Hanging drysuit

[driebel]

Hi,

This is a rather embarrassing question, but how exactly does one hang a DUI drysuit? I took my CLX450 to the quarry for the first time today, and it is only now, after giving it a good rinse, that I realize that without the rockboots, the feet are simple fabric "socks" that slide right through my standard "three-pronged" drysuit hanger. Hanging it by the shoulders seems like a terrible idea, as water will pool in the feet, but I'm not sure how to get the suit to stay upside down. What obvious thing am I missing here?

<embarrassed face emoticon>

Dave

[CWSWine]

A little work and some PVC pipe you can build a drysuit dry station

[Hollywoodivers]

Hi,

This is a rather embarrassing question, but how exactly does one hang a DUI drysuit? I took my CLX450 to the quarry for the first time today, and it is only now, after giving it a good rinse, that I realize that without the rockboots, the feet are simple fabric "socks" that slide right through my standard "three-pronged" drysuit hanger. Hanging it by the shoulders seems like a terrible idea, as water will pool in the feet, but I'm not sure how to get the suit to stay upside down. What obvious thing am I missing here?

<embarrassed face emoticon>

Dave

I love the pic of the drysuit station from CWSWine...try this, before I had turbo soles on my DUI suit, I used to stuff those plastic fin shapers into the sock feet and hang it from the 3 pronged hanger upside down. The fin shapers are what the fin manufacturer uses to keep the fin foot pockets from being crushed during shipping. Any Local Dive Shop should have these. Or...get the PVC like the other guy...looks pretty trick

[driebel]

I agree, that PVC dryer is slick. I'll have to add that to the "to do" list for now. At the moment, I'll use that fin shaper trick. Thanks to you both!

[mahjong]

In the absence of the PVC pipe dry station, which will still leave the inside of your drysocks wet for some time (I should think, though they will eventually dry--ah, I see the vaccuum is used the blow the inside of the boots/suit--very nice!), you can drape your suit over a hanger pade of a small piece of PVC pipe (I took a strong steel hanger and ran rope through a piece of PVC pipe as wide as my drysuit and tied the ends of the rope just under the hook of the hangar). Then I just dry one side of the suit at a time, turning the suit inside out and draping it over the pipe again once the outside is dry. The drysocks take the longest to dry on my TLS350. I usually allow the outside of the suit to drip dry (very quick with a TLS) and then turn the suit inside out (before the outside of the drysocks are thoroughly dry) and allow the inside of the drysocks to thoroughly dry before going right side out again and finishing off the outside of the drysocks.Alternatively, just lay your suit on a lounge chair--again doing the inside out flipping at intervals.One thing I do not like to do is hang my suit without closing the outside zipper cover. By closing the zipper cover, you take the strain off the dry zipper. You can't close the zipper cover when using the PVC drysuit station--and if you somehow could this would inhibit the drying of the inside of the suit. Which is another plus of turning the suit inside out to dry the inside.

[DUI]

Hello!

Thank you for your inquiry! Great advice in the above comments.

At the demo days, we flip the legs inside out to dry the inside of the suit first (to avoid sitting water funkiness). You don't necessarily need to turn the arms inside out because the arms are open and allow air flow. Unless you have gloves, in which case, you should remove the gloves.

After the legs are inside out, we hang it over a pvc pipe with the arms dangling down one side and the legs dangling down the other side. Once the inside of the suit is dry. We turn it rightside out and hang it the same way.

It is important that you do not keep the suit hanging up after it is dry. Once dry, your suit should be stored, folded up in the drysuit bag it came with and stored in a cool dry place, away from any ozone. For tips on how to fold your drysuit, please visit DOG TV - How to fold and store your DUI drysuit .

Please feel free to contact me with any further questions.

Thanks!

Jessica
DUI

[coinking]

Jessica, as an owners of two DUI drysuits, I'm confused by your advice on storage, as it contradicts the instructions for storage in DUI's Drysuit Owner's Manual (I just downloaded the most up-to-date manual on your website). On page 62, the manual provides:

HANGING DRYSUIT FOR STORAGE
For storage between dives the drysuit is best hung in a cool, dry space away from ozone generators . . . . The suit should be hung up on a quality drysuit or wetsuit hanger . . . .

It goes on to say:

LONG TERM STORAGE (LONGER THAN TWO MONTHS)
• Hang the suit up as listed above . . . .
• If hanging is not an option, follow the instructions for folding the suit.

So, which is it: Keep the suit on a wide hanger with the zipper open per the manual; or once dry, fold it and keep it in the bag?

Thanks.

[Wolfie]

hey CWSwine, Sweet ride, where do you put the doubles?

[mahjong]

Yes, I was fooled way back by DUI's own instructions and left my TLS350 hanging for 2.5 years during the time I was living overseas and diving a wetsuit. The seals were deteriorated and so was the zipper pad. In short, hanging the suit is a strain on the zipper and also the seams. Long term, it exposes the suit to ozone, which is in the air, though in some locations more than others. Ozone eats away at the butyl rubber, which is the core of most trilam materials and I believe also a component of the dry zipper pad, and also latex seals. For long term storage, again disregard DUI's instructions of folding the suit in its original bag (though that's not real bad). Fold the suit a bit more loosely than at least my DUI bag will allow and place it in a strong and large plastic bag, and seal the bag well. I would then place the bagged suit in a generously sized sealable crate and store it in a closet in your home (not the garage). After even a few years, your suit should be fresh and ready to go, with the seals in good shape. Don't forget to talc the seals well before storage, and even retalc every now and then if possible.

Jessica, as an owners of two DUI drysuits, I'm confused by your advice on storage, as it contradicts the instructions for storage in DUI's Drysuit Owner's Manual (I just downloaded the most up-to-date manual on your website). On page 62, the manual provides:

HANGING DRYSUIT FOR STORAGE
For storage between dives the drysuit is best hung in a cool, dry space away from ozone generators . . . . The suit should be hung up on a quality drysuit or wetsuit hanger . . . .

It goes on to say:

LONG TERM STORAGE (LONGER THAN TWO MONTHS)
• Hang the suit up as listed above . . . .
• If hanging is not an option, follow the instructions for folding the suit.

So, which is it: Keep the suit on a wide hanger with the zipper open per the manual; or once dry, fold it and keep it in the bag?

Thanks.

[mathauck0814]

For about $20 and whatever it takes in gas you can buy PVC pipe and joints to make a drying rack. $26 if you don't have a hack-saw :-)