Silicone grease to doff tight fins from a drysuit

[Lorenzoid]

I've used this - Amazon.com : Trident Food Grade Silicone Spray for Scuba, Snorkel, and Spearfishing Gear 8 FL OZ : Swimming Equipment : Sports & Outdoors - works quite well.

What do you think of this?

. . .
I read about applying silicone grease or spray to the fin foot pocket to make it easier to doff, but I also read that silicone grease can compromise the drysuit fabric. . . .

Does silicone spray/grease degrade any of the materials of which a drysuit might be made?

 

[wKkaY]

Does silicone spray/grease degrade any of the materials of which a drysuit might be made?

The post i read was:

"Be careful about bringing silicon lubricant around your trilaminate drysuit. It contaminates the material, and makes repairs difficult to impossible (e.g. when you try to replace that zipper). Silicone permeates the fabric, can't be removed, and prevents glues from sealing properly"

 

[Lorenzoid]

The post i read was:

"Be careful about bringing silicon lubricant around your trilaminate drysuit. It contaminates the material, and makes repairs difficult to impossible (e.g. when you try to replace that zipper). Silicone permeates the fabric, can't be removed, and prevents glues from sealing properly"

So, in other words, contaminating a surface with a difficult-to-remove lubricant may hamper later trying to adhere something to that surface. Well, that makes sense.

 

[rhwestfall]

The post i read was:

"Be careful about bringing silicon lubricant around your trilaminate drysuit. It contaminates the material, and makes repairs difficult to impossible (e.g. when you try to replace that zipper). Silicone permeates the fabric, can't be removed, and prevents glues from sealing properly"

Which is why DUI recommends against using "Seal Saver" on seals on their suits, and also wants you to use wax on the zipper......

 

[rongoodman]

You might want to try a pair of Hollis F1s. They're as heavy as the Jetfins but with a much nicer foot pocket.

 

[wKkaY]

So, in other words, contaminating a surface with a difficult-to-remove lubricant may hamper later trying to adhere something to that surface. Well, that makes sense.

I wonder just how much residual silicone will transfer from the foot pockets to the boots to the drysuit, once I roll it up.

 

[Marie13]

If you're that worried about it, put the boots in plastic bags before you roll up your suit.

 

[wKkaY]

You might want to try a pair of Hollis F1s. They're as heavy as the Jetfins but with a much nicer foot pocket.

I'm on my third pair of fins these past two years.. trying not to get another one

 

[divad]

This is becoming way too elaborate; drill holes in foot pockets.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Bagging the boots is a reasonable suggestion, but I'm concerned that if I forget to do it just one time, I may have contaminated my suit forever.

This is becoming way too elaborate; drill holes in foot pockets.

But that prevents you from doing the shore diver's trick that someone mentioned above of filling the fins with water on exit to use like buckets to rinse the dirt off when you reach your changing bench/mat.

Any McGyvers out there who can figure out how to put some kind of removable rubber plug/valve in the hole? Some kind of one-way plug or valve that breaks the vacuum but then seals again upon filling the foot pocket with water.