Wetsuit care

[peakbaggers]

Just recently finally acquired wetsuits for wife & myself and wanted a little advice on care issues, i.e. Storage - best to leave out hanging for long periods of time or can they be stored rolled up in a bag somewhere? Cleaning: do you ever clean with any kind of detergent or just spray off the best you can? Repair: suits we bought came with several patches. How do you patch a wetsuit - what kind of adhesive, etc.? Any adice appreciated.

[tcott]

I usually store my wetsuits hanging up. For cleaning McNett makes a good wetsuit shampoo as well a product called Mirazyme to get the stank out. For small repairs I use seal cement, for bigger ones aquaseal works good.

[ratagonia]

Just recently finally acquired wetsuits for wife & myself and wanted a little advice on care issues, i.e. Storage - best to leave out hanging for long periods of time or can they be stored rolled up in a bag somewhere? Cleaning: do you ever clean with any kind of detergent or just spray off the best you can? Repair: suits we bought came with several patches. How do you patch a wetsuit - what kind of adhesive, etc.? Any advice appreciated.

I wash mine in the washer, maybe with extra water but with just ordinary detergent, then line dry. Important to turn and dry both sides carefully, not a problem in our arid environment. Can hang up, or just stuff in with the other gear. Wetsuits are robust, they do not need "extra special care".

If the wetsuit did not get really dirty, then just spraying out well with the hose is fine. But if someone peed in it, or was in especially skank water, I think a trip through the washing machine is deserved.

Can be repaired with Aquaseal. The problem is that the aquaseal is not stretchy, so it makes a non-stretch part of the suit, so the Aquaseal only works for small holes. If seams break, good to hand stitch with strong thread and then aquaseal over the stitching on the outside. Wearing knee and elbow pads helps prevent holes in the knees and elbows, and helps to cover the holes once they are there. I tend to have two suits running at a time - a "new one" without holes used when I want to stay warm; and an "old one" with holes, used for when I need protection from scraping.

Tom

[jman]

I use two wetsuits and after every single trip if they were worn, I always use culinary water and hose them down. Then I leave on a hanger outside until they are dry. Then for storage I leave them on a hanger in my closet. That way if it didn't get completely dry it's not going to mildew up in a bag.

[tcott]

Can be repaired with Aquaseal. The problem is that the aquaseal is not stretchy, so it makes a non-stretch part of the suit, so the Aquaseal only works for small holes.

Seal cement is stretchy when it's dry.

[Iceaxe]

I just toss my wetsuit over a bar in the garage to dry until next trip.

Never actually bothered to patch any holes.

[peakbaggers]

Does anyone "beef" up their wetsuit when it's new such as going ahead and adding some extra material to key wear areas or do you just wait for the first holes to appear?
I bought a farmer john type with a separate jacket. Knees are reinforced. Seat seems to have some different kind of material as well, but jacket doesn't really have anything extra. Maybe Tom's idea of the knee and elbow pads is the best way to go. What do others like to do?

[Brian in SLC]

Wearing knee and elbow pads helps prevent holes in the knees and elbows

You have a particular brand/source for said knee and elbow pads? Neoprene also?

Seems like a good idear...especially if you know someone with an expensive tri-wetsuit...

[stefan]

Does anyone "beef" up their wetsuit when it's new such as going ahead and adding some extra material to key wear areas or do you just wait for the first holes to appear?

i think it's good idea to try to protect whatever you can on the wetsuit to keep it in the best shape possible (which is difficult in these scrapey slots). once holes or rips form it falls apart more easily, exposes skin to abrasion against the rock, and allows more cold water in. where each person wears down their wetsuit can be different depending on the types of movements one favors in a canyon (especially when downclimbing or chimneying). by identifying and protecting those areas specifically, it would be possible to increase the lifespan of a wetsuit for canyoneering.

as mentioned knee and elbow pads made of out neoprene are great for this as they can more easily be replaced when worn down. it's possible to reuse old wetsuits to create such padding too for different parts of the body. durable clothing can be worn over the wetsuit to bear the brunt of the abrasion like a tough shirt, cloth or neoprene shorts.

[nelsonccc]

I pee in mine all the time. I simply take mine into the shower with me and rinse it off with maybe a soap down on the muddy spots. Mine is covered in Aquaseal. I've got lots of holes and one 2-3" tear on the belly that have all been aquasealed. I put a piece of ducttape on the inside then aquaseal the outside. The patch's were done 6-7 years ago and they are still bomber.

[EvergreenDean]

I just toss my wetsuit over a bar in the garage to dry until next trip.

Never actually bothered to patch any holes.

Amen. Anything else falls into the category of "maintenance", which is to be avoided.

[Scott Card]

(Note to self, anything loaned to Nelsoncc-- oh say like a wet suit --will be considered a gift since I won't want it back)

I hose mine off and hang to dry, inside out. I patch with aqua seal as explained above. I also wear knee pads and often wear elbow pads.

[jwurst]

Wearing knee and elbow pads helps prevent holes in the knees and elbows, and helps to cover the holes once they are there.

Maybe a pair of thrift store shorts over the top too. Seems like my back side gets it worse than my knees and elbows.

I've used Goop plummers glue with success on just about everything--shoes, pants, packs, wetsuits, gloves, neoprene socks, drybags...

[ghawk]

Maybe a pair of thrift store shorts over the top too. Seems like my back side gets it worse than my knees and elbows.

I've used Goop plummers glue with success on just about everything--shoes, pants, packs, wetsuits, gloves, neoprene socks, drybags...

I always wear clothes over my wetsuit to protect it that much more. I'd rather buy a new pair of pants than a new wetsuit. The elbow pads and knee pads sound like a good idea too

[tcott]

I always wear clothes over my wetsuit to protect it that much more.

X2

[Cirrus2000]

I've never worn anything over my wetsuit, and have the holes in the elbows & bum (I'm Canadian - butts are the ends of cigarettes) to prove it. Just patched them with some 2mm neo scraps and Freesole (it's what I had). Putting the patches to the test tomorrow in some chiiilllllyyy water...

I sometimes rinse, and never wash, except for neo socks.

[peakbaggers]

All the feedback appreciated. Good idea wearing some form of clothing over the suit. Will have to keep that in mind.
For future reference, some guys doing construction on my home said "Gorilla" tape is waterproof/resistant - more so than the old Duct tape and they use it all the time in construction when they need to patch something that may get wet. SOunds like some of that may be good for in-the-field repairs.

[ratagonia]

All the feedback appreciated. Good idea wearing some form of clothing over the suit. Will have to keep that in mind.
For future reference, some guys doing construction on my home said "Gorilla" tape is waterproof/resistant - more so than the old Duct tape and they use it all the time in construction when they need to patch something that may get wet. SOunds like some of that may be good for in-the-field repairs.

I've used Gorilla tape on my wetsuit, and it works OK. Very carefully applied, it can make a permanent patch. Not so carefully patched, the glue will grab the hair on your skin and ouch! AND come off.

Tom