BoiDapChay (which translate to ‘SwimBikeRun’) is a Vietnamese triathlon team and this is their review about PURPOSE:
Different from the perennial trisuit giants mostly from Western countries, PURPOSE is a brand new name from Asia. Founded in Singapore in 2017 by Noor Ashikin Aziz, PURPOSE selects a different but also risky way: focusing on high-end triathlon clothing designed for Asians.
“We recognise athletes [in Asia] have smaller bodies and the climate here is also much hotter, so why not make a trisuit more fitting and comfortable for them? “Noor said when BoiDapChay approached him in December 2018.
Although the brand is still young, a strategic focus on design quality and finished products is seeing PURPOSE being used by leading names in the region as well as internationally. For example, Colin O’Shea (veteran triathlon athlete and coach of COS Coaching, Singapore’s leading triathlon training club) or Dan Plews (who broke the 2018 Kona record in age group with his time of 8:24:36).
For our trisuit, we were deciding between the PURPOSE Victory and PURPOSE Flow Pro Performance. The biggest difference between these two products is that the PURPOSE Flow series uses a variety of mesh designs on the chest, arms and back, providing good heat dissipation for countries with hot and humid weather conditions.
After testing both product lines, BoiDapChay decided to use the Flow Pro Performance for the Ironman 70.3 Danang 2019 Asia Pacific Championship so our athletes can be the most comfortable especially on the challenging run. Just to add, Dan Plews opted for the same Flow Pro Performance model for reasons of heat escape thanks to that grid design. This design helped him to cope with the harsh weather conditions at the Ironman World Championship in Kona.
After receiving the suit, our BoiDapChay athletes tried the trisuit for four weeks before the race. We all agree that PURPOSE is a trisuit brand that is very suitable for races with hot and humid climate like Vietnam. Here is our overview:
What we loved:
- Comfortable, cool with good heat escape capability
- Moderate, reasonable length for long pedaling sessions
- Good compression
- Pretty aero
- Roomy pockets to fit lots of food
Factors to consider:
- A little pricey
- Might be tight for athletes with wide shoulders / hips (so make sure you get the right size)
How we tested the product:
To ensure the difference and accuracy, BoiDapChay used the PURPOSE suit for training and competition, specifically in the following activities:
Design sense & light operation – We tried with walking first, to help assess the comfort and fit of the product.
Swimming – We tried the suit both in the pool and in the open water, for about 30 minutes each time. For the Open Water test, we ran 3km and weighed the product after to consider the trisuit drainage.
Brick – We wore the suit for indoor bike intervals (20-30km) followed by an outdoor run (70km + 7km).
First impressions:
The first impression we got was how light the PURPOSE trisuit is. With size M, the suit weighs only 218g, while Zone 3 Activate + weighs 240g and Orca 226 Comp weighs 240g. A few dozen grams may seem insignificant, but when worn with water constantly poured on during the race, you will feel the difference when the fabric is light, airy, volatile.
In terms of size, it can be said that PURPOSE is a brand with the most suitable fit for Asian people that BoiDapChay has ever tried. Those with wider shoulders and hips will feel a bit stiff initially. However, because the material stretches well, after about 2 times of wearing it, the suit will fit better.
In general, choose your size properly. An S in another brand might not be an S for this brand. We feel that weight is often a more accurate measure of size. If you are in the middle of 2 sizes, you can choose a larger size (again remember to look at the weight).
The PURPOSE trisuit feels cool and comfortable when worn and it also drains the water out well, unlike other brands. It provides good compression too.
We chose to go for the open design, where the front zipper separates the upper and lower body, making it quite convenient to wear and also easier to go to the toilet. The pockets on the back are wide enough to fit 500ml water bottles, as well as energy gels, salt, electrolytes.
One thing we really like about PURPOSE trisuits is that the design and quality of fabric makes the trisuit ‘nonslip’ from the body when cycling. Compared to products in the same segment like the 2XU Comp Full Zip or Zone3 Aquaflo, the area around the thigh and abdomen of the PURPOSE trisuit clings close to the body without restricting movement, thus limiting chaffing.
The second thing we like about PURPOSE trisuits is the chamois. We have tried more than 10 different types of trisuits and concluded that the chamois for PURPOSE trisuits is not too big, not too small, and most importantly, comfortable even on long rides. One of our members cycled 120km and ran 10km after and it didn’t cause any discomfort.
Running in the PURPOSE trisuit is great – there is sufficient compression to keep the muscles tight and the heat dissipates through the mesh fabric. We felt this trisuit is a lot better to run with in hot weather, compared to previous suits that our members have used.
CONCLUSION:
If you want to find a comfortable, lightweight and well-ventilated trisuit for training and competition, PURPOSE trisuits make an ideal choice. It is a little pricey but other than that it is hard to find much criticism about this young brand.
