Hi there. Can any of you experienced divers tell me the best way to store a dry suit and any problems associated with this. For example i have been told that plastic should be used if you are going to "hang" it , and not metal or wood. Cheers in advance for any responses.
Dry suit storage
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If you are going to hang the suit, a good heavy PLASTIC hanger is best. They actually make special dive hangers, but to be honest, all I did was tape a few of the less hardy plastic ones together and voila, a heavy-duty dive hanger. At a fraction of the cost!
If you don't go the hangar route, you can also store the suit rolled up. After zipping all the zippers, lay the suit flat. Cross the arms over in the front. Start rolling from the feet and progress upward until it's all rolled up in a nice neat bundle.
The key to keeping your suit in good shape is to make sure you take good care of your zippers & seals. Lubricate the zipper at least once every few dives with beeswax or something commercially available. NEVER lube drysuit zippers or seals with silicone!
Having never owned a suit with latex seals, I can't comment about their proper maintenance. You usually don't have to do anything with neoprene unless you damage it somehow.
Hope this helps,
~SubMariner~
If you don't go the hangar route, you can also store the suit rolled up. After zipping all the zippers, lay the suit flat. Cross the arms over in the front. Start rolling from the feet and progress upward until it's all rolled up in a nice neat bundle.
The key to keeping your suit in good shape is to make sure you take good care of your zippers & seals. Lubricate the zipper at least once every few dives with beeswax or something commercially available. NEVER lube drysuit zippers or seals with silicone!
Having never owned a suit with latex seals, I can't comment about their proper maintenance. You usually don't have to do anything with neoprene unless you damage it somehow.
Hope this helps,
~SubMariner~
I always used a couple of lengths of 1/2 inch PVC and ran them up each leg through the back entry zipper, then just found a place where I could lean it upside-down against the wall out of the way. The PVC should be long enough so that the arms don't touch the ground as they droop. But then, I only "stored" it a few days at a time, until the next dive.
rcontrera
Contributor
I hate to disagree, but in this instance I just have to. Storage of your suit depends on the type and material it is made of.
If you are using a shell style suit (like a good old OS Systems
) you need to wash and dry the entire suit, lubricate the seals and zipper then roll the suit up wit the zipper OPEN and wrapped around the roll. This minimizes the bend on the zipper which greatly extends the life.
There are a couple of reasons that you leave the zipper open.
1. An open zipper is very flexible and will withstand bending much better than a closed one.
2. The sealing area of a zipper is the 1/16" of rubber on either side of the internal teeth and jamming them together for a long time will allow the rubber to take a set. after a while (albeit a long time) the rubber wont have the resiliency it once did and will fail to seal tightly.
Rolling the suit and putting it in the bag minimizes the amount of air that circulates around the rubber which extends the life again.
Now, for a neoprene suit, rolling will cause creases which breaks down tea material. The best storage is to use an inflatable mannequins to maintain the shape and then seal it in a large plastic bag. Then you can lay it out under your bed or some other dark spot to help the neoprene last longer.
Sorry to be so long winded, but drysuits are my life (sad ... huh!).
Just my $.02
If you are using a shell style suit (like a good old OS Systems
) you need to wash and dry the entire suit, lubricate the seals and zipper then roll the suit up wit the zipper OPEN and wrapped around the roll. This minimizes the bend on the zipper which greatly extends the life.There are a couple of reasons that you leave the zipper open.
1. An open zipper is very flexible and will withstand bending much better than a closed one.
2. The sealing area of a zipper is the 1/16" of rubber on either side of the internal teeth and jamming them together for a long time will allow the rubber to take a set. after a while (albeit a long time) the rubber wont have the resiliency it once did and will fail to seal tightly.
Rolling the suit and putting it in the bag minimizes the amount of air that circulates around the rubber which extends the life again.
Now, for a neoprene suit, rolling will cause creases which breaks down tea material. The best storage is to use an inflatable mannequins to maintain the shape and then seal it in a large plastic bag. Then you can lay it out under your bed or some other dark spot to help the neoprene last longer.
Sorry to be so long winded, but drysuits are my life (sad ... huh!).
Just my $.02
I guess I must have experienced a "blonde moment" and forgot that we tend to store the suits UNZIPPED, as RC suggested.
However, I'm not quite sure I undestand about washing out membrane suits. Truthfully, I can't see doing that EVERY time I put my suit away. Maybe after every 4th dive or so...
TTFN,
~SubMariner~
However, I'm not quite sure I undestand about washing out membrane suits. Truthfully, I can't see doing that EVERY time I put my suit away. Maybe after every 4th dive or so...
TTFN,
~SubMariner~
Cheers for all the advice. But after the varying opnionions i decided to e-mail the manufacturer to get the answer from the horses mouth. I should fold the suit legs first upto the neck and then cross the arms over the bundle. Apparently it doesnt matter whether the zip is open or closed. Then pop it into the bag supplied and seal it. In addition the manufacurer strongly recommended putting talc powder on the latex seals before storage.
DameDykker
Guest
Don't forget the talc. After a hot period I found my latex seals almost fused because I forgot the talc.
The zipper must be all the way open or all the way closed or the point where lock sits gets deformed and might not seal properly.
This accoring to my dry-suit manual (tri-lam with front entry)
DSAO
The zipper must be all the way open or all the way closed or the point where lock sits gets deformed and might not seal properly.
This accoring to my dry-suit manual (tri-lam with front entry)
DSAO
Mine is a neoprene suit. I store it on its own PVC dryer/stand (Rick's ultimate drysuit dryer) upside down with the arms out straight. Only disadvantage to this method is that you need a place with some room - mine's in my "diving gear shed" -
Rick
Rick
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