drysuit education

Ok guys so santa brought me a drysuit for Xmas . Now I have only worn one once. I know you can wear the vest underneath the suit and to "burp" the air out, but what else do I need to know. Maintenance, care, storage, ect. It is an oneil boost. Also it came with two small velcro straps, what are they for, hanging it up by the suspenders? Any help is greatly appreciated as I want this to last a long time cause the wifey won't let me replace. Thanks.

The straps are leg cinches,you use around the ankle seals to prevent water from getting in when you crash and burn.

Use food grade silicone on the rubber seals to keep the rubber from rotting. That and a good wax for the zipper. Stop in at a dive shop and they will give you lots of good info on keeping it looking and working like new.

Use zipper care and lube up the seals at least twice a year. Store in an area where the temperatures aren't extreme. I kept one in an attic for a year without any care to the seals and they were dried out and tore with ease.

Do not leave your suit hanging in a garage full of gas engines & exhaust. It'll deteriorate the rubber seals. Dry it out, then pack it in an air tight bag of some kind. Most suits I've seen come packed in a giant ziplock baggie just for storing it.

just check out the ocean rodeo predator before you buy, drysuit without the baggyness

newty where can i find some food grade silicone? Also what do you guys wear underneath it when its real cold?

Clotus -
Aquaseal brand "Seal Saver" is what I use (esp. for drysuit seals) I ordered it with my drysuit. The seller also through in some Ziptech zipper lubricant.

Underneath: Longsleeve running/workout shirt with wicking type material for sweat. Pants: thermals from snowboarding typically, or fleece pants if really cold, also from snowboarding. I err on the side of a little cold, because the drysuit heats me up real quick from the workout of riding.

My dealer sells the stuff as a binding lube, but you can order it online.
http://www.amazon.com/CRC-03040-Grade-Silicone-Aerosol/dp/B00192D0TQ

any decent dive shop should have those supplies too.

Wiley's & Adrenaline have it too. I would think that most any shop that carries drysuits would have it.

I just ride in Levi's & a sweatshirt inside the drysuit. Sweats make me slide around on the SkySki's seat too much (inside the suit), and I don't like changing all the time. So wear whatever I'm wearing at the time.

awesome info guys thanks!

Try to remember to go to the bathroom before getting in the water. I had a guy forget that he was in a drysuit and he almost peed himself. It would have been pretty funny had he done it.

"It would have been pretty funny had he done it."

Unless it was your drysuit he was wearing...

303 the seals....guess food grade silicone is an alternative. Fleece or some poly material is what you want underneath. Stay away from cotton under the suit as that has negative heat insulation when wet if you hit a leak or sweat.

(Message edited by bmartin on January 03, 2010)

don't forget to zip it before you jump in the water. I did that once. It sucks bad. Sort of freaky too. You can't really swim in a dry suit that is flooded, plus it is cold.

BTW the boost is a good suit.
I have had one for about 6 years.
I have had to replace a few seals over the years, but that is to be expected.
Wiley's in Seattle will fix what they can and ship it down to Oniel when they can't fix it.

Advice above about storage and maintainance is all good.

I wore it for the first time yesterday. All I can say is awesome!! A fullbody wetsuit gets the job done, but when you get out of the water still cold, especially on the boat. The drysuit kept we warm all day. Two thumbs way up. Now I just need to get some sealsaver stuff and an airtight bag. Thanks again guys.

^^ that makes me so happy to hear. i just got a drysuit about a month ago, and havnt ridden boat since i got it. cant wait to try it out saturday!

it will be great going from riding in a 2 mm spring suit last February at berryessa to a dry suit this year. haha

Clotus,
Always store your drysuit with the zipper un-zipped.
The O Neil boost has a compression zipper, if you leave it zipped it wears out the compression/dryness.

I have a dry suit for diving and you do not want to use just any hanger to hang it up. You can go to your local dive store and pick up a dry suit hanger or fold it nicely and store it in a suit case or bag. be careful on the zip lock bags, as they trap moisture and that will cause mold. the dive shop will also have seal guard/protective and zipper care. When you dry it out make sure you turn it inside out also in case you got water in it or just sweat a lot.

I have had my boost for 7 years now, and have always rinsed it inside out after every ride with a hose, then hung with a plastic suit jacket hanger (is a broader hanger which will release the pull on the neck seal when hanging to dry).

Brent clued you in, but one small thing that he forgot to mention...
Leave your suit unzipped, but not unzipped all the way out to the end. Leave about 1/2 an inch left zipped at the end and you're golden.
And yes, keep plenty of zipper wax on the zipper.

On a side note, I never liked having something tight around my neck, but I loved the idea of a dry suit...so this year I bought a 4:3 Rip Curl Fireskin and it is super warm and just as flexible as a dry suit without anything tight on you. They even have drain vents to drain any water out that gets in, pretty legit for a wetsuit.

Justin,
What is the 1/2" left zipped about? I'm trying to figure it out but nothing is coming to me.
B

Brent -When I picked up my dry suit, the shop owner told me to do that...guess it has something to do with that rubber tab under the zipper keeping shape. Didn't really ask too many questions as to why, just figured it's what you do since it was my first dry suit. I have had suit for 7 years and have never had any zipper problems.