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Storing a wetsuit without washing it

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Homerkp

Active Member
Sep 21, 2018
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I'll be traveling to a place where I won't be able to wash my wetsuit, though I'll be diving probably every day. The guy at the dive shop said that you can just rinse it in the sea, and store it wet in your bag (try and get most of the air out), and this avoids letting the salty water dry which would be damaging. I was wondering if there's any risk of bacterial growth though. Does anyone have experience trying this?
 
I'll be traveling to a place where I won't be able to wash my wetsuit, though I'll be diving probably every day. The guy at the dive shop said that you can just rinse it in the sea, and store it wet in your bag (try and get most of the air out), and this avoids letting the salty water dry which would be damaging. I was wondering if there's any risk of bacterial growth though. Does anyone have experience trying this?
I have done about a week of diving everyday whilst camping, and gone without washing it for that long with no problems
 
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I think what you may want to do is store the suit inside out for the duration of your trip. Normally you want to store and transport your suit with the delicate, unlined interior on the inside. However, there have been cases where a suit is not rinsed and left right side out and completely dries and the inside rubber can stick to itself, with the potential for damage as you try to separate. You want to avoid this possibility.

If you are worried about bacterial growth, you could rinse as well as possible in the ocean and then allow the suit to dry in direct sunlight with the inside out. The strong sun tends to kill nasties. I would not do it for much longer than it takes to completely dry, because exposure to direct sunlight -especially on the smooth unlined interior is NOT good for the rubber and will eventually take its toll. It may be the best short term solution, when your options are very limited.

Of course it is best (for longevity) to dry your suit in a cool dry shaded location.
 
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I think what you may want to do is store the suit inside out for the duration of your trip. Normally you want to store and transport your suit with the delicate, unlined interior on the inside. However, there have been cases where a suit is not rinsed and left right side out and completely dries and the inside rubber can stick to itself, with the potential for damage as you try to separate. You want to avoid this possibility.

If you are worried about bacterial growth, you could rinse as well as possible in the ocean and then allow the suit to dry in direct sunlight with the inside out. The strong sun tends to kill nasties. I would not do it for much longer than it takes to completely dry, because exposure to direct sunlight -especially on the smooth unlined interior is NOT good for the rubber and will eventually take its toll. It may be the best short term solution, when your options are very limited.

Of course it is best (for longevity) to dry your suit in a cool dry shaded location.
I was drying out on the sun all this time :censored: Good thing I've had it for no more than a month and only used it about 3 times
 
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