Proper wetsuit storage is crucial for the longevity of the suit and your friendships, too.
Some may be reading this and thinking it’s a week or two late, others might think I’ve published it way too early; the truth is, I don’t get cold very easily and I often keep the wetsuit on into early November, and I fish a 3-4 mm suit all season long. If you have Nordic blood, like I do, you may want to earmark this for later, but there is value in putting your wetsuit away properly, to give it a longer life and to reduce any odors that might attach themselves to you on your first trip next spring, the kind of stink that no number of showers can cleanse away.
I feel like most surfcasters have ‘been there,’ you hop into a friend’s vehicle, only to be slapped in the face with a stench that falls somewhere in the odiferous intersections of dead eels, sauerkraut and the men’s room of a seedy sports bar. Even worse if you’re inviting that person to sit in your car! I have gone to great lengths to never be that guy and, I’m pretty sure, I have succeeded in that quest. I have a pretty rigid routine that I perform after every wetsuit trip, that keeps me smelling… at least… neutral… when I step into my superhero suit and that might be a good subject for a column next season, but proper long-term storage is just as important.
Step 1 is making the decision to switch to waders and it’s a difficult decision, it means giving up freedom, mobility and comfort for being warm, dry and more restricted… also sweatier. Step 1A is a deep and thorough cleaning.
I use a large plastic bin for this process and, in lieu of fancy wetsuit soaps, I use Dawn dish detergent, this was recommended to me by the owner of a dive shop who is also a dive instructor, and when you think about it, it makes sense. Dawn is formulated to be a gentle detergent, but it targets grease, salt and organic materials and that’s most of what you, your catch and the ocean will leave behind when you take off the wetsuit. I drop the suit into the bin and use the hose to spray a palm-full of Dawn into the bin, once I have about 8 to 10 inches of water in there, I manually submerge the suit and agitate the whole deal for a couple minutes, then I turn the suit inside-out and dunk it back in for another two minute agitation. If I think it’s extra “narsty”, I might put a weight on it and let it soak for a while. Typically the water will take on a gray or even yellowish tint after this step.
Next I remove the suit, dump the soapy water, rinse out the bin and give it two clean-water rinses, using the same manual agitation process and I finish this step by throwing it over an outdoor chair or hanging it on the clothesline. I’ll let the suit drip dry for 8 to 24 hours (longer if it’s extra cool out), turning it inside-out at some point along the way. I will also routinely wring out the cuffs of the arms and legs to get as much water out as possible.
Then I hang it up in my basement with a fan blowing on it and the dehumidifier running, once again flipping it inside-out and back again to make sure it’s completely dry. When it’s dry is a great time to make any repairs before putting it away, the longer that stuff cures, the better. Fold the dry wetsuit and store it in a plastic bin with a lid, I don’t use a bin with a sealing lid because I want it to breathe. If your suit still smells funky, a single-serve coffee ‘teabag’ thrown into the bin will usually draw out the stank and leave you smelling like a cup of joe, when the surf calls you back in the spring.
Don’t skip this process when it’s time to hang up the seal suit. And I should add that my boots and neoprene socks get the same treatment, but I just store the dry boots in a dry place until they’re needed again. These steps will neutralize any festering odors that might blossom into a monster over the winter and, proper drying and storage will ensure that your wetsuit will last for many seasons in the surf.
