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Easier way to put on & take off wetsuit
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What is the easiest way to put on & take off your wetsuit? Any products used?
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Re: Easier way to put on & take off wetsuit [smhen] [ In reply to ]
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I have not felt like I needed anything. I put my suit on dry. The key is to pull it up in small sections. For example, I pull both legs fully over my lower legs, smoothing all wrinkles below my knees. Then, I pull it up over my thighs, again smoothing all wrinkles. After that, I pull it up my arms, one at a time, and over my torso. Then, it zips pretty easily.

Pulling it off is a snap. I can do it solo in a few seconds. It simply rolls inside out down to my feet, and then over my feet.
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Re: Easier way to put on & take off wetsuit [smhen] [ In reply to ]
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Put on: place a plastic bag over your foot, then slide your leg into the wetsuit. Repeat on the other side.

Remove: Arms off inside out, just like removing a sweater or a sweatshirt. Let them remain inside out. Wiggle the wetsuit torso down to your waist. Again let it roll inside out but don't let it roll on itself or bunch up. Do it like peeling a banana. When you get to your transition spot roll it down further to your thighs or just above the knee. Then step on one side and pull the leg right out. Repeat to get the other leg out.

Don't worry you (probably) won't rip the wetsuit by stepping on it. Grabbing it and pulling on the outside rubber coating is what damages the wetsuits. Always pull on the inside neoprene.
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Re: Easier way to put on & take off wetsuit [smhen] [ In reply to ]
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Use plastic grocery bags to put it on. Take it off like there are fire ants in it. It'll be wet and will typically just slide off. If it rips you needed a new one anyway.
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Re: Easier way to put on & take off wetsuit [smhen] [ In reply to ]
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Even better than plastic grocery bags over your hands for putting it on, put a swim cap over your hand. It's grippy and does an excellent job keeping fingernails away from neoprene.
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Re: Easier way to put on & take off wetsuit [niccolo] [ In reply to ]
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niccolo wrote:
Even better than plastic grocery bags over your hands for putting it on, put a swim cap over your hand. It's grippy and does an excellent job keeping fingernails away from neoprene.

I could very well be mistaken, but I had thought that some folks used plastic bags on their feet to enable the wetsuit to slide over the feet/allow the foot to easily slip through the opening to make getting the suit on easier.

Your mention of using the swim cap due to its grippiness sounds like you mean to use the cap as an aid to pulling on the suit without tearing it with finger nails...
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Re: Easier way to put on & take off wetsuit [sixt3] [ In reply to ]
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That's right. Personally, I find plastic bags over the feet helpful but unnecessary. Something over the fingers, on the other hand, is pretty key to avoid fingernail tears. And a swim cap happens to work fantastically well for that purpose.
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Re: Easier way to put on & take off wetsuit [smhen] [ In reply to ]
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Plastic bags for putting it on. If there is a swim warmup area I let some water in through the collar to allow the suit to slide around and adjust, then get out and let the water drain out the ankles. The suit is then perfectly positioned.

When exiting, I tug on the collar and let some water into the suit. This layer makes it much easier to pull off, and keeps it from suctioning to your lower legs and forearms.

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Re: Easier way to put on & take off wetsuit [Dilbert] [ In reply to ]
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Do you cut the legs to make it easier?
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