preventing sun or other damage to wetsuit

[pelican]

I was thinking about how to extend the life of the wetsuit.
I have read that the sun can damage a wetsuit but I have no idea how quickly it can occur.
I usally let the wetsuit dry out a bit in the sun after being in the water but I was wondering
if even limited exposure can cause damage? I am planning to start bringing a large
rubbermaid container with a lid to toss the soaked wetsuit into anyway so not leaving it to dry in the
sun wont be much of a problem. When it is dry I leave the wetsuit hanging in the garage but
I was wondering also if leaving it in the car ready to go would also be a problem due the the
heat build up? Assuming the heat build up is a problem then I could keep the wetsuit in a
icebox, just thinking here about how to be ready to dive whenever I am going by the water.

I was also thinking about a bag for storing the wetsuit that would keep the sun off. The top
side of the bag would be a space blanket shiny side out. It is just about opaque to the sun
and would reflect the heat although it would be annoying to look at. The bottom side could be
mesh so the wetsuit would drain and there should be a couple of slats to lift the bag off the ground
and to permit air to flow. Although I like the icebox or the rubbermaid container, I think the wetsuit
bag concept may be the most practical and flexible.

 

[samdive]

I use a dry bag - let it drip for just while you get changed then put it away in the dry bag - hang it up as soon as you get home. Good for the wetsuit, good for the car!


and the dry bag also makes a useful float!!

sam

 

[pim]

Ciao,

My suits are hung to dry in the shade or indoors, but hé we don't have that sunny conditions. Aharon and MT hung the suits to dry in the shade in Mexico for a while but they whore out quickly, now the suits are stored WET and they seam to get good results with that.

And they live in extreme conditions SUN-related.....


So depends a lot to where you live how to treat your precious neopren.

Saluti,
Pim
www.immersion.nu but nowadays mainly http://12dec.immersion.nu

 

[Huan]

It's not so much the direct sun that can wreck your suit as the UV rays.
I would imagine that in Mexico the reflected sunlight would also carry lots of UV that damages suits faster than anything.
I always keep my suit in a black drybag made by Picasso, rinse it with fresh after every dive and dry inside out first.
had the Omer for 3 years now and its still looking good!