Yonda_Feb21-456

GHOST 3 – Speed is key!

Harrison EdwardsYonda Ghost 3 review – Harrison Edwards In March of 2021 Yonda launched a brand-new addition to their current range of world class wetsuits with the Ghost 3. For the last 3 months I have taken great pleasure putting it to the test! Within this blog I will be talking about my experiences swimming, training, and racing in the new Ghost 3 wetsuit. I am a competitive triathlete with years of open water experience competing in distances from 800 meters to 5-kilometer swims. The Ghost 3 wetsuit is the third wetsuit in Yonda’s Ghost range and latest wetsuit of Yonda’s impressive range of eight wetsuits targeted at different disciplines. The Ghost 3 is also available in Swimrun option that comes with the same unrivalled build quality and has removable arms for those that compete in the swim run events. There are five important things for me as a swimmer that I look for when buying and trying a new wetsuit. I have titled them under five different topics which I believe are the most important for the best swimming experience.

Flexibility is everything

The first key area to consider is flexibility. It’s important that I am not restricted when wearing a wetsuit and have full flexibility of my body, the Ghost 3 certainly ticks this box. This is all thanks to the premium Yamamoto neoprene materials used to create this suit. Yonda have once again gone above to provide a suit that is made completely from this material. Yonda have specked this suit out with 4.5mm thickness in the body ensuring plenty of buoyancy and warmth but a thinner 1.5mm in the shoulders and arms where the flexibility is essential if you are looking to swim fast. This ratio of neoprene is an absolute no brainer if you are looking for a suit that will make sure you have full rotation allowing you to swim freely with no tight shoulders or restrictions.

Feel in the water

Many wetsuits have very bulky arms and cuffs which feel heavy. With other wetsuits, I have found this design leads to splashing and bad technique as you are fighting the suit to stay moving resulting in slower swim times. However, Yonda have absolutely nailed this on the Ghost 3 by creating a thin yet watertight cuff that allows me to have a swim experience like I haven’t got a wetsuit on.

Fitting on and slipping off

As a triathlete, the transition of fitting and slipping the wetsuit on and off must be as quick as possible. It is a personal struggle I have always had with wetsuits. I’m 6’2 with broad shoulders and size 11 wide fitting feet. Trying to get a wetsuit on without getting in a sweat and taking it off without having to sit down or have help can be a struggle. Having worn the Ghost wetsuits, this totally transformed my experience with wetsuits in transition as I could get them on within a minute and off within seconds without the use of oils or lubricants.

Fit of the wetsuit

The Ghost 3 has a super slippery lining for getting in and out of the wetsuit which also holds itself well when worn for a snug fit. This means it does not slide around or leave you with big air pockets and areas for water to leak in. It is very important to your performance that the wetsuit fits like it has been tailormade to you. Some of the most common signs of poor fit are water leaking into the suit, chaffing around the neck and armpits and baggy spots. When wearing the Ghost 3 I found that I had absolutely no problem with the fit in any area, which is awesome. This is in part due to Yonda’s amazing customer service, as I was able to get in touch with Yonda directly and discuss which suit would fit me perfectly. This conversation made the whole purchasing experience so much easier and stress free knowing I had Yonda’s word that the chosen wetsuit it would fit perfectly. You can find more details on the different size options here.

Speed of the suit

The fifth and final thing I look for is how fast is the wetsuit compared to other suits on the market? As a strong swimmer I know that I have an advantage over my competitors in first part of the race and I want to increase that lead with as many marginal gains as possible. One of these areas for me is the fastest wetsuit I can get my hands on. I can confidently say that the Ghost 3 is the fastest wetsuit I have ever swam in and I put this down the incredible Yamamoto materials used. The full Yamamoto panel design means there has been no stone left unturned when Yonda have created this wetsuit with the intention to be as fast as possible. Yamamoto is a revolutionary SCS material “Super Composite Skin” which has been developed to be the second lowest drag material on earth, coming second to ice. If that does not tell you how fast the materials used in this suit are I do not know what does. The Yamamoto design is also equipped with a 0% water absorption rating which mean it keeps the inner side of the suit completely dry meaning you stay warm and do not have to worry about the suit letting water in. From my personal experience with this wetsuit every time I have exited the water the inside was completely dry unless I had purposely let water in to cool me down.

Additional features

As always Yonda have gone above their competitors in many ways however here are some smaller key features of the Ghost 3 that I noticed over competing wetsuits. The Ghost 3 uses a reverse zipper unlike most wetsuits on the market, meaning that the zip is buckled together at the neck of the wetsuit and pulled down to the lower back. I found this feature to be advantageous because it leaves me knowing that it is securely locked in place until I use the pull tab to undo the suit when in transition. In triathlon specifically the swim can be a messy and hectic place and sometimes other swimmers flying hands can catch these zips meaning suit come undone and fill up with water, however with Yonda’s reverse zip design this ensure this does not happen. With this design, you will most likely need a helper to zip your suit up, however there is most likely a friend or volunteer willing to give you a hand and with some practice this can be mastered. Another feature of Yonda’s Ghost 3 I liked was the beautifully designed and neatly presented packaging. Right off opening the box the first thing I noticed was the handwritten thankyou note which made me feel welcome and happy with my purchase as it is rare to find this care in customer service nowadays. The next feature I noticed was all the packaging in the box was completely 100% recyclable with no plastic or wasteful materials. This is such a small feature that would normally go unnoticed but was a brilliant forward-thinking touch that I have only seen in one other competitors packaging.

Overall thoughts

After 3 hard months of regularly using the Ghost 3 for lots of training and racing, it has held up very well and shown no signs of stress, fading or tears which is too common in wetsuits. I would recommend the Ghost 3 to anyone wanting to up their level and have an advantage in and out of the water. The quality of this suit is up there with the best performance wetsuits in the world if not the best and does not compromise on comfort, flexibility, or speed. The Yonda Ghost 3 comes in at a very reasonable price point making it the best value for money when compared to other wetsuits in its price range. Overall if you are looking for a faster swim time or more enjoyable swimming experience, I would highly recommend you get in contact with Yonda and they can direct you for specific fitting requirements.      
Back to blog