Orca Apex Dream Kona tri-suit review

Orca launched the Apex as a sequel to its RS1 Dream Kona, which was often worn to glory by Germany’s (now retired) pro star Sebastian Kienle.

The Basque country-based brand has again thrown all its aero bells and whistles at this suit, which launched in 2023. But is it enough to land a place in our list of the best tri-suits?

Fabric performance

There’s a hydrophobic coating on the outside of the fabric that beads water on the surface of it, making this a strong contender for any pool or non-wetsuit swims.

The design of the shoulder panels combined with the lithe fabric also aid upper-body movement during the swim leg, with the lack of pockets helping with this.

Onto the bike and the Apex Dream Kona’s material is lean and lightweight, drying swiftly after the swim leg.

The textured and wind tunnel-tested materials combine with a streamlined fit (go up if you’re between sizes) to highlight the drag-reducing prowess.

Comfort

Maybe the elite racers, including Kienle, who devised the suit have tougher bottoms than me, but I’d personally go no further than Olympic-distance tri in the Apex due to the barely-there pad.

In terms of racing in warmer climes, the fabric is lean and lightweight (the overall weight came in at 190g for a medium on my scales), with a sizeable mesh area under the armpits and along the sides of the body.

The full-length zipper that breaks away at the bottom is great for comfort around the waist and pre- or mid-race toilet stops.

Frustratingly, there’s also the matter of a scratchy zipper head due to the limited garage, and the upper leg fabric bunches a little at the very top of the thigh.

I also found the elasticated leg bands a little too taut for all-day comfort.

Aero performance

The Apex Dream Kona failed to excel in 220’s wind-tunnel tests at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub with The Bike Tailor.

It’s performance over our baseline suit at a 7.5° yaw angle (simply, the amount of crosswind on your bike) was just 2secs (at 30km/h) and 3secs (at 40km/h) faster over a 40km bike leg with the rider on tri-bars, and lagged behind its competitors at the £200-300 price tag.

Design and fit

While £279 is still plenty of cash, the construction quality – including taped seams on the inside – feels top notch.

In terms of visuals, the large white back panel on this black and white version gives the feel of coolness in hotter conditions, but I prefer the design of the black/blue, black/silver and black/red versions.

Female racers get black/white, black/coral and black/turquoise options.

Worth noting is that the compressive materials utilised in the suit do come in quite tight, though, so think about going up if you’re between sizes.

The five sizes only run from XS to XL for men and XS-L for women, meanwhile, with other brands on test offering a wider range.

Overall, for a sprint- and Olympic-distance non-wetsuit blast, I can think of few suits more slippery and suitable.

The lean pad and lack of pockets (for things like energy gels), however, may limit its longer distance appeal and put into question that ‘Kona’ billing.

Orca Apex Dream Kona tri-suit specs

Price:	£279 / $349
Available from:	Sigma Sports (men’s), Sigma Sports (women’s)
Sizing:	XS-XL (men’s), XS-L (women’s)
Pockets:	0
Breakaway zip:	Yes