I'm no expert but I'd imagine they degrade overtime but likely not very noticeably. I definitely wouldn't rule out your body figure. Although you may have lost weight you may have gained size in certain areas. Think of someone who works out at the gym, they are likely going to lose weight, hopefully lose some size by the belly but their arms will likely get a little larger. Even if you just toned your arms or shoulders it may feel tighter since you have less fat absorbing the compression from the suit. 6 years does seem like quite a long time to have a suit and I'm sure your body has changed a good amount throughout the years. The suit likely has changed as well.

I'm sure there's *some* progressive degradation strictly from age (as opposed to trauma like rips, etc) ~ since obviously it won't last forever, there's gotta be a threshold of decline it'll eventually cross ~ but as long as you avoid the obvious Dont's like storing it out of the sun/heat and not leaving it all wet to mildew, it should last long enough you'll more likely just want to replace it out of boredom or lust for a new model than having your old one seriously compromised. Hell, mine's easily over 10 years old, probably more like 15, and the only real issue is it's gotten 'smaller' (in my case, I know I've gained approximately 1000 beers, though; can't blame the suit for that).

I think as long as you keep it from becoming dry there isn't much loss at all. The losses come more so with the nicks in the neoprene. So as long as you don't through it in a closet 3/4 of the year and are always keeping some water in the neoprene you'll be fine. I make sure that I soak mine at least once a month for 10 minutes in the bathtub during the off season to ensure some moisture stays trapped. They are like big sponges with a rubber coating in the end. If you don't or haven't been doing that then you may want to start.

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"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

I'm still using an Xterra sleeveless from 2008 that hasn't noticeably degraded (although I've been using a Roka full as my primary suit since last season, to which the Xterra feels a lot less flexible in comparison).

Is this the first time you're wearing it this season? Suits can dry out a lot over the off-season and lose some flexibility.. it can be helpful to soak them in the bathtub and then dry them out (just the same extent as you would after using, it won't fully dry out) prior to the first use of the season. A small - like a capful or two - amount of hair conditioner added to the water seems to help too.

Like anything made of rubber, your wetsuit is going to oxidize over time (the resulting "drying out" of the rubber has nothing to do with the presence or absence of water). The glues used to construct it will also break down. You can of course dramatically accelerate the degradation by doing things like leaving it in the sun, storing it wet so mildew or mold grow, swimming in chlorinated water (which apparently breaks down the glue if done repeatedly), etc. I would expect the primary symptoms to be greater susceptibility to tearing and reduced stretch. I suppose flotation might be modestly affected as well. I would think hard-to-repair tears are probably the main age-related reason to retire a wetsuit. Or just the fact that there's a newer, nicer model available, plus of course body shape changes.

I still wear my Ironman sleeveless from 2001. I swim slower but hard to say if it is the suit or the additional 16 years. I know I still float in it.

I am fascinated by this idea that closed-cell rubber is supposedly like an open-celled sponge, i.e. soaks up water like a sponge. Do you find that your suit has lost some of its flotation by the end of an hour or two swim as the neoprene has somehow soaked up water? That sounds slow, even dangerous, no? I am assuming it's the structure of the neoprene, i.e. nitrogen-blown rubber, that you think absorbs water, not the rubber itself (note that sponges are both open-celled and made of materials that themselves absorb water), i.e. you don't rinse down your rubber car tires regularly to keep them hydrated and not cracking, right?

I am obviously deeply skeptical of the notion that neoprene absorbs any water at all, or that it's desirable to try to keep it wet. But lots of people on this forum, to include a significant wetsuit manufacturer, seem to agree with you, so I'm genuinely curious to try to understand what, exactly, people think is going on here.

Orca 3.8 from that timeframe is a very soft wetsuit and subject to nicks and tears much more so than any other wetsuit I've owned. I still have one and the running joke is one new tear per each new swim. No such problem with Orca Sonar, or the TYR (can't remember the model), or with the Roka Maverick that I now race in.

If the rubber is still fine then go ahead and keep using it until it tears.

I'm going on the words of a wetsuit maker here on the forum Emilio DeSoto. He said that proper wetsuit care means keeping some moisture int he neoprene and not allowing it to dry up. Also don't store in a bright place with sun exposure.

Perhaps my wording was off but that was the gist of his method. Take it for what it is

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"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

I've had my Zoot since 2006 and the only problems I have are small fingernail tears around the legs. Otherwise, it is still my favorite long swim wetsuit. I have two other suits - one less than a year old and the other is 3 years old - that are probably faster that I race in. The Zoot is hanging in there just fine. I had a gal ask me where I got it a few months ago and I told her it was over 10 years old and not a current production suit.

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Hillary Trout
San Luis Obispo, CA

Your trip is short. Make the most of it.
https://www.slogoing.net/

I have a 2008 Helix B70 suit that I still race in. It shows a little bit of deterioration on the hip/leg area but I can't say for sure what is causing it. Dry rot? I don't know. I am still swimming about the same times as I did when I got it in 2008. It still fits fine. I'm what some would consider "older" now as a Master's triathlete, so despite the age I am, the suit hasn't seem to affected my performance any since my 30's. I would love to get a new suit, but I'm pretty frugal and it still works.

For a guy who makes wetsuits for a living, Emilio has some pretty crazy ideas about neoprene.

Can you imagine the mold and mildew that would result if wetsuits actually held moisture for weeks at a time?