Wet suit life

by **lastexit** » Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:33 am

I was wondering what sort of lifespan you would generally expect out of a wetsuit?
I have a quicksilver cypher 5/3 that ive worn since march on average about twice a week (and maybe pissed in it two or three times)
I rinse and dry it as soon as i get home from a surf and generally look after it ie; get changed on a mat keep it off the floor peel it off not tear it off ect.
Yesterday i noticed some of the stitching comming apart on the knee pad and am thinking is this the begining of the end?
Its the first good suit ive owned and hopes it holds together for the winter as i dont want to be dipping into my pocket again for another suit.
What sort o life do you see out of yours?

Cheers

by **Jim Birtwisle** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 1:11 am

If it's still under manufacturers warranty you can always send it back. Sometimes a few stitches can come loose but it may not be a big deal as long as the ability to keep the water out (and all that piss in) isn't compromised. A lot can also depend on the type of suit. I find my old back zips didn't do more than 2 or 3 seasons due to them letting more water in and stretching whilst being worn. It can also come down to whether or not the guy in the factory was having a bad day.

by **lastexit** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:20 am

It only seems to be the knee thats affected atm hopefully.
The one thing i do struggle with is not pissing in my suit, being a caffine lover i have to make sure not to drink to much before getting in the water!

by **majordom** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:23 pm

twice a week for 6 months - used carefully rinsed and dried etc you shoudl expect some wear
and tear - after 12 mo definitely needing various repairs on stressed areas - after 18 mo
itll be baggy and not worth re-repairing

anything less then the suit aint up to much and could be worth claiming a fault
but you cant realisticly expect much more than this for an item of clothing
worn while active in the sea

by **Philshoz** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:17 am

I'm lucky enough to get away with 3/2's for a chunk of the year. My three year old was getting frayed at the legs and the zip pull went.

Bought another exactly the same on here for 50 quid (cheers lecky94), minter, hardly used and now ring the changes. Having two seems to really prolong the lifespan of both

.

PLUS, I have a couple of water butts and rinse EVERYTIME after a surf. The suit then has at least 24hrs to dry, never in full sun.

PLUS, PLUS, I get changed at the beach standing in a large plastic garden trug thingy so they never touch the sand/ground/carpark/dogshit whatever.

Bottom line, you spent a lot of dosh on the second most important thing, look after it as you would your board.

by **Jim Birtwisle** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:23 am

I'd go as far as to say the wetsuit is the most important thing, especially up here in cold waters. Some good tips though, always rinse in clean water and hang to dry out of the sun and not on something thin so that the weight is distributed and won't sretch the suit. I hang mine over a plastic garden chair. If you hang it from a hanger it will stretch the shoulders. Get one of those big soft plastic tub things as well, one of the best £3 I've ever spent.

by **Leven** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:57 pm

Funny this. I've just got a brand spanking new Flashbomb from Ripcurl (not my choice), and after 3 or 4 surfs, it's got a few little nicks in the outside of the neoprene, one an inch long! And the zip leaks like a whores gusset. I do surf a reef regularly, and obviously you bump into it every now and again, but after 4 surfs?!

It's super flexy, and dries really quickly, but I'm not sure that makes up for it....