Drysuit - Self doning

[chippy]

Has anyone got any useful tips for zipping yourself up?

I see that a few people have mentioned that they have managed it, and wondered how they managed it. I had tried tying a longer "leash" onto the zipper, but still found it was too tight to zip myself. It's a brand new suit so maybe it just needs a use before it loosens enough for me to close it myself?

 

[ScubaK-Dawg]

I've found that the self donning suits sometimes aren't so self donning. I have the same problem sometimes. I just ask someone to help me get the zipper started most of the time...

 

[chippy]

Mine's a shoulder zip.....I'd seen some posts that said it can be done.

Maybe the posts were from contortionists?

 

[flw]

T

 

[kramynot2000]

I have a Bare ATR-HD and notice that if I don't wax the zipper, it is tough to get the zipper started. Also, I noticed that I really need to get the zipper aligned right to start it. Once it gets over my shoulder there usually isn't a problem thought.

 

[Uncle Pug]

.. is that you might get your undergarment caught in the zipper. This not only chews up the undergarment but worse... it can ruin your zipper.

While not recommended... I have done it successfully by placing the zip pull loop over a something stationary on the boat and while pulling gently away turned myself and rolled the zipper closed across my back. Pulling away (gently) keeps (hopefully) the undergarment out of the zipper.

 

[scubasean]

chippy once bubbled...
Has anyone got any useful tips for zipping yourself up?

I see that a few people have mentioned that they have managed it, and wondered how they managed it. I had tried tying a longer "leash" onto the zipper, but still found it was too tight to zip myself. It's a brand new suit so maybe it just needs a use before it loosens enough for me to close it myself?

I can get in and out of my TLS350 alone just fine...but I'm a drysuit newb so far, and the suit is relatively new.

Maybe after it has a few more hours on it and the zipper gets a bit more encrusted (a maintenance issue, since I clean it after a few dives, so far) I'll need help, but I'm fine so far.

I wax the zipper after each dive day.

As somebody mentioned, alignment of the zipper seems to help. I also *always* have pulled with one hand, with the other holding the portion of the zipper securely behind the current location of the closure point, so I'm pulling the zipper with one hand away from the other hand...keep tension, and make the zipper halves ahead of the closure point are aligned.

 

[Uncle Pug]

scubasean once bubbled...
I can get in and out of my TLS350 alone just fine

 

[chippy]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I keep my zipper well waxed, so there shouldn't be a problem there, and I wear a skin tight polartec undersuit so I haven't really got much chance of catching it in the zip - if it does I'll soon know as it'll take a chunk of my skin with it!!

The stationary object method sounds like a winner - I'll try that one later.

cheers

 

[torbaydiver]

Once your arms are in the drysuit , do the zip up a little bit before putting it over your head, I find this helps, as does yoga classes
I frequently don my own dry suit without too many problems with the standard lease using my FreeHand to align the zipper.
You only really need to worry about this if you intend to solo dive!