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Stop rinsing your drysuit with fresh water and calling it done
I keep seeing guys at the dock just hose off their drysuit and think that's all the care it needs. Last month I pulled a suit out of storage that had been rinsed every single dive for 6 months and it still had salt crust in the neck seal and zipper. Salt crystals will eat through the latex and zipper teeth over time, I saw it happen to a buddy's suit after just 2 years. You gotta actually soak the seals and zipper in warm water for like 10 minutes each, not just spray it down. I had a repair shop down in Galveston tell me they see ruined suits all the time from this one mistake. Been doing the soak method for 3 years now and my suit looks practically new. Anybody else notice guys skipping this step or am I just being OCD about my gear?
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ray_martinez821mo ago
Yeah man, you just changed my mind honestly. I've been rinsing my suit for years and thought I was doing fine. Never even considered soaking the seals separately. But I had a neck seal start cracking last season and couldn't figure out why, now it makes sense. I always hit the zipper with fresh water but never let it sit long enough to actually dissolve the salt. Gonna try your method next time I get back from a trip. Better safe than spending hundreds on new seals.
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phoenixw111mo ago
Three trips ago I forgot to rinse my suit at all for like three days after a trip. Just left it in the garage bunched up. The smell was legit criminal but somehow the seals held up better than when I actually try to take care of stuff. Go figure.
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gibson.avery1mo ago
Soaking the zipper is the big one people miss. I let warm water run through mine for a good five minutes before I even think about lube. Saves you from having to replace the whole zipper later because the teeth got chewed up.
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