Your wetsuit is a key part of your triathlon gear. If you’re putting in hours of training, you’ll want to know your triathlon wetsuit is as ready for race day as you are. The key to ensuring your triathlon suit’s race-readiness is care.
With good care before, during and after your swim, a triathlon wetsuit should last for a good few years without any notable drop in performance. However, they can also be delicate and wear easily if adequate care isn’t taken.
Thankfully, looking after a swimming wetsuit is surprisingly simple. Add these few additional steps into your swim routine and your favourite suit will keep performing for many swims to come.
1. Wear it Regularly
This point only really applies if you’re someone who wears a wetsuit a handful of times a year. If your triathlon wetsuit goes for many months without being worn, it can start to shrink and lose its elasticity, making it more vulnerable when it comes to racing.
If you have an expensive wetsuit that you try to save for races, consider taking it out for a handful of practice sessions beforehand to keep it stretchy and loose (like warming up your muscles before racing).
If you simply don’t swim very often, consider putting your wetsuit on once every few months, just so the neoprene stops getting too stiff.
2. Be Mindful of Scratches
Scratches are one of the most damaging things for a triathlon suit and a very common reason for a suit needing replacing. The smooth neoprene on swimming wetsuits compared to surfing wetsuits makes them particularly susceptible to even the slightest knicks.
Scratches can happen at any time, so it’s important to remain vigilant before, during and after your swim.
When putting on the wetsuit, avoid using your nails. Swimmers will commonly claw their suit on but your nails can penetrate the neoprene, so make sure to just use your fingers.
Another common pitfall is velcro – if your suit has a velcro strap, ensure this doesn’t come into contact with the neoprene as it will scratch the surface.
When swimming, try to watch out for things that might scratch the suit. If swimming in freshwater, sticks and brambles on the edges of the water can pose a risk. If swimming in seawater, you might need to be mindful of stones and rocks when entering or exiting the water.
Once your swim is complete, take your time to get changed and make sure nails aren’t being used to take the suit off. If you’re racing in a triathlon, for example, wetsuit strippers (race volunteers who will help you get out of your suit) are great for speed but the lack of care can damage the wetsuit.
3. Avoid Vaseline
This is a classic rookie error. You probably know this already but just to repeat, don’t use Vaseline or other petroleum-based lubricants with your wetsuit. Most wetsuit manufacturers will tell you that doing so voids the suit’s warranty because it’s proven to degrade neoprene.
That being said, it can still be beneficial to use lubricants specifically designed for wetsuits.
A wetsuit lubricant can make entering and exiting the suit easier and cause the suit to stretch less, which can help with its longevity. Alternatively, the old ‘bags on the arms and legs’ trick can have a similar effect, helping you enter the suit without having to yank it as much.
4. Rinse immediately
If you only do one additional thing to care for your wetsuit, do this.
The most damaging things for wetsuits are usually sunlight (which we’ll come onto next), chlorine and salt. However, these things only cause an impact after an extended period of exposure. Rinsing the suit out as soon as possible is crucial and will eliminate any water-based threats.
When rinsing your wetsuit, there are two golden rules to follow.
Firstly, use lukewarm water; don’t use hot water as this can impact the suit’s elasticity.
Secondly, use fresh water; avoid washing up detergents as these can degrade the suit. If you feel like your wetsuit needs a deeper cleaning (for example, if there’s an odour), you can buy specific wetsuit cleaners that won’t damage the suit.
5. Dry Correctly
Care for your wetsuit doesn’t end after it’s been rinsed, though. Even the most experienced swimmers make mistakes with drying their wetsuits, but it’s really easy to do it right.
The most important thing is not to dry out your wetsuit in direct sunlight. UV rays can be particularly harmful to your wetsuit if it’s exposed for many hours at a time.
Even if you’re drying your wetsuit in the shade, it’s recommended to dry it inside out just to ensure the outer layer is protected. Plus, if the inside dries first, putting it on for an impromptu swim will be easier.
After drying your suit in the shade, the next most important tip is to avoid putting it on a hanger. Hanging your suit up can cause it to stretch out, particularly if it’s weighed down by water. Instead, let it drip dry on a drying rack. If that’s not an option, hang it at the waist (similar to hanging trousers) so the weight is more evenly distributed.
If you can follow these tips, your swimming wetsuit is guaranteed to last much longer than it would have done before! For more advice, check out our detailed blog on washing your wetsuit.