How to care for and maintain your drysuit/kit

Nothing lasts forever but we can help prolong the life of our kit by maintaining it and we'll explain how to check over and ensure all your kit is up to the performance it's designed to do.

With the colder weather and wetter conditions, it's important to check over your kit regularly and also, especially if it's been stored away for a while. Prolonged exposure to the sun can also affect materials.

Check the fabric

It's important to check over the material for any nicks or tears that may need repairing. If you find them early, it's more likely that they will be able to be repaired than if a tear was left to worsen and become unrepairable. You can get patch repair kits here

Zips
Check your zips all work closing/opening smoothly and not full of sand or grit. When you’re not using your gear, leave the zips either fully open or fully closed, not halfway. This will help stop them getting damaged or stuck when not in use.

Gaskets/Seals 
Check they are in good condition and there are no nicks or tears on your seals/gaskets. If they are damaged, it’s likely they won’t be watertight to keep you dry.

Seams 
Check all your seams are still in top condition giving you maximum waterproof protection. If they are starting to peel away from the fabric, they’ll need repairing.

Integrated socks 
Many suits have built-in socks and over time these can get damaged and start to leak. You can check for leaks by filling them up with water to see if it seeps out anywhere. If you do find leaks, don’t panic - depending on the severity, it can be easily repaired. Make sure you wear appropriate footwear over your socks to help protect them to keep you dry

Helmet 
This is a very important piece of kit - we only have one brain - we need to protect it. Check your helmet over for any scuffs or cracks from any hard impacts you may have had. Even just a small crack in your helmet can affect its effectiveness and therefore be dangerous if you were to use it again. It is highly advised to buy a new helmet if you've damaged your current one.

PFD 
Equally as important as your helmet, you need to give a good thorough check over your buoyancy aid, making sure it’s all in good working order, the zips work, the buckles have no cracks, are firmly secure when buckled up and are free from grit, sand etc. Over time, they can also lose their buoyancy, so to do an easy check, go into the water wearing it, let your legs float up and lay on your back, it should keep you well afloat allowing you to breathe easily. We have a big sale on many PFDs at the moment should you need a new one

Washing Guidelines
It’s important to always read the washing instructions on the label of your gear. Most will tell you to hand wash or put on a gentle wash in the machine. If you are washing waterproof clothing, make sure you rinse out the washing machine detergent compartments thoroughly first and use specialised detergent specifically to help retain your clothing’s waterproof properties. Only wash them when they need to be washed and this will help them stay in good condition for longer.

When to re-waterproof
You can check your kit is still waterproof by pouring a little water on it, if it beads off (below photo) straight away it’s still in great condition. If the water starts to sink into the fabric, that's a sign it needs re-waterproofing. You can use a waterproofing spray agent or one that washes through in a machine cycle.

Gaskets
You should also use a silicone protectant to help maintain the gaskets and avoid any oil-based products like sunscreen or insect repellent. Be careful when wearing any jewellery when putting on and taking off your gear to avoid anything catching and ripping the seams.

Maintaining your zips
Keep your zips clean and well-lubricated with beeswax (for metal zips) or a lubricant from time to time to help keep them running smoothly.  

After Use
Always rinse off your kit using fresh water and allow it to dry fully before storing it away again, this will help prolong the life of all the materials.

It’s highly recommended to check over your kit before and after each use to ensure there is no damage and if there is, repair it as soon as you can. This can be the difference between having to chuck it all out and buy new again or prolonging the life of your current kit.