How do you care for your triathlon wetsuit? It’s a big investment. In fact, the wetsuit itself is often the biggest financial barrier to participation in the sport for those just starting out. Most of us have a bike at the back of the shed somewhere and some sports clothing we can run in, so caring for our triathlon wetsuit is critical to protect our investment.
Before your first swim
As soon as you take your wetsuit out of the box, you will want to give it a once over to check for any damage. Most people will try on more than one wetsuit before purchasing. Whenever someone puts on a wetsuit there is a risk of damage, especially if they don’t know what they’re doing.
What you’re looking for is small nicks in the wetsuit from others who will have tried that wetsuit on, and discovered the fit was not right for them. The below is an example from my wetsuit before repairing.
If I was sent a wetsuit with a nick in it, I would be sending a photo to the manufacturer and expecting an exchange or partial refund. If you get a partial refund, you will want to make sure that you repair the damage. See the section on wetsuit repair below for details.
If however the wetsuit was somehow sent out to you with a hole in it that was large enough that you can see daylight through it, or there is any tearing, that should be a straight up return and full refund.
Putting on your triathlon wetsuit on with care
Putting on your wetsuit is the time when you are most prone to damaging it. A great deal of wetsuit care is required to prevent you from causing damage.
Many wetsuits come with a pair of cotton gloves for when you are putting them on. I recommend you use these to start with, to prevent unnecessary damage. Small nicks from fingernails won’t have any impact on the usability of the suit, but they are unsightly and annoying.
When you are putting on the wetsuit, you will be grabbing handfuls of material and moving them up your body. As we grab the material we run the risk of nicking it with our fingernails. We cannot prevent this completely, I would be a much richer man if I had the secret to preventing these nicks, but we can reduce them.
For a start, we want to be quite gentle as we grab the neoprene, and to take our time when putting it on. Sometimes we will find ourselves in a rush for whatever reason, but try to arrive with loads of time to ensure you are not rushed putting your suit on ahead of a race or swim slot.
Another simple measure is keeping our fingernails short. For some this might not be appealing, but if longer nails are a part of your identity, you may want to use gloves when putting your suit on to avoid damage.
The last part of putting on your triathlon wetsuit is zipping it up. If possible, I HIGHLY recommend you find someone else to zip you up. This isn’t because you’re not capable, but this is where you can catastrophically damage your wetsuit.
That’s because you place a LOT of pressure on your zip when you’re zipping it up yourself. It’s all too easy to apply too much pressure and rip the zipper off. At most races, at least one poor soul will be stood in transition holding their wetsuit zip in their hand, unable to start their race after trying to do their own suit up.
Swimming in your triathlon wetsuit
Once your wetsuit is on, you are unlikely to damage it if you are simply swimming freestyle in clear water. However, if you try to use the wetsuit for surfing or any other aquatic endeavours you do run the risk of damaging it as the neoprene is so thin.
You will want to be careful when entering the water around rocky areas however, especially if a wave could push you into the rocks. The same goes for when you are swimming, make sure you give any rocks a very wide berth to avoid damage to your wetsuit, or yourself! One strong wave knocking you into a sharp piece of rock could be the end of your wetsuit.
Removing your triathlon wetsuit
Once you come out of the water, you will be looking to remove your wetsuit. Quite quickly if you are in a race.
Due to the wet nature of your suit and fingers, damage is less likely here, but still very possible if you are trying to remove your suit at pace. Thankfully, the lining is more likely to be damaged here, which is less prone to damage, but we still want to remove it with care, as a fingernail could still go all the way through the lining and the neoprene. You can also nick your suit with your toenails as you pull it off your legs, so try to keep them short as well. If only to prevent losing toenails from running.
Drying your triathlon wetsuit
Once you have finished your swim, you will want to dry and store it. The first thing to do is to give it a thorough rinse with clean water, especially if you have been swimming in the sea.
After your suit has been rinsed, you want to turn it inside out. The lining takes the longest to try, so we want to expose this to as much air as possible.
There are to enormous errors that triathletes make when storing their wetsuit. The first is trying it outside in direct sunlight. This will crack the neoprene and shorten the lifespan of your wetsuit drastically. Dry your wetsuit indoors or in the shade, but keep in mind that the sun will move throughout the day, so don’t leave it somewhere it will be hit with direct sunlight later in the day.
The second error is hanging your wetsuit on a regular hanger to dry. This will deform the shoulders and have a major impact on the flexibility of the suit. That nice expensive suit with 1.5mm neoprene in the shoulders for optimal flexibility? Ruined by leaving it on a hanger to dry.
Instead, you want to hang your wetsuit over something such as a shower rail, where it can dry out naturally. I don’t have a shower rail in my bathroom, so I just pop mine in my bathtub. It’s not ideal, but it’s the best option available to me which won’t cause water to drip everywhere.
Storing your triathlon wetsuit
Once your wetsuit is thoroughly dry, it’s time to put it away until your next swim. There are a variety of methods you can use to fold your wetsuit. My favourite is to gently bend the legs at the knees, then again at the hips. I then gently fold the arms across the chest.
It’s really important to avoid creating any creases by folding it too tightly or heavily, especially around the shoulders. This will reduce the flexibility in those areas.
When you put the wetsuit away, ideally leave it in a cupboard away from any sunlight to prevent damage, and do not place anything on top of it.
When putting your triathlon wetsuit away for winter, this is especially important.
Types damage to your triathlon wetsuit
Your triathlon wetsuit is going to pick up a bit of damage. That’s just the way of the world. No matter how carefully you look after it, there will always be the risk of damage.
There are three types of damage you need to look out for.
Nicks
These are small dents in the neoprene caused by fingernails digging into the neoprene. These are broadly harmless, but worth repairing to ensure they don’t get any bigger.
To repair these, you will need to use neoprene glue. The most popular option is a products known as Black Witch. Every triathlete should have a tube of this stuff knocking around to make minot repairs to their suit with.
To repair your wetsuit, simply dab a spot of black witch over the affected area, and fold the flap back over it. I tend to apply heavy pressure to the area for 4-5 minutes. I’ll then leave something heavy such as a large book (that I’m not too precious about) on the affected area. I will normally leave this for around 48 hours to give the glue time to fully cure.
Holes
If you can see daylight through the damage, this is another matter entirely. Black Witch will not suffice, you need a professional repair. Ask around at your local lake or online to find someone near you who specialises in wetsuit repairs.
Splits
If the wetsuit splits, this is a big problem. Without action, the wetsuit will soon be unusable.
Suits will occasionally split along a seam. If the suit is within warranty, then you should be able to get a replacement. The same goes for a split that is runs vertically down the neckline. There is a well known brand which is famous for having thin wetsuits which damage easily, but they are very generous with their warranties.
Splits across a panel are another matter entirely however. You would have a VERY difficult time getting a warranty on this. The suit has simply been mishandled at some point, and damage has been done. These could still be repaired at your expense though.
Conclusion
Triathlon wetsuits are designed to be as flexible as possible, but this also makes them very fragile. Here are the main takeaway points:
- Take your time when putting your wetsuit on
- Keep your nails short
- Never hang your wetsuit up on a hanger
- Avoid leaving your wetsuit in direct sunlight to dry
- Repair light damage with neoprene glue
- You are unlikely to make a successful warranty claim if a split is not along a seam or the neckline
