Silly Suit Shrinking Question

[Kayla]

The fact that you can get your suit on easier may just be becausee you have used it more, and its stretched out and more flexible from use. If you never used the vest, it probably never got flexible and stretchy like the suit..... and you might have found that the suit didnt fit either, if you had never used it. Thats my idea, anyway.

 

[Gidds]

Ok so I decided not to give up on the vest just yet. I washed it and hung it up and hmmmmm it looks bigger. So I climb into it, ah ha! feels bigger too but I still can't zip it so I walk around the house with unzipped vest on trying to stretch it. Stop laughing! Last night I climbed back into it and could actually zip it but not all the way and I wasn't in the mood to walk around the house in it. I then realized that my torso is darn close to a five gallon pail in circumfrence and I happen to have a lot of five gallon pails in the house because of my aquariums. I stuffed a five gallon pail in the vest and zipped it and left it there and next I'm going to soak it again and see if it actually zips.

 

[The Kraken]

Gidds walking around her house in a wetsuit vest - - - now that's just HOT!!!!
:gorgeous: . . . :drooling:
the K

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I have noted the same issues with older wet suits over the winter. I am not sure if the nylon/lycra threads over the neoprene get less stretchy and stick together or if it's the neoprene itself, but they do seem to get smaller and/or less stretchy with age and they do seem to loosen up when wet and after the first few dives of the season.

Still, it's normally a sign that it's time to start looking for a new wetsuit. E-baying the old vest is a good idea

 

[spectrum]

Ok so I decided not to give up on the vest just yet. I washed it and hung it up and hmmmmm it looks bigger. So I climb into it, ah ha! feels bigger too but I still can't zip it so I walk around the house with unzipped vest on trying to stretch it. Stop laughing! Last night I climbed back into it and could actually zip it but not all the way and I wasn't in the mood to walk around the house in it. I then realized that my torso is darn close to a five gallon pail in circumfrence and I happen to have a lot of five gallon pails in the house because of my aquariums. I stuffed a five gallon pail in the vest and zipped it and left it there and next I'm going to soak it again and see if it actually zips.

Let me begin by reafirming Kracken's remark.

As for stretching your suit you can find threads here about using basketballs to adjust the neck of a hooded suit or vest so you are on to something with the pail. I did the basketball trick one of my vests and it does work. I found you need to allow some time for a real change to occur (days, not hours) and it will largely rebound if left alone. The nice thing about the basket ball is that you can inflate it after zipping up causing less chance of ripping the zipper out since the stress is distributed.

The other thing is that left alone a suit will shrink and stiffen. But if you dive it often it will remain more pliable and usage will do some stretching from donning/doffing, hanging wet to dry and your motion in general and depth will flatten and spread the material somewhat.

So with this things in mind my advice is:

*Stay with the pail or if you can get one of those big fitness balls they have in gyms, stuff that in there and expand the vest.

* Keep it expanded until you are ready to use it.

* Use it often.

Pete