Anything special to keep it in top form?
(Desoto T1, if it matters.)
Thanks.
Steve
Make sure it’s completely clean and dried out (wash with fresh water/hose), and then fold it in half and lay it flat somewhere preferably. Somewhere that’s not too hot/cold (so as not to ruin the glue for the seams). Maybe under a bed in your room or something.
Stop by a scuba shop and pick up a wetsuit hanger. They are wider, to alleviate pressure spots in the shoulders and support the weight better.
My Desoto T1 goes back in the same box that it was shipped to me in immediately after every race. The box is kept in my closet. If I recall correctly Emilio specifically recommends against hanging up your T1 suit but rather fold it up for storage.
I remember that thread too. I think Emilio recommended storing the suit dry and loosely folded.
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Give the wetsuit a good rinse and wash at the end of the year and let it dry thoroughly.
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Check the suit carefully to see if there are any seams coming apart, finger-nail cuts, abrasions or other problems. Have these looked into and repaired, NOW!! Not 3 days before your first race next spring!!
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The suit is best stored right side out on a wide hanger in a closet or laid flat on the floor under a bed.
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Next spring, take the suit out of storage and give it a good soak in the tub and then hang dry before trying on or wearing it for the first time.
Hope this helps.
My advise is DONT hang it…I hung mine and the part around the neck got all stretched out…not good
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Whats funny is if you go to 2 different wetsuit websites, you will find two different storage techniques. Personally, I hang mine reverse side out, on a really wide hanger. Thats what the Blue Seventy site says to do. I read on another wetsuit site to fold it, right side out and store it folded… so I guess, take your pick.
My advise is DONT hang it…
I think that it is REALLY dependant on the hanger that you use. We use the really wide and shaped men’s suit hangers to hang all the Nineteen demo wetsuits in the Nineteen warehouse and we never have a problem with doing this. Of course, I can only speak for our suits, but I know that I have stored other brands that I have owned over the years in a similar manner and not had any problems. Obviously, if this is a concern then I would suggest the under the bed flat on the floor technique. As for inside-out and right-side-out, again it’s going to be very dependant on your hanger - if the hanger is not so good and you hang it inside-out for a long time, you may make permanant marks on the outer smooth-skin surface where the hanger was digging into the smooth skin.
The DeSoto web page says this for care of the T1:
Rinse the T1 with clean water after every use.
Hang the T1 to dry, but not on a wire hanger.
When the T1 is dry inside and out, store by folding once or laying it unfolded
Do not leave the T1 hanging for a long period of time.
- Give the wetsuit a good rinse and wash at the end of the year and let it dry thoroughly.
What do you suggest washing it with? (I’ve only used it in fresh water, if that makes a difference.)
Steve
I just hang mine up with one of those padded hangers women use for dresses. Never had any problems. It’s a QR, if that makes a differance.
We are big fans of the McNett line of cleaning products. They have one for wetsuits. See more below:
I have mine, folded in the mesh bag that it came with, in the closet. Nice and cool in there.
4. Next spring, take the suit out of storage and give it a good soak in the tub and then hang dry before trying on or wearing it for the first time.
Not disagreeing with you in the least, but your point #4 is one that I’ve never seen mentioned before. What’s the purpose of doing that?
Dan
Emilio’s response: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=819100#819100
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Mine “sleep”, fully spread out, on the bed in the guest bedroom. I hang them on a fat hanger when someone visits, and fold them to travel. They do not get direct sunlight on guest bed, so it is perfect.
What happens over the winter is that the neoprene completely dries out. This causes the neoprene to stiffen up slighly - this is particularly so with older suits. Even when the suit is dry to the touch there is a micro-amount of water inside the neoprene that helps with the rubbers elasticity. Many people pull their wetsuit out from under the bed or out of the closet in the sping and then find that it’s a real struggle to put on, mortified that they have gained weight over the winter! A good soak in the spring piror to the first use will help the rubber spring back to life.
Hey, that makes sense – thanks.
But I’m still mortified at how much weight I can gain over the winter!
Dan
Somewhere along the way Emilio reccommended the same thing. I tried it the last two springs and it worked great. Just soaked them in the bathtub for a couple of hours then took them out to air dry. Dit it about a day or two before first use. There is a SIGNIFICANT difference in feel after doing this compared to a suit that’s been drying all winter. It’s like the difference between a dry but still-soft sponge vs. a completely dried out and stiff sponge. I"ll never do it any other way anymore.