Your wetsuit is a big deal. From shiver-inducing winter sessions, to early, frigid dawn patrols — your neoprene is literally the difference between stoked bliss, and blue-skin misery. As such a consequential piece of gear, it’s absolutely essential for you to care for your wetsuit, so it’ll last longer, and perform better.
Aside from saving you money in the long run, caring for your wetsuit means that getting into your neoprene is less often a cold, wet, unpleasant experience. We’ve all been there, it sucks!
You’ll no longer have to sweat your way into a rubbery suit at your local shop every year, or heaven forbid, buy the wrong size online. And zoomed all the way out, caring for your suit means that you’ll be lessening your carbon footprint by buying fewer suits over your surfing career.
The C-Monsta knows a thing or two about wetsuit care.
All that said, our partners at C-Monsta have helped us put together a list of best practices and tips for you to get the absolute maximum lifespan out of your wetsuit. They’re all to be taken with a grain of salt, but by adhering to these strategies, you’ll be able to enjoy years of turns with your neoprene shredwear.
Learn More About C-MonstaHow to Care for Your Wetsuit — From Beginning of Life, to End of Life
1.) Buy the Right Size
With winter suits, the seams usually fail before anything else goes wrong — so looking after your seams is just as important as looking after your neoprene. That said, buy the right size. Ideally, try a suit on in your local shop.
Thicker suits fit differently than thinner suits – they have less flexibility, so you might need to size up. This puts more stress on the seams than on the neoprene. Thinner suits also have more “give” so you will get away with a tighter suit. Winter suits are all about fit.
2.) Pull With Care
When putting on your suit, be sure to treat it like the fine piece of equipment that it is! If you are pulling on one specific point or yanking relentlessly, you will eventually puncture or rip the suit.
Be kind and gentle to the suit. Use a changing mat to prevent grinding it into the dirt (C-Monsta makes one of the only padded mats on the market). The swell might be pumping, and your stoke level might be shooting through the roof — but just take a minute to carefully put it on.
Pro Tip: If you really struggle getting into your suit, you can stick plastic bags on your feet and hands and they should squeeze through more easily. (Mind blown)
Shop Padded Mats
Photo: C-Monsta / Samuel Howard
3.) To Pee, or Not to Pee?
If you’re gonna do it, pee as early as possible in your surf session. It will help the pee flush out before you rinse it.
The jury’s not in on this one — the great pee debate will probably always divide the surfing community. But if you do prefer to let loose in your neoprene, be aware that it can negatively impact your body heat regulation in the long term, and potentially make you the stinky kid on the drive back home.
4.) Suit On, Suit Off
Same as when you put on your suit — be gentle! Changing mat at the ready? Sometimes you need a friend to help get a shoulder free or something — just ask. Friends don’t let friends abuse their neoprene!
With sore, cold muscles from your session, it can be frustrating to get your suit off. But remember that your suit is what keeps you relatively comfortable in the water and the better you treat it, the longer it’ll last.
5.) Rinse and Repeat
As soon as possible, rinse that suit out, and rinse it as much as possible. Be sure to use warm water, because salt and ammonia (from pee) dissolve better in warmer temps — not too hot though, as that’ll damage the neoprene.
Pro Tip: Got a stinky suit, boots, or gloves? Use a little bit of mouthwash with chlorhexidine to check the funk – it also kills bacteria and prevents the suit from rotting.
Photo: C-Monsta / Samuel Howard
6.) Get Your Dry On
Hang the suit up from the waist, inside out. By hanging the suit from the waist, you’re minimizing stress on the shoulder seams. The C-Monsta wetsuit hanger makes this super easy and you can also keep your wetsuit, boots, and gloves consolidated.
Drying from the suit inside out means that when you put it on, the dry side will be on your skin. If you plan to leave the suit on a hanger for a prolonged period, turn the suit round the right way and use a bit of pipe insulation to cover the rail. This will make more of a gap between the two halves of the suit and also make a nice soft rail so that there is no chance of any creasing.
Shop V2 Wetsuit HangerPro Tip: Do not hang the suit in direct sunlight! The UV rays will accelerate the deterioration of the neoprene and seams. In time, the neoprene will eventually go brittle and lose elasticity.
7.) Keep Your Rig Fresh
Make sure that you look after your car or van and transport your wetsuit in a waterproof bag or tub. C-Monsta makes an awesome bag that allows you to transport your dry things and wet things together, in perfect harmony.
But if that’s not your bag (pun intended), a run-of-the-mill plastic shopping sack or plastic carryall tub from any hardware store will do the trick in a pinch.
Shop Split Bag
Photo: C-Monsta / Samuel Howard
8.) Reuse & Recycle
There are now loads of places where you can send your wetsuit so that it will be reincarnated into a beautiful new product. Recycling used neoprene means that another piece of gear will not need to be made from scratch — limiting the impact of the overall consumption lifespan of the product.
And while it might seem kinda gross, consider handing your well-loved neoprene on to an aspiring grommet or best friend that doesn’t mind carrying on the legacy of your used suit.
Looking after your wetsuit is massively rewarding on several levels. You will no longer be asking yourself which suit you’re wearing this year — because your old neoprene will still be going strong.
The Journey Continues
And just imagine all of those shred sessions you’ll be able to afford with the money you would’ve spent on a new wetsuit. We can already hear Baja calling your name, inviting you to continue your surf obsession — of course, with your trusty wetsuit putting the hammer down, set after glorious set.
