Bare Dry Suit Storage?

[AquaGuy]

Hey Guys,

I have placed all of my old wetsuits in storage and made room for my new drysuit. I used an old towel rack with a piece of PVC pipe over the metal pipe so it won't rust to drape my new drysuit over. This is how I plan to store it in the garrage (San Diego, warm climate etc).

What do you think? Is this the correct way to store it between dives?

Thanks

Here is a pic

AquaGuy

 

[moneysavr]

I cant realy tell by pic
but some dry suit hangers you run thru the neck area and they have wide pvc bar with soft cover so no crease,Thats what I use. but I am sure yours will work some folks hang the neo type dry suits by the boots other with a hanger, key is no crease, and second you may drape som plastic over it, how hot dose it get in your garage day time door closed? that may be a thing to think about,
Brad

 

[spectrum]

I dragged the picture into my photo editor and brought igot somer definition out of it. It t=looks like a laminate suit to me.

Getting the boots to stand on their own is a good move.

With the torso over the towl bar is the suit getting ventilated? With persiration they can come home pretty damp on the inside.

What are you doing with the zipper between dives, opened or closed? I have had professional advice going both ways.

With that material creases and self crushing are not as big a deal as neoprene but the bigger the better on the bar diameter. It looks like there's some major bunching up on top of the bar.

That metro rack will get very rusty.

How do you hang it for rinsing?

Pete

 

[AquaGuy]

I changed it around a little. Here are some more detailed pictures. I decided to store it with the zipper facing out so it can dry better.

You can see I used a piece of PVC pipe to go over the metal bar for the towel rack. This should prevent any rust from getting on the dry suit. It also acts as a roller so I can "roll" the drysuit onto the rack. As far as rinsing goes, I really have not figured that out yet.

Any ideas on the best way to hang a drysuit while you rinse it?

 

[MarkH]

What are you doing with the zipper between dives, opened or closed? I have had professional advice going both ways.

I've heard both too. My opinion is to keep it open for storage. The rubber around the teeth will get compressed like an o-ring that is under long-term pressure (go flat). The longer it is closed, the less sealing pressure there will be (this is my opinion). When I am moving it around, I keep the zipper closed because it makes it more ridgid (sp?). If it is open, the suit will flop around and bend the zipper which (in my experience) will eventually rip the material between the teeth which could cause the tooth to stick and pop out when you are trying to close it. It's too bad drysuits cost so much that we have to worry about things like this. We should be seeing a $300 drysuit by now.

 

[Peter_C]

From OS Systems website.
"To roll the suit, lay it with the zipper open and facing the floor. Begin rolling from the feet towards the neck. When your suit is rolled up to the neck, fold the arms/zipper over the roll and the suit is ready to be stored in the suit bag (optional). "

http://www.ossystems.com/diving/congr.htm

 

[JustinW]

Garage storage doesn't seem like a great idea, and ozone will attack the latex. I guess I don't understand why you don't just use a hanger and hang it. I like to hang it, and then poke a hole in a black garbage bag, creating a sort of garment bag that will protect the seals from UV and ozone.

 

[jbb]

Garage storage doesn't seem like a great idea, and ozone will attack the latex. I guess I don't understand why you don't just use a hanger and hang it. I like to hang it, and then poke a hole in a black garbage bag, creating a sort of garment bag that will protect the seals from UV and ozone.

I agree that garage storage is not the best. Remember you are parking your cars in there and you are exposing the suit to car exhaust as well as whatever other petroleum products you might have and maybe even a water heater or furnace (well probably not in San Diego). I dry my suit initially in the garage but roll it up afterwards for longer term storage (zipper open and on the outside of the roll) in a Rubbermaid lidded storage container after powdering the seals.

Jason

 

[RPanick]

I actually read the stuff that came with my dry suit, and it basically said to let it dry, and then put it in the bag that it came with. The bag is ruberized on the inside to keep out moisture, or keep it in if you think about it. It also keeps out dirt, sunlight, and most moisture, and while it won't keep out ozone, I'm sure it probably helps.

I will usually wash the suit with a gentle spray of a garden hose to get the dirt off the suit. I then dry the suit, I let the outer shell dry, turn it inside out and let the inside dry if it needs it. Drying the inside is usually only needed in the summer from sweating, but I occassionally will gently wash the inside of the suit. That seems to help keep odors under some control.

 

[Peter_C]

Food grade silicone to protect the seals and make them last longer can be had from places like hardware stores (For instance Home Depot and Lowes), some food stores, and of course every dive shop for twice what it is worth. The silicone also makes the seals easy to get on.