Wetsuit care while traveling?

[Dane_the_Meng]

Hey guys! I’ve just started freediving and purchased my first open cell wetsuit now that I’m back home where the water is cold. I’ve done a lot of research on care and handling, but my question is really how to take care of your suit after dives while traveling when it’s more difficult.

Example: I don’t have a car, so I ride my motorcycle everywhere. I have a great dry bag backpack that fits all my gear but if I’m going diving before work in the morning that means my gear would all have to go back in my bag wet and salty for 10+ hours.

Is this just something doomed to fail? Is there a way to make this work?

Also when traveling, how do you dry your suit when you don’t have good ways to hang it up?

Thanks!

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

It is a good idea to wash the suit ASAP. If you have a very limited drying time, then I would think it is best to allow the inside to dry as completely as possible and then turn it right side out and roll it up for travel. An open cell suit is best transported right side out because the exerior is more resistant to punctures, cuts and damage.

 

[Dane_the_Meng]

Thanks Dano, Then when I get home just take my wetsuit roll bundle and let it soak in the tub before opening it up and rinsing?

 

[Mr. X]

Yes, then drip dry in the shade or indoors if you can.

I wouldn't use a dry bag but perhaps that is the only practical option on your m/bike. If I have to transport my wetsuit wet, I rinse it in freshwater first if possible. Then put it in one of those big, woven, blue plastic IKEA bags with the top wide open, on the top, in the back of my car. I want it to breath/ air/ dry as much as possible.

Any chance you could let it air somewhere it in those 10 hours? Perhaps draped over your bike? Have you considered getting a small car? Bikes are great fun but seriously dangerous.

BTW Some use dilute anti- bacterial soap as wetsuit lube to help prevent things growing but I haven't found that necessary or desirable (much like the overuse of antibiotics, we risk eliminating harmless bugs leaving only resistant superbugs behind). I would think mildew and the like are the main risk.

 

[Dane_the_Meng]

I could strap a piece of PVC pipe to my sissy bar, make it modular so I could assemble a little T rack on the back and let them dry some. Most of the places I’d go around here have no fresh water though.

It’s possible I could rinse them at work but it’s just a little awkward. I think it’s just destined to fail on days that I work. It’s more like something I need to do on my days off.

Also suggesting I get a car is like suggesting that you stay in the boat instead of freediving, because freediving is seriously dangerous haha. Motorcycling is my passion, I live it every day and spent most of my free time working on my bike. With that said, eventually I will be buying a truck, building a camper, and building a hitch mounted rack for a dual sport motorcycle. At which point I will live and travel out of that rig. But that dream is a ways off and I still want to freedive in the meantime.

 

[Leander]

What happens if you let the saltwater dry and don'trinse it with fresh water, does it dry out and crack the neoprene?

I have the same challenge this fall, fitting camping, climbing AND spearfishing gear on a bicycle.

 

[Dane_the_Meng]

That’s what I’m assuming, because salt sort of bonds things together lightly. Maybe I’m being over dramatic with my first open cell wetsuit?

 

[Mr. X]

@Leander see my post above.

Re. Motorbikes, yes I get it, I have a full m/cycle license. I used to ride one as my main means of trsnsport and for the sheer joy of it for several years. My brother too. But is dangerous. I used to rock climb too. Through circumstances, I eventually realized that we'd likely end up loosing limbs or life if we carried on as we were. I opted to give up the bike but continue climbing. I suggested to my brother that he think it over too - to my surprise he too opted to give up the bikes. He too has other interests.

By all means enjoy the freedom. Just be aware that each ride, like each dive or climb, is a roll of the dice. To me, the odds diving seem lower or more controllable/predictable but still a risk. But I have a family that depend on me now. For an interesting counter-argument, see Alex H. Who free soloed El Capitan - his father died suddenly while he was a teenager and it has shaped his thinking since; probably along the lines that you could die suddenly today or tomorrow and you will certainly die sometime, so make the most of the time you have, be it short or long.

 

[Dane_the_Meng]

Everything is dangerous. We shouldn’t even go outside or drive in cars. Heck you can trip and fall on a curb, hit your head and die. You can have a ruptured brain aneurysm and die instantly. A parasite can enter your ear and eat you from the inside, a meteorite can fall from the sky and obliterate you.

I ride over 120 miles a day, I have a process, and I’m very calculated. I study, I speak with others and share information, I shape and evolve my riding philosophy as time goes on. I spread awareness and teach others good practices. Just because it wasn’t right for you doesn’t mean it isn’t right for me. It’s my meditation, it’s a part of me. I can’t go a few days without riding, it makes me feel empty inside.

I would never tell a skydiver not to skydive, or a mountain biker not to mountain bike, a skier not to ski. Everything is as dangerous as we make it. Honestly, I feel less safe in a car at this point, trapped in a box with no means of escape. On a motorcycle I get to actively insert myself into safer situations and avoid disasters. It’s not something for everyone, especially in crowded urban environments. It takes extreme concentration, attention to detail, heightened awareness, quick problem solving, determination, and the ability to learn and change every day. That’s exhausting for some people, for me it’s calming compared to what normally happens in my brain.

Motorcycles are not dangerous, life is dangerous. I’d rather live life than hide in fear. If you really want to know everything that goes into safe practices for riding, I could tell you, but it’s a very deep and complex topic with a myriad of variables that make most people’s heads spin. But it’s how you have to be, otherwise you have no business being on a motorcycle.

 

[Mr. X]

Well good luck, sounds like you've thought about it. Ride safe

 

[Nathan Vinski]

Don't ride motocycles without a buddy HAHAH.

Also about the suit;

The way a suit will last the longest, is by rinsing with freash water + letting dry as soon as possible.

But, if you have the opportunity to train before work and can't rinse your suit, then the difference will be very small and you shouldn't worry too much about it.

In your case, make sure to rinse out any pee after you take your suit off with sea water, and you can even use your soap-water (lube) to help clean it further. Your biggest concern leaving it wet is developing a smell.

I don't think the salt will cause any significant damage. Most wear and tear on a suit is from not using enough soap to get in/out, leaving it in the sun, and compression at depth.

 

[Dane_the_Meng]

Thank you Nathan! And... I would NEVER pee in my suit....... haha. Smell should go away after rinse and more diving yeah?

Also how is drying the suit outside in the shade? I made a bithin rack to dry all my stuff but it’s in the shade behind my house. No direct sunlight so I figured it was ok but I don’t know.

 

[Nathan Vinski]

Thank you Nathan! And... I would NEVER pee in my suit....... haha. Smell should go away after rinse and more diving yeah?

Also how is drying the suit outside in the shade? I made a bithin rack to dry all my stuff but it’s in the shade behind my house. No direct sunlight so I figured it was ok but I don’t know.

Yeah, dry in the shade is perfect. Mainly you just don't want the neoprene getting too hot.

Secondly,

There are 2 types of divers. Those who pee in their suit, and those who lie about it.

As long as you rinse right after taking it off, it shouldn't get any bad smell.. if it does, a soak in a diluted disinfectant usually does the trick.

 

[Dane_the_Meng]

Yup. I was out the first day with my new suit, peed before putting it on, hadn’t drank any water recently, all good to go. Got out there tested it out for about an hour or two and really had to go bad. Came back out the water to readjust my weight belt and went out for another dive, when I realized there was no way I was gonna be able to hold it. Then I really realized how often I pee in normal surf wetsuits, I just really didn’t want to do it in my nicely sealed up first open cell haha. I have to pee way more when I’m out in the ocean than I ever do on land. What’s up with that??

 

[Nathan Vinski]

I have to pee way more when I’m out in the ocean than I ever do on land. What’s up with that??

It's called immersion diuresis. It's even worse when freediving. On of the responses our body has to being under water (pressure), classed as past of the 'dive response' is to shift blood to the core and lungs. This helps conserves heat, protects the lungs from pressure, and limits oxygen consumption in the muscles.

The extra blood in the core triggers urine production to help normalize the volume of fluids in the area. One of the reasons why you need to hydrate a lot during and after long dive sessions.

And FYI, it only gets worse as your dive response(s) develop. The more blood that gets shifted, the more you will pee..

For me, it's gotten to the point where even if I go right before, once I put my wetsuit-pants on, I need to pee right away.

 

[Dane_the_Meng]

Wow I had no idea. They definitely never taught me that over a decade ago in my scuba certification. Thanks for that handy info!! I wondered why so many spearfisherman made such a huge point about their float being able to have water storage.