Wetsuit Storage

I borrowed this post from TriRudy, a Canadian tri site............... Hopper www.swimvacation.com Snow flurries are in the air and thoughts of outdoor open water swimming are far, far away. However, did you store your wetsuit properly for the winter or did you just toss it in the bottom of the closet after your last race in the fall? Here's what you should have done and can still do, if your wetsuit is still rolled up in a ball in your closet or the trunk of your car!! 1. Give the suit a thorough rinsing with fresh water. If it looks like it needs a bit more, use a mild soap to hand wash it in the bath tub. 2. Hang the suit up to dry in side out. 3. Check the suit over carefully for any finger-nail cuts, seams coming apart or other damage. NOW is the time to take care of these problems and repairs, not 2 days before your first race of the season next year! WARNING: Sales Pitch -If your wetsuit is really in rough shape and is 5+ years old, perhaps it's time for something new and again, now is a great time to start shopping for next year and not 2 days before that big "A" race of the year in 2008. 4. Once the suit is dry, turn it back right side( smooth side) out, and put it on a hanger with a good shape with wider/thicker shoulders. Do not use a wire or thin plastic hanger. 5. Hang the wetsuit up in a closet or if you don't have room to hang it up, the other great place to store it is laying flat on the floor underneath a bed. 6. In the spring/summer before you use the wetsuit for the first time, soak the wetsuit in the bath tub for a bit then hang it up to dry. It will be dry to the touch but a micro amount of water will have made it's way back inside the neoprene and this makes the suit more flexible than when it's completely dried out. Many people just pull on the wetsuit for the first time in the spring/summer without doing this and they think that either the suit has shrunk or they have put on 10 pounds over the winter. I will admit that the latter, is not an impossibility :) Happy hibernation this winter. Hope this helps. Steve Fleck steve@nineteenwetsuits.com www.nineteenwetsuits.com Sales & Marketing Manager Nineteen Wetsuits