The Damp-Dry Doctrine: Getting a Wetsuit to Spring Without a Science Kit

There is a particular smell that greets you when a wetsuit has spent three weeks in a black bin bag at the back of a shed. It is not the clean, rubbery whiff of summer. It is more like a harbour at low tide mixed with a forgotten lunchbox. The good news is that most winter wetsuit deaths are not dramatic. They are slow, damp and entirely preventable.

This is not a guide to buying a new suit. It is a guide to getting the one you already own through to spring without turning your garage into a laboratory or spending more on potions than the suit is worth.

Rinse Like You Mean It

Salt is not the enemy. Salt is a preservative. The enemies are sweat, sunscreen, harbour mud, and whatever that was in the bottom of the dinghy. Fresh water is your friend, but only if you actually use it properly.

After every sail or paddle, rinse the suit inside and out with cool fresh water. Not hot. Hot water can persuade laminated seams to part company and makes neoprene feel prematurely tired. A shower attachment is ideal; a garden hose in November is character-building but works. Pay attention to the zip, the ankles, the wrists and the seam under the arms — the places where salt and grit collect and then quietly grind away at the stitching.

Do not use detergent, fabric softener or anything designed to make your laundry smell of alpine meadows. A dedicated wetsuit shampoo is fine occasionally, but most of the time fresh water is enough. If the suit is genuinely whiffy, a capful of mild wetsuit cleaner in a bucket of cold water, a gentle hand-wash, and a thorough rinse will sort it.

The Drying Problem (a.k.a. British Weather)

Here is the uncomfortable truth: a wetsuit does not need to be bone dry to be stored safely. It needs to be not soaking. In a UK winter, chasing bone dry is how you end up with a suit draped over a radiator and a quiet conversation with your insurance company.

Hang the suit on a wide, rounded hanger — the sort designed for wetsuits, or a sturdy plastic coat hanger — from the waist or shoulders, depending on the suit. Fold it over a line only if the line is smooth and thick; thin washing line leaves creases that become cracks. Dry it inside out first, then turn it the right way for the final airing. Keep it out of direct sunlight, which degrades neoprene, and away from radiators, log burners, conservatory glass and anything else that turns a damp shed into a kiln.

Airflow matters more than heat. A garage with the door cracked open, a covered porch, or a well-ventilated utility room is better than a sealed cupboard. If the weather is relentlessly damp, a cheap dehumidifier in a small room will do more for your suit than any heated rail. Turn the suit inside out after a day, reposition it on the hanger, and let the damp air move through the arms and legs.

Zips, Seams and the Five-Minute Check

Once the suit is dry enough to handle, give it a proper look. This takes five minutes and saves a lot of cold-water surprises.

Run your fingers along the seams, especially the taped or glued ones on the shoulders and knees. You are checking for lifting tape, crunchy glue, or stitching that has started to fray. Flex the neoprene at the knees, elbows and seat. If it feels stiff or crackly, the material is ageing. Look at the zip teeth: any missing teeth, bent sliders or corroded metal mean trouble. A zip lubricated with a little silicone or beeswax-style zip wax will run more smoothly and last longer. Do not use olive oil or WD-40; they attract grit and smell like a workshop.

Check the ankles and cuffs, where you haul the suit on and off. That is where splits begin. Check the underarm panels and the crotch seam too — nobody enjoys finding those failures at the slipway.

Small Repairs, Sensible Glue

A split seam or a small hole does not mean the suit is finished. Neoprene cement is cheap, and a tube will last for years if you seal it properly. Clean the area with fresh water and let it dry completely. Roughen the surface very gently with fine sandpaper if the instructions suggest it, apply the cement thinly to both sides, let it go tacky, then press together firmly. Follow the tube, not your instincts.

For tiny nicks, a dab of neoprene cement or a patch kit is fine. For delamination — where the outer fabric has started to peel away from the neoprene — repairs are possible but rarely permanent. If the suit is peeling across a high-flex area like the shoulder or knee, start planning its replacement rather than pretending.

Storage: Cool, Dark and Unbothered

Once dry, store the suit somewhere cool, dark and dry. Hanging is generally better than folding, because sharp creases become weak points over time. If you must fold it, fold loosely and avoid leaving heavy objects on top. A breathable suit bag is fine; a sealed plastic bin is not. Do not store it in a shed that turns into a sauna in spring or a freezer in January, and keep it away from petrol cans, paint thinners and anything else with fumes that neoprene happily absorbs.

When to Call It

Some suits are beyond sensible saving. If the neoprene has gone stiff and shiny across large areas, if seams are failing in several places at once, if the suit has lost its stretch and lets water flush through the body, or if repairs are costing more than a decent second-hand suit, let it go. A wetsuit that no longer seals is not a wetsuit; it is a cold, wet suit-shaped object.

The test is simple: would you trust it on a grey February morning with a force four blowing? If the answer is no, no amount of careful rinsing will change that. But for everything else, a bit of fresh water, a good hanger and a cool, airy corner will keep the neoprene alive until the days get longer.