Dry suit storage

[Shooter]

After having the leak in my dry suit on Sunday,  I contacted DUI about some different options for my dry suit. I am adding a dry hood and larger foot pockets.  Throughout the course of our conversation, I asked the best way to store my dry suit.  I had assumed that hanging it up was the best way to store it. They said that that puts too much strain on the dry suit.  They recommend having it folded up and stored in the bag.  They also said the best way he to keep your extra seals fresh was to store them in a Ziploc bag.  (I have the zip seals,  So I always have extra) 8) they also said not to have your dry suit near anything like a refrigerator, water heater, etc. that emits ozone, as this rapidly degrades the latex.  I should've known this because storing extra bands for the gun is the same thing.  So I'm going to take it one step further and pick up some of the extra-large Ziploc storage bags, and store my dry suit,  In this airtight container.

I decided my leak wasn't in my inflater, but my neck seal.  Must've had it folded or something :-[

[arcFlash]

I'll check my instructions but it's not the same for vulcanized suits. (I think) The wife's tri-lam said to store in bag and my vulcanized (Viking) suit said to store handing cool and dry.  (I hang it from the boots and put an old computer fan up the zipper and vent it for 48 hours to make sure the inside drys well, it's prone to mildue in a bag so I hang it)

Both listed ozone as bad as well as sunlight.

Shooter, the front of the neck was rolled out but the back was flat.

[Mrs_arcFlash]

I would not put the suit in a sealed giant ziplock. Too much risk of mold and mildew with any bit of moisture.  My instructions say to hang to thoroughly dry inside and out because leaving it wet inside can cause premature seam failure.  It also says it can be stored either way: folded (we roll) in the travel bag, which I would think still allows it to 'breathe' a bit, or hanging on a drysuit hanger with the zipper open. But like arcFlash said, we hang by the boots.

I do like those giant ziplock bags, though

ps it was great meeting you this weekend, Shooter!

[arcFlash]

So this is an interesting idea. How long should a suit last? How long for seals? Storage may not be an issue for active divers.

I'm active enough that I think I'll wear out my seals before the rot starts. The vulcanized is so easy to patch I can't imagine leaks being an issue. I'll wear mine until it's all patch.

[flyboy65]

We don't store drysuits in Duluth!  ;D

[Shooter]

:  :  :  :  :  :

I am talking about a 1-4 week time period. When was your last dive?   ;D  >

Nice meeting you too. I would make sure it was dry prior to the short term storage

DUI said average life span for latex seals anywhere from 2-4 years.

[john j]

During the off-season, a friend of mine used to store his drysuit in a large ziplock bag that he filled with argon gas from his drysuit inflation system.  Then he put another ziplock bag around that bag, so the drysuit was "double bagged".  The theory is that the argon keeps oxygen away from the seals and thus, they last longer.  I don't know if it really did anything, but theoretically it makes sense. 

[Kirk]

I hang my drysuits in the closet, whether for longer term storage, or just for a few days.  My drysuits are both backzip, one is a DUI CF200, the other a Dive Rite 905.  I hang them on hangers called the Shoulder Saver Ventilator.  I don’t know what the hangers were originally designed for, but they work great for drysuits, for they are really big and wide, thus distributing the weight of the suits over a rather larger area, reducing stress.  – Kirk

[SmithDiving]

I store my personal suit and our rental suits rolled up in the bag.  We are very careful that the suits are completely dry before bagging them.  They are all White's shell suits.  I would agree that vulcanized suits can be hung with no problems.  If you use an extremely large hanger such as the big blue "Drysuit Hanger Company" hanger or a homemade pvc hanger then hanging the suit for short periods should not be a problem.  The biggest concern with hanging is that on back-entry suits the weight of the suit will put undo pressure on the zippers and seams eventually causing separation.  We expect at least 2 years out of rental seals.  The most important factor in seal life is conditioning.  If you keep the seals clean and use a product like McNett's Seal Saver a couple of times a year they should last 4-5 years.  It is very helpful to store removable seals in an airtight container if possible.

[Lindan]

I have soft boots on both my dry suits so If I am not using for several weeks, I soak inside and out with Mirazyme , use a soft brush to scrub out the grime, put the boots on a boot dryer for a day, then hang the suit by the feet with one of those big blue hangers. Hang in the basement with a fan until dry, a couple days. Finally lube and condition the seals and zipper, loosely fold and pack in a duffel for storage. During constant use I don't do the soak and just rinse with fresh water on the outside, dry, condition, and store. If the  suit is exposed to alot of muck or algae or foreign goop I spray with mirazyme after drying. Just my 2 cents but it is important to maintain ones equipment so it's performance can be maximized. Linda