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Just hit 500 hours on my new drysuit and the wrist seals are still perfect
I mean, I was fully expecting to replace them after maybe 300 hours, especially with all the steel work we've been doing. I've been logging every dive in a book since I got it, and when I added it up yesterday I was shocked. The key seems to be the talc and careful rolling technique my old dive partner showed me in Seattle. I do it the exact same way every single time I suit up. Has anyone else gotten way more life out of a seal than they thought possible?
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wadeyoung1mo ago
Right there with you on that soak method. That's exactly what I do, a full twenty minute dunk in fresh water. I learned the hard way too after destroying a pair of wrist seals on my old shell suit. The talc trick works wonders, but I also make sure to dry the seals completely before rolling them, a damp roll is just asking for mold or rot. And that's a great point from @lucasgarcia about the salt crystals, I think people underestimate how those tiny cuts add up over time. Has anyone here tried storing their suit with the seals already rolled and tied in a ziplock bag?
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That talc trick is a lifesaver. I used it on my old suit and got maybe 400 hours. But 500 with steel work is next level. I found the real killer for me was forgetting to rinse the inside of the seals after a saltwater dive. The salt crystals would make tiny cuts when I rolled them. Do you do a full fresh water soak of the whole suit?
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avery3661mo ago
Oh man, @lucasgarcia, that bit about the salt crystals cutting the seals is so true. I learned that the hard way on my first good wetsuit. I always do a full fresh water soak now, inside and out, in a big trash can for like twenty minutes. Just hosing it down doesn't get all the salt out of the lining. That soak is the difference between a suit that lasts a season and one that goes for years.
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