often used in open water swimming.  In all phases of the stroke, the Victory was simply lovely to wear. Sumarpo claim 580% flexibility on the inner panels (the armpit area) and while we cannot independently verify these claims, the suit did feel wonderfully flexible.

Buoyancy and speed

The Victory sits at the top of Sumarpo's line of wetsuits.

Sumarpo have adopted an interesting approach to the Victory in terms of buoyancy.  Their suit features a 5:5 ratio for buoyancy (these two numbers are the thickness of the neoprene in the torso and legs).  The 1.5mm in the arms is slightly thicker than the 1mm seen in suits from Roka or BlueSeventy.

Of more interest, though, was the 5:5 ratio for the core to legs.  Ordinarily, this is a suit ratio aimed at stronger swimmers (as weaker swimmers tend to opt for more buoyant legs to keep their body position horizontal.  However, the back panels of the Victory are only 2mm, which means that, overall, the core buoyancy is probably closer to the 3:5 ratio seen in other suits.  We felt extremely supported in the legs (prone to sinky legs, we are) and our body position felt absolutely perfect in the Victory. Horizontal, minimal energy leakage.

However, Sumarpo have built this suit to be fast, and this is why people will buy a flagship suit.  So was it fast?

Yes.  Rapid.  Our testing process put the Victory through several different types of swim, including open water interval, fast starts, and longer 1-1.5km swims.  The Victory was fast through all of them.  We swam a very serviceable 1500 metre open water session and as well as being close to our best time, we felt ready to explode onto the bike, such was the Victory’s ability to keep us fast at lower effort levels. 

We also tried some 100m reps in a local river, and the Victory felt especially fast here; each catch and pull phase felt extremely productive.  Sumarpo have incorporated the use of tech called GSP (Groove-Shaped Paddles).  This is essentially a textured silicon forearm which is designed to ‘grip’ more water.  We certainly felt that our pull phase did drive our stroke forward nicely, and while other factors can influence this, we did feel fast.

Groove-shaped paddles (GSP) are designed to help you 'grip' more water with your stroke

Cost

This is Sumarpo's flagship suit, and it has a flagship price to match. At current prices, a Victory suit costs £680.  We thought it would be useful to compare this to other top-tier suits

At the time of writing, Sumarpo are offering 10% off, so it just beats the BlueSeventy Helix in terms of value.  Whether the suit is better value than the top offering from Huub is down to the individual athlete.  However, Sumarpo have fully committed to the eco-friendly agenda, and given that we should all be thinking about how our actions affect the planet, this extra cost for protecting the planet may be worth the extra bucks.  However, it's still miles cheaper than the top suits from Zone 3 or Roka.

Verdict

Sumarpo have created something terrific with the Victory.  It's a fantastic piece of engineering, at a competitive price, with a commitment to environmental protection that isn't usually seen in major triathlon companies. It's technically brilliant and lovely to look at, and it's proof that a wetsuit can perform magnificently and be good for the planet.  Some tightness around the cuffs notwithstanding, this is an elite-level suit and should be seriously considered as a contender to compete with the very best.

A true Victory all round.

We thank the nice people at Sumarpo for sending us a Sumarpo Victory wetsuit to test.  This did not affect the outcome of our review, which was completed after 15 swims in a variety of different open water settings, including sea and river, during the months of July and September in the UK