How To Repair A Swimming Wetsuit! | Open Water Swim Suit Care Tips

[@gtn]

Have you ever had to repair your wetsuit? How did it go? Let us know 👇

[@3ddavt]

Yes I had and it goes much more further then just repair my own suit. When I got how to do it - now I can help for other. You can check my work In Facebook: facebook.com/neopreneclinic

[@miguelbrito7099]

Hi GTN. Thx for the vid. Here's my experience repairing my Huub swimsuit. I use black glue from the Decathlon brand. Its cheap, it works and a tube will last forever. I always rinse and dry before any repairs, ESPECIALLY the damaged/cut bits. Saltwater or sand left inside the cut can affect the efficacy of the glue. I place the suit on a flat space and keep the cut open wide, placing a heavy flat object on each side. Apply the glue with a toothpick or qtip and leave for 10 min. Don't get too near as the fumes can be nasty. Let the two sides of the cut join naturally and apply pressure with your thumb for a couple of seconds. I then leave it to cure overnight with a couple of heavy books on top and that's it. You can easily mend a 5 cm cut provided the tissue base layer is not damaged. Hope this helps

[@Nat-DAVID]

Can you read my mind GTN?? That's exactly the video i was hopping (waiting) for!! Thx a lot once again!

[@gtn]

Not intentionally - promise! Hope you've found it helpful? 🙌

[@Nat-DAVID]

@@gtn Of course i'm about to buy black glue 👍

[@lord1999ful]

What is any disadvantage has some holes besides cold water getting in? My looks like I got shot by a machine gun!!! Wondering if make me slower!!! Thank you!

[@DaveConnelly]

I’ve used the same black witch adhesive and have successfully repaired a long opening (approx 6 inches) using the adhesive and the reinforcing fabric strip for the inside. For these longer cuts, or tears that are deeper, if you can, use the tape to brace or reinforce the repair. Also, what I do with any tears that have been glued is use some low tack tape on the outside - sellotape etc - which doesn’t stick to neoprene, but will help the repair stick down whilst drying and has the added bonus of removing any cured overspill when you take the tape off. Just be careful when removing the tape after curing.

[@hurricane7800]

I actualy got a free suit for my boyfriend because of repairing a big rip! In ordering my first wetsuit, I decided to check eBay for second hand to save a bit of money. I found a shop that sells returned suits they cannot sell in-store but are otherwise in almost-new condition. On my first try, they accidentally sent me a men's suit with a big (10 cm or so) rip right under the zipper (otherwise it is flawless), but refunded the money and said I could keep the suit. My boyfriend tried it on and it was a good fit, so rather than try and sell it again (probably impossible), I bought a 10€ repair kit and reinforced the re-glued tear with the patches. Because it was so big, I reinforced it inside and out (the instructions just say to reinfoce inside) and while it's not the prettiest, it has held up fine so far. And, once I found another second-hand suit for myself it was in practically perfect condition! Staying under 100€ for two name-brand wetsuits in (almost) perfect condition is a trick I don't think I'll ever manage again... 😄

[@SBoots29]

Yes, on the take care of it so you do not have to fix. I wear compression pants and shirt which makes the suit go on and off easier. Now here's the question. I am a proud owner of a Fenix 6 Garmin watch. The face is big and I wondering about ripping the suit when removing in a hurry in transition. What do other people do? I think the suit will get damaged with watch on.

[@willyoung5465]

Very timely, thank you, just ripped a small hole in my suit. Have you been watching me?!

[@gtn]

No - but glad we could help! 🙂

[@chiensean]

Might sound a bit dumb but can we use wetsuits used in scuba diving to swim? Any difference between them? I’m at the tropics. Wetsuits are really a rare use unless really needed.

[@trbeyond]

Many of them are too thick a material and not legal for racing.

[@kanskesenare2246]

sweet.