Wetsuit Longevity

[FishDiver]

How long does a good quality wetsuit last?

I am not concerned with abuse, abrasion or accidents. I am talking about wearing out through actual use, repeated compression and expansion cycles.

Assuming proper care, how many dives averaging say 20 meters can you expect from a decent wetsuit?

 

[diveprof]

Depends on your cold tolerance. I find that I need to replace quality wetsuits after about 275-300 dives. Yeah, it may be still in one piece more or less, but it does lose thermal value, particularly the super stretch stuff.

 

[Cacia]

That number sounds about right to me....
I always have two and allow one to dry completely before wearing it again...I don't know why but they seem to wear better this way for me....maybe the cells "recover" their memory??

 

[offroaddiver]

That number sounds about right to me....
I always have two and allow one to dry completely before wearing it again...I don't know why but they seem to wear better this way for me....maybe the cells "recover" their memory??

Same idea as buying 2 sneakers to workout and alternate wearing them and letting dry. I do this and went from wearing out a pair of sneakers every 4 months to lasting a year.

Wetsuits... If you use them and don't store them around 300 is very good. If you store them incorrectly and make any folds...go ahead and drop 50 dives off of there.

 

[divingjd]

The cells in the neoprene break down over time and lose their insulating quality even if you don't use the suit. After three years or so, even without too many dives, it may be time to think about a new one. To make it last longer, avoid drying it in the sun (yeah, I know, not likely), keep it away from chemicals (like auto exhaust - storing in the garage or too close to your furnace may not be best), and hang it. Under fairly normal conditions, 300 dives sounds like it's in the ballpark if used regularly.

 

[Thalassamania]

It depends on the type of neoprene, chemical blow rubber will go, maybe three years. High quality nitrogen blown may last ten years of more.

 

[spectrum]

maybe the cells "recover" their memory??

You may be on to something. I know that on my first wet dive this spring I was light with my traditional weighting. 3-4 dives latter I tried again without the extra 2 and I was back to normal. I attributed it to bubble rebound.

My buddy experienced the same thing about a month latter when he set his drysuit aside.

We had both been diving through the winter so I don't see it as a getting backing back into the water excitement thing.

As for the OP, I'm not far enough down the diving road to offer a personal perspective.

Pete