drysuit fit

I just got a good deal on a used dry-suit.



It even fits . . . sort of. I fit fine in the shoulders/torso, but it is jus a bit too long of leg/arm.



Should I take velcro straps to secure the extra material in the legs? Just burp the thing? Any other ideas? I’ve never tried a drysuit before.



thanks

Just burp it!

– Last Updated: Sep-24-06 11:59 PM EST –

Crouch down, hunch the shoulder forwards, roll the spine forwards, let the excess air come whooshing out the neck gasket as you hold it open a touch. If air is caught in your sleeves or legs press it towards the torso. Let gasket close. Stand erect.

YOu should look like a prune.

Should be a good deal of extra room in the suit. Enough for two layers of polartec 300 material

Great . . .
That should work fine. One more thing, though. the neck gasket is quite tight (my eyes sort of bug out of my head) can these be safely stretched a little? the ankles and wrists are fine, just the neck a bit tight.

A controversial topic
I say stretch around a two liter coke bottle for a day then cut it. My buds and I paddle in New england year round. For our money stretching a neck gasket creates microtears (graying and checking).



So I do a tiny bit of stretching around a form just a touch bigger than my neck, then cut. I personally just use shart scissors. Others use an exacto knife and the two liter bottle.



Even if you had cut it to where it was leaking it would be uncomfy the first few times you used it. It it just a unique thing.



After you have used the suit a dozen times it should be comfy. Many folks would be surprised at how comfy a watertight drysuit can be. You might be one of those rare folks with super outstanding tendons in the neck and get odd results (nad need a tighter gasket). We cut the heck out of ours and use 303 on them.

thanks again
Good to know. I think I will put off cutting it and wear it a few times. If it is still loose, then I will do the stretching/cutting. I just really don’t want to damage it yet.



Thanks for the advice.

If it’s uncomfortably tight…
…just trim it and be done with it. You can wear it for weeks and it’s not going to loosen appreciably. Just trim it until it feels slightly tighter than you’d like, then wear it to see how it feels on the water. If need be, trim a little more off at a time until you get the fit you want.

I did what Brian has suggested
and it worked out great. The neck gasket was so tight that the veins in my head would pop out. I trimmed the gasket a little bit and it felt much better but still a little snug. After using it for a season the neck gasket feels very comfortable. I’m glad I didn’t trim it any more.

sold
Ok, I’m convinced.



Thanks all.

Wear a few times without cutting
If you don’t feel like you’re being strangled while you’re paddling, leave the gasket alone.



If it’s really uncomfortable, trim a TINY ring off and wear that to test it.



Gaskets must eventually stretch all by themselves. I trimmed a little off mine after I bought it in 2003 and wore it without any problems for the last few years. But the last few times I’ve worn it during roll practice, a trickle of water runs down the back of the neck when my head is bent forward. This never happened before. I hadn’t considered the possibility of it being caused by tendons standing out, but mine do. The top vertebra also is very prominent when my head is bent forward…and that’s where the water trickles in. So make sure you leave enough gasket to sit well above the point where your vertebra lies.