Showerthought: I used to think a standard wetsuit was fine for harbor work until I tried a drysuit this winter.

Did a month of hull cleaning in Seattle with my old 7mm, and my core temp would drop after an hour... switched to a used DUI TLS350, and I can stay in for a full tide cycle without that deep chill. Anyone have tips for keeping the neck seal from getting too stiff?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan7741mo agoMost Upvoted

Remembered a guy at the marina who stored his suit like faith_shah88 said, but he used the bag from a box of wine. He swore the leftover plastic kept the seal perfect. Then his kid used it for a school project and he had to explain why his drysuit smelled like cheap chardonnay. He went back to zip-locks after that.

lily571mo ago

That deep chill is no joke. My husband used to do bridge inspections on the Columbia River and swore by 303 Protectant for his neck seals. He'd give them a light wipe after each rinse to keep the rubber from drying out and cracking. Made a real difference over a season.

faith_shah881mo ago

Heard from a guy at the dive shop that storing the suit with the neck seal rolled down and in a big zip-lock bag helps a ton. It keeps the rubber from getting that stiff, dried-out feeling. He said the key is to trap a little moisture in there, not let it dry out completely.