A wetsuit is the most expensive thing most of us wear in the water, and the one that suffers the most abuse. Salt, sun and a hot radiator will all shorten its life, and the damage is usually invisible until a seam lets go mid-session. A few simple habits will keep a good suit going for years instead of seasons, and save you the cost of a new one every spring.
Rinse after every session
Rinse the suit in fresh cold water as soon as you can, inside and out. Salt stiffens neoprene and speeds up wear, and it is the main reason zips start to seize. Do not use hot water, detergent or a washing machine, all of which strip the lining and the seams. A quick rinse in a bucket or under a cold tap is all it needs, and the wetsuit change bucket keeps the drips off your car seats on the way home. Rinse the boots and gloves in the same bucket, because they collect sand just as quickly as the suit does.
Dry it inside out
Turn the suit inside out and hang it in the shade, over a wide hanger or a rail by the waist rather than over a thin line that creases the shoulders. Keep it out of direct sun and well away from radiators and hot cars, both of which cook the neoprene and break down the seams. Dry both sides before you put it away for the week, because a suit stored damp will smell and grow mildew in the lining.
Check the seams and the zip after a run of sessions. Small nicks and a bit of lifted tape are worth dealing with straight away, before they grow into something that needs posting off. Keep sand out of the zip and rinse it well, and avoid standing on the suit while you change, which is how the neoprene at the ankles gets torn. If a seam does lift, stop using the suit until it is fixed, since water will find the gap and make it worse. A little wax on the zip helps it run smoothly without attracting grit.
Repair early
We repair any Swell wetsuit, even out of warranty. Most seam repairs cost £15 to £30 plus postage, and a zip replacement starts from £30. The wetsuits, boots, gloves and hoods all carry 12 months on seams and zips against manufacturing faults, though tears from use are repairs rather than warranty. Send us a photo and we will quote before you post it in. Full details are on our care and repair page.
A quick checklist
- Rinse in fresh cold water inside and out after every session.
- Never use hot water, detergent or a washing machine.
- Dry inside out in the shade, off a radiator and out of the sun.
- Hang by the waist over a wide hanger, not a thin line.
- Rinse and clear sand from the zip.
- Deal with lifted tape and small nicks early.
- Send us a photo when something tears, we can usually fix it.
