I have an Xterra Vortex 2 wetsuit I bought 3 years ago when I was also 20lbs heavier than I am now. It seemed to fit great at the time but now it always feels like it shrunk, not really in circumference but more in terms of overall length. It feels quite uncomfortable now, and causing some chafing. Is this normal? Can it be fixed or should I get a new wetsuit?
Well I have been wearing the same T1 for tenyears and have not had a problem.
Mine has been shrinking since I turned 40
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Sorta - you need to hydrate it. Put in the tub and let it soak. The neoprene will come back to life.
Emilio DeSoto has a post on ST about this and he usually re-post it every spring.
Sorta - you need to hydrate it. Put in the tub and let it soak. The neoprene will come back to life.
Emilio DeSoto has a post on ST about this and he usually re-post it every spring.Thanks - though I have actually been doing that. I’ve pre-soaked it a few days prior to every race, and it doesn’t seem to help. Even turned it around every now and then while it was soaking. I wonder if the swimming caused components to leach out, thereby introducing a level of shrink? That could also reduce flexibility and add stiffness to it giving a perception of it having shrunk.
No, we get bigger…LOL!
Well I have been wearing the same T1 for tenyears and have not had a problem.
You got a silver one? I’ve got one of those
jaretj
That’s what I tell myself every spring when I pull out the wetsuit from the closet. Doesn’t have anything at all to do with the winter weight gain. 
You may have dropped weight, but you might also have built up muscles in areas where you had none before. I found this to particularly be the case in terms of my lats, other muscles that are more swim specific.
Sorta - you need to hydrate it. Put in the tub and let it soak. The neoprene will come back to life.
Emilio DeSoto has a post on ST about this and he usually re-post it every spring.Thanks - though I have actually been doing that. I’ve pre-soaked it a few days prior to every race, and it doesn’t seem to help. Even turned it around every now and then while it was soaking. I wonder if the swimming caused components to leach out, thereby introducing a level of shrink? That could also reduce flexibility and add stiffness to it giving a perception of it having shrunk.
I’ve always soaked my winter surfing suits with a couple of capfuls of hair conditioner mixed into the water (then rinse the suit well after it’s soaked for a while). Seems to help restore some flex to the neoprene and the jersey facing.
Nope mine is black but I used it for the first year Of IMCDA so I know it was 2003
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