How important is regular maintenance to the effectiveness of your immersion wear products? How long is the useful life of your immersion wear? How would a consumer know when it is time to replace a garment?

To answer this question, I would first point out that there are two basic strategies to addressing cold-weather paddling gear. There are neoprene wetsuits, which are cheap and require almost no maintenance, and there are things like drysuits and dry tops, which are expensive and do require periodic care. Both wetsuits and drysuits, when used properly, can offer very good protection against hypothermia even during extended periods in cold water. The down side to wetsuits, though, is that when you are not in the water, they basically have one temperature setting- hot. Drysuits, particularly ones made out of breathable fabric, can be comfortable in a variety of paddling conditions with good layering, and for people who paddle a lot in cold temperatures, particularly active paddlers, it is well worth the extra money for the drysuit.

Having said that, I will point out that our company doesn't really make wetsuits, and our drysuits and dry tops are all made out of waterproof breathable material. This is not to say that wetsuits are bad- they really can be a great choice for some customers- it's not really our specialty, though. So, in terms of care, I will address our drysuits, because they require all of the maintenance of a dry top, and then some.

First, the latex gaskets need to be kept out of sunlight, and periodic treatment with UV protectants like McNett's Seal Saver will help. Eventually, they will dry out and tear, but they can be replaced either by the company who made your garment, or even by a handy do-it-yourselfer.

The second thing is the dry zippers. These are by far the most expensive component on the garment, and must be handled with care. Don't crease them, try to avoid getting dirt in them, and only treat them with bee's wax, or with zipper care products from McNett- like Zip Care and Zip Tech.

The next thing to watch out for is the fabric booties. They are really nice to have on a drysuit, but they wear out really easily. Surprisingly, most wear on these socks occur on the inside, when someone with dirty feet or dirty wool socks puts on the drysuit. Those particles really wear away at the laminate.

Lastly, the DWR (Durable Water Repellant) coating on all breathable jackets comes off at some point. The DWR coating is something that is sprayed on the fabric after it is made to make water bead off of it. Contrary to popular perception, this does not make the jacket waterproof, it just keeps the outer shell fabric from absorbing water. The inner laminate on the jacket keeps it dry. However, when this DWR wears off, the fabric holds water and gets cold much easier. And when the outer shell of our jacket is cold, ANY moisture inside the jacket condenses immediately. This will make many customers absolutely convinced that their jacket is leaking, when it's not. The good news is that this DWR can be renewed at home by using any of a number of kits you can buy at camping stores. Nikwax makes a good one and McNett has a product for this too.

--Immersion Research
Click here to read Bio


Regular maintenance will keep any gear in better shape; the marine environment and repetitive motions like those while paddling are particularly hard on garments. For immersion wear, a rinse in fresh water, if practical, is recommended. Since salt water is only about 3% salt, a good rinse with salt water is also acceptable if fresh water is not available. A regular wash following the manufacturer’s guidelines is also recommended. For garments with latex gaskets, regular application of UV inhibitor (like 303 Protectant) will extend the life, and for zippers, waxing them regularly will make the user’s life easier. As part of the maintenance regimen, make sure the garment will dry after using it—storing any garment wet will decrease its functionality and life.

--Adam Knoeller/Kokatat
Click here to read Bio


Regular maintenance of latex gaskets, drysuit zippers and the fabric itself is very important to maintaining the useful life of dry wear. NRS recommends that when picking up a piece of dry wear, also purchase a container of 303 Aerospace Protectant (303). Regular use of 303 on the latex gaskets to keep them from drying out due to exposure to sun, water and time will maintain the life of your gaskets much longer.

Keep drysuit zippers cleaned and lubricated for maximum life and efficiency. While storing your drysuit leave all of the zippers open, including the relief zipper.

New dry wear fabric has a durable water repellant (DWR) coating that causes water droplets to bead up and run off. With use of the garment, this DWR wears off and water doesn’t bead up, rather it saturates the outer fabric and interferes with the breathability. When that happens, re-treat the fabric with a DWR coating that doesn’t require heat (usually from a clothes dryer) to activate it. Heat will damage latex gaskets.

Always rinse and thoroughly air dry your dry wear. This applies especially to saltwater paddlers. If you need to wash your dry wear use a specially formulated cleaner that won’t break down the DWR waterproofing coating on the outside. Do not put dry wear in the clothes dryer, it needs to air dry.

Rinse neoprene wetsuits after each use and air dry. There are specific shampoos for cleaning wetsuits. Use this type of shampoo every time a wetsuit has been used in a swimming pool. Chlorine attacks neoprene and will ruin it in short order. Tears in wetsuits can be repaired with various glues and seam sealers.

--NRS
Click here to read Bio


All fabric drysuits have three main components, the fabric of the body of the drysuit, the entry zipper, and the seals. Your drysuit will only work if all three components are maintained regularly and kept in good working condition.

1. Shell Fabric
After each use, gently wash the inside of the fabric with a mild solution of hand or dish washing soap. Then spray or rinse the inside and outside of the fabric with clean water. Hang dry the inside and outside of your drysuit, out of the sun and away from heat.

Wash the outside of the fabric with soap only when it cannot be cleaned with just water. The DWR (Durable Water Repellent) treatment can be removed prematurely by excessive washing, usually requiring more than 50 washings. Test the DWR by dripping water on the outside face fabric. If the water beads up and is not soaked into the fabric, the DWR is functioning properly. If the water soaks into the fabric, clean the face fabric, dry your drysuit, and then apply any one of the readily available commercial DWR treatments to reactivate the water repellency. Some examples of DWR treatment products are Scotchguard, Revivex, and Nikwax.

Do not apply the DWR treatment to the inside of the fabric.

2. Seals
All rubber, as well as all synthetics, including plastics, degrades over time. All of these materials, including natural gum rubber, contain special oils that are essential structural components called plasticizers. Over time these plasticizers migrate to the surface of the material and evaporate. This is called "outgassing". As these plasticizers are lost, the rubber degrades and becomes brittle, developing cracks and losing elasticity. These are signs that the useable life of the product is coming to an end.

The degradation of rubber is accelerated by increased exposure to UV light from the sun, ozone, heat and petrochemicals, but this degradation can be dramatically slowed. Examples of petrochemicals include gasoline, sun tan lotion, scented talcum powder, and the propellants in some spray cans.

After every use, wash latex seals inside and outside with a mild soap and warm water solution (if available) to remove all contamination that comes from body oils, pollution, lotions, petrochemicals, etc. Apply UV Tech to the cleaned latex both on the inside and on the outside of the seal. (Applying UV Tech to a contaminated seal will only trap contaminates and accelerate the deterioration.) Allow the UV Tech some time, usually about an hour, to be absorbed before allowing the seals to contact the fabric of the drysuit. Premature contact can cause discoloration in the fabric of the drysuit. Store the suit rolled up in a storage bag to minimize the airflow around the seals. This allows the UV Tech to better protect the latex. Apply UV Tech to all seals again prior to using the suit.

UV Tech, a McNett product, is an environmentally friendly, water based, industrial quality protectant and replasticizer that helps preserve natural gum rubber. It replaces lost plasticizers and helps seal in existing plasticizers, maintaining the integrity, suppleness and elasticity of rubber. UV Tech penetrates rapidly, delivering rejuvenating plasticizers deep into the material and protecting existing plasticizers. UV Tech does not just remain on the surface after application, simply making it shiny. UV Tech leaves surfaces dry and non-glossy, and will not attract dirt.

UV Tech contains UV blocking sunscreen that bonds to surfaces, providing durable protection from UV, ozone, rain-borne soils and contaminants. A single coat of UV Tech will help considerably, but for best results use UV Tech once before every usage, and before each storage. Spray UV Tech liberally over the cleaned inside and outside surfaces of the rubber, or spray on a rag and apply with a wiping motion. When stored away from sunlight, your seals will not need to be treated as often. The protection provided by UV Tech will generally survive several washings and/or usages.

3. Zipper
When opening or closing your zipper, pull the zipper head directly along the line of the zipper, but at a slight angle up from the fabric of the drysuit. This will keep the zipper head from diving into the teeth of the zipper.

Store the zipper only in the open position. Close the zipper only when the drysuit is being used. If you bend the zipper backward or forward at a sharp angle, especially when the zipper is zipped closed, you can break the stabilizer cord that holds the teeth in place. The zipper teeth will then become dislodged and you will have to replace the zipper—at great expense.

Periodically clean the zipper teeth with a tooth brush and soap and water. Be sure to remove all sand and any other foreign particles at every opportunity. After cleaning, lubricate the zipper teeth with Zipease beeswax lubricant.

--OS Systems
Click here to read Bio


In general, paddlers are not always great at the pre and post care that garments require. Gear is often stowed as compactly as possible, often wet for long periods, dried quickly and then taken out and pushed hard in terms of product usage- its not a surprise that equipment fails from time to time.

I think it’s relative to value; a suit is an expensive piece of apparel and should be revered. It will last longer if you show it some love. Rinsing in clean water, non aggressive drying and folding it so zipper and seams are not stressed will help, and just like a down sleeping bag or jacket there is nothing wrong with using a technical wash on it from time to time, and of course, keep the zips lubed up.

--Andy Knight/Palm
Click here to read Bio


You’ve got to treat your equipment well for it to function effectively and immersion suits are no exception. They should be regularly rinsed in clean water and allowed to air dry, and when not in use they should be stored loosely folded so that the zipper is protected. Latex gaskets need to be regularly checked for tears or cracking and always protected from UV to prolong their life. Keeping the zipper lubricated and clean is probably the most common task in maintaining an immersion suit. Proper maintenance will extend the longevity of any immersion suit. Treat it well and it will take care of you for years.

--Shelley Johnson/MTI Adventurewear
Click here to read Bio


Required maintenance is based on frequency of use and the care the user gives the suit. A few simple tips will help you keep the maintenance of a Stohlquist drysuit (or any other brand) to a minimum.

• Zippers: Store open or closed, but lubricate when needed to keep slider moving easily. Never stand on zipper when dressing/undressing. That can drive grit deep into the zipper’s teeth.
• Latex gaskets: keep them freshened and easy to slide hands in and out. Dust with silicone spray or talcum powder to keep surfaces easy.
• Fabric: Rinse salt water off at home and hang suit until dry before storage. If camping or with continuous/intermittent use, hang to dry inside-out first, then outside out before re-entering. Wear a liner- polyester or nylon work best.
• Cleaning: Rinse as appropriate, hand wash at home in a bathtub. Use only mild soapy water on stains. For better long-term performance avoid scrubbing or twisting to wring out. No dryer, ever!

--Jim Stohlquist/Stohlquist WaterWare
Click here to read Bio


How critical is fit and how do you assure buyers get properly sized garments?

For us, we would be talking about drysuits, and the fit is critical only at the gaskets at the wrists and neck. These need to be tight, like really tight, to be effective. Other than that, fit is really subjective.

--Immersion Research
Click here to read Bio


Patterning and fit are paramount to the performance of a garment. A poor-fitting garment may lead to premature wear and will certainly be less than ideal when it comes to comfort. After decades of experience manufacturing thousands of drysuits, our size chart is the best place to begin when looking for a properly sized garment. In wetsuits and drysuits, Kokatat designs garments for men and women. Our men’s and women’s suits are cut from different patterns and take into account the anatomical differences of each gender.

Kokatat also has the capability to customize our suits to a certain extent. We can alter sleeve, inseam, torso and rise measurements, and can add pockets, reflective tape or relief systems when the customer requests. This ensures not only the best fit in the industry but also addresses the needs of individual paddlers.

--Adam Knoeller/Kokatat
Click here to read Bio


NRS has a men’s and women’s apparel sizing chart based on body measurements, height and weight. This helps our customer service reps size our customers appropriately. NRS dry wear is sized a little generously throughout the body to allow for layering underneath. With these inner thermal layers and other types of boating apparel, proper fit is very important. To be most efficient at holding in your body’s heat, they need to fit snug to your body. However, at the same time they need to be comfortable. The best equipment in the world won’t do you any good if you don’t like wearing it and leave it in your gear bag! A critical part of dry wear fit is the gaskets. If the gaskets are too large, they won’t do their job of keeping water out. If they are too snug then the wearer will be uncomfortable.

NRS has a standardized gasket size for each dry top and drysuit size. Some customers complain of the gaskets feeling too tight. Usually they’re not too tight, they’re just fitting right for its purpose of keeping water out. However, they may not be comfortable to the user, especially neck gaskets. Our recommendation is to stretch the gasket over something slightly larger than the circumference of the gasket. A coffee can or football works great for neck gaskets. Soup cans work well for wrist and ankle gaskets.

Wetsuit pieces present more difficulty in getting a good fit. To work properly they have to fit snugly, but you don’t want them “anaconda-squeeze” tight. Our wetsuit sizing charts are based on height, weight, chest and waist measurement ranges. We find that when your measurements fall partially in two adjacent garment sizes, that using your weight as the determining factor most often gives the best fit.

--NRS
Click here to read Bio


Fabric drysuits work on a different thermal protection mechanism than wetsuits. Fabric drysuits do not fit skin tight. In fact they are generally a little loose. Fabric drysuits do not stretch and must be designed with adequate ease built into the garment to allow the user to move freely. Fabric drysuits do not provide much thermal protection by themselves. The drysuit is designed to keep the water out and your warm air in. You wear layers of thermal wear inside the drysuit to stay warm.

One small reminder is to "burp" the excess air out of your drysuit after you have closed the zippers. This makes it much easier to move around.

If your fabric drysuit fits tightly, it is too small for you, and your body movements will literally tear the fabric apart over time. You can see this in older drysuits where the fabric is stretched and wrinkled, sometimes even torn at stress points. If you have extraordinary difficulty getting the entry zipper over your head, your drysuit is probably too small. If you put too much strain on the zipper, you can break it, a retail repair cost of about $200.00.

If your drysuit fits properly, and is large enough to accommodate the maximum anticipated number of layers of thermal wear inside, you will be able to stand up and reach high over your head, touch your toes, cross your arms in front of you and squat down into a small ball, and sit down and go through all the paddling and reaching motions you might want to do. You should not feel any restrictions in these movements caused by the drysuit fabric. If, at any time you see the fabric of the drysuit stretched taut, your drysuit may be too small. Wearing a drysuit that is too small is much worse than wearing a drysuit that is too large.

If, as you go through all of these reaching motions, your drysuit still has lots of extra fabric after you are fully stretched, your drysuit is probably too large. One of the most important "critical fit" aspects of wearing a drysuit is that the "crotch is properly set." If the crotch of the drysuit is too tight, you are obviously uncomfortable, especially when reaching to paddle. If the crotch hangs down very far, when you move it will restrict your ability to walk and move, and you will feel like you have been hobbled like a horse. Some drysuit makers just make their drysuit big all over. While this is better than too small, too much fabric often gets in your way.

Rubber seals should feel a little tight at first, especially if you are trying them on in a warm building. The same seals will feel more comfortable out in the cold—your neck will actually shrink a little more than the seals. If your hands lose feeling or turn blue, you might consider getting larger seals. Rubber seals will stretch out over time and become more comfortable. To quicken the relaxing process you can also pre-stretch seals by pulling the wrist seals over a small bottle and the neck seal over a larger bottle, approximately 23" in circumference. Leave the seals in a stretched position for only 6 hours at a time. Test fit the seals after the first 6 hours, and repeat the 6-hour sessions as needed until the seals are comfortable. Make sure that you have applied UV Tech to the latex prior to stretching.

--OS Systems
Click here to read Bio


We offer a broad range of sizes to cover the majority of users. A well-cut suit allows freedom of movement and a range of layering options underneath. Our built-in socks are tailored to fit the majority of users without being too tight or having excess fabric.

One question we get asked is why most of our suits have shoulder zips rather than the front entry style. We feel that by having the zip at the back it reduces chaffing and pressure points in the chest where a PFD, if correctly fitted, applies some pressure and where some slack is required to allow the paddler to breathe freely. The back zip may feel strange at first but you soon realize it doesn’t restrict and creates a more dynamic product once you start to move.

--Andy Knight/Palm
Click here to read Bio


Fit is critical to comfort, and a detailed and accurate sizing chart can take away a lot of guessing when it comes to choosing the correct size. You need to remember that you may be varying the numbers and thicknesses of the layers inside your suit and that you need a roomy fit when paddling. Our women’s suit is designed with women’s shape and sizing in mind; it’s not just a scaled down version of a men’s suit.

Since integral waterproof/breathable socks come on all of our drysuits the sizing is liberal when matching sock size to suit size, but any bagginess in the sock is preferable to a fit that is restrictive and uncomfortable.

--Shelley Johnson/MTI Adventurewear
Click here to read Bio


Start at the size charts. The easy way is to visit a knowledgeable dealer with adequate range of size samples to try on. Their advice can take away the guesswork and make the first time try-on and proper fit easy to determine.

--Jim Stohlquist/Stohlquist WaterWare
Click here to read Bio