Editor’s Note: Avid surfer and co-founder of Carapace wetsuits, Alex Wang, is around wetsuits all day long. And if there’s one person who knows a thing or two about caring for these delicate babies, it’s Alex.
If you’re sick of buying a new suit every year, then you might want to consider these tips.
We get it. You’re surfed out, tired, and hungry. The last thing you want is to be worrying about your wetsuit after a long session. Wetsuits are extremely delicate and a little effort can go a long way in keeping them in good shape. And if you’re sick of buying a new suit every year, then you might want to listen up. Here are five wetsuit care tips that will help prolong the life of your wetsuit:
1. Be careful putting it on and taking it off. Putting on a dry wetsuit is always ideal because it slips on easily and reduces stress on the seams. When wetsuits are wet, it tends to stick to your skin, which causes you to stretch the wetsuit out in areas and ways it wasn’t intended. This creates excessive stress on both the neoprene as well as the seams. If your wetsuit is still wet and you have no back up, just be gentle. Use caution when stretching the wet wetsuit—especially around the entry points and the cuffs. We know this is challenging when the waves are pumping, but try your best.
When you are taking off your wetsuit, make sure you peel the wetsuit off of your body instead of grabbing the cuffs and pulling them off. Grabbing and pulling may break seams by the ankles and wrists. We are all guilty of stomping around the parking lot while your wetsuit is caught around your ankles. This not only gets contaminates in the jersey, but it also breaks down the material when you rub it against the hard concrete. Finding a seat to peel the wetsuit off of your legs is ideal to prevent any seams from popping.
2. Give it a good rinse. After a surf session, rinsing your wetsuit will wash away the salt water and any sand that’s trapped in the fibers of the jersey. No need for soap. Just a fresh water rinse after each surf session can prolong the life of your wetsuit significantly. No one wants a stinky, crusty wetsuit to put on—at least most of us don’t.
3. Dry that baby. When a wetsuit stays wet for a long period of time, the salt eats away at the glue, causing the seams to break down quicker. Be aware of how you are drying your wetsuit. Direct sunlight will damage the neoprene and jersey. Find a shaded location that has plenty of ventilation for air to pass through the wetsuit. An air jet tunnel at JPL would be ideal for quick results, but only a selective few have access to a location like that. Remember to flip your wetsuit inside out so the inner jersey dries thoroughly.
4. Be careful how you hang it. Do not hang your wetsuit by the collar or shoulders. The weight from the wet wetsuit will stretch the collars and shoulders out. The best way to hang a wetsuit is to fold it in half by the waist and drape it over a coat hanger or rail, which will allow the wetsuit to hang comfortably and dry. Trust us, we’ve seen surfers with turtleneck-like collars, and no one wants to be that preppy in the water.
5. Unfold it. Okay, maybe you don’t have time to do any of the following because you’re late to work or your post-surf burrito is urgently calling your name. That’s fine. At the very least, make sure you don’t ball-up your wetsuit and throw it in a corner. Pull the cuffs out and unfold the suit to its natural state . This will prevent the seams and neoprene from breaking down and creasing permanently.
So before you run into the office or scarf down that delicious post-surf burrito, take a minute out of your busy schedule to give your most important article of clothing a bit of extra care. After all, what’s worse than putting on a wet, sandy wetsuit? And if you consider these tips you won’t have to buy a new suit every year.
