Drysuit Storage - Hang or Bag?

[Brewski]

Ozone aging on the seals is the key concern. I bought a used drysuit on Ebay. The previous owner hung it in the garage long term, by the time I recieved the suit the seals were trashed.

I believe thats the main reason for storing the suit rolled up in a bag, to preserve the latex seals.

 

[ladbak1]

I roll loosely and put in a bag. I'm also considering getting one of those gigantic zip loc bags to put it in then put it in the regular bag it's in now.

I just don't like the idea of hanging it for long term. Even with the made for drysuit hangars. To dry the suit out yes, but not for long term.

 

[medic001918]

Some good points brought up. I might have to invest in a couple of the wide hangers to hang the suit conventionally...

Shane

 

[whoji]

If you hand by the boots surely undue strain is being put on the boot seals.

Hanging by the shoulders would only work for some suits, for example mine has a zip across the shoulders. If hung by the shoulders the weight on the suit would put undue stress on the zip.

On the point of latex seals, latex does have a shelf life and naturally perishes. You can expect to replace the seals at some point during the suits life.

 

[WillB]

Lots of great information! Thanks everyone. Special thanks to ronbeau for the quote from the DUI manual.

Will

 

[mfalco]

I would contact the manufacturer of the particular suit you have. the manufacturer of my suit says to hand it, and to never leave it rolled up in the bag for more than 24 hours. I think this is fairly common for neoprene suits.

 

[Gombessa]

Different manufacturers do say different things. DC says to keep it rolled loosely in its carry bag (I'm not sure, but I think this holds for its neoprene suits as well).

The thing is, I notice that rolling up my front-zip suit up can naturally put pressure on the part of the zipper base tape that wraps over the left shoulder - it tends to want to fold over and crease there. Just gotta be careful to treat the zipper like a hose - don't let it bend beyond its natural arc.

 

[dkatchalov]

Gombessa, I find that my zipper & tape material also bends/drapes over the shoulder and there is no way I can avoid that (trilam front entry suit).

I think as long as the suit is on top and you don't put anything on top of it to squash & stress the bend in the zipper further it should be ok.

 

[Gombessa]

Gombessa, I find that my zipper & tape material also bends/drapes over the shoulder and there is no way I can avoid that (trilam front entry suit).

Yeah, I just do my best by trying to keep the shoulder at the highest point so the tape/zipper stays bowed, but who knows.

I've been thinking about putting a drysuit hanger (or a roll of paper towel) against the inside of the shoulder to support it while rolled up, but for now I'll just keep an eye on the base tape and make sure it's not prematurely wearing down.

 

[Divingguy]

I had been hanging my Pinnacle Evo2 upside down by the boots on a Mares hanger, but was uncomfortable with that much weight pulling on the boot seams. I switched it rightside up, and now use a hanger inside the shoulders.