Surfing Waves

Hey folks,

Just bought my first wetsuit today. It is a Rip Curl 4/3 fullsuit. Quite nice, but I noticed that the velcro on the neck strap catches on the inside neoprene.

I am a little worried that my wetsuit will get chewed up and was wondering how destructive the velcro is and if there are any tips for protecting the inside of the suit.

Thanks!!

If your wetsuit is properly fitted, then there should be a matching patch for the Velcro to stick to, use that.
Velcro will stick the fabric lining the neoprene and yes will do damage so have good look at the set up of your wetsuit, the answer is there.

On back zippers there is often two Velcro tags one a little down the zipper to stop the zipper coming undone and one tag on the neck band or flap of the wetsuit both these patches are on the outside of the wetsuit, Velcro on the inside also damages skin, look carefully.

Yes some wetsuits have fairly abrasive velcro, and it can damage the neoprene. Try to look for wetsuits that have good closure systems and minimal velcro. To help your wetsuit last longer, try to re attach the velcro to its match so it does not grab the neoprene.

Hope that helps!

tony g wrote:try to re attach the velcro to its match

I found with a previous suit that the damage was done while I was out of the wetsuit (being dried, transported, stored. Attaching the velcro to it's match sorted the wear problem I was having.

Also mind you leash velcro with your wetsuit. I've had it snag on the my suit while walking to the water, not fun.

jaffa1949 wrote:If your wetsuit is properly fitted, then there should be a matching patch for the Velcro to stick to, use that.
Velcro will stick the fabric lining the neoprene and yes will do damage so have good look at the set up of your wetsuit, the answer is there.

On back zippers there is often two Velcro tags one a little down the zipper to stop the zipper coming undone and one tag on the neck band or flap of the wetsuit both these patches are on the outside of the wetsuit, Velcro on the inside also damages skin, look carefully.

I agree with this mate. But then if you are looking for a velcro straps that should match to you wetsuit, maybe you can search online. There are lots of online seller just like this one (cabletiesandmore.com/velcroHL.php) who said to offers quality tested velcro stuffs.

Bound and gagged, the thread you just resurrected was about the tags on the wetsuit being matched up so the velcro doesn't abrade the wetsuit fabric, it;'s got nothing to do with colour or cable ties or any thing at the local trollstore. Try the van rental place down the road or the former spamming insurance salesman

I am having the same problem. Just bought a RipCurl Dawn Patrol wetsuit, zipper in the back with a velcro-type closure around the neck seal. The velcro is "too sticky" and is catching on the inside of my wetsuit and tearing it up. Only used the wetsuit once and I can see that it is causing some damage already.

From reading the comments, I don't think it is clear to the readers what is going on. This happens when you are taking off the wetsuit, your legs are still in but you have gotten out of the arms and they are hanging down inside-out. In this position, the Velcro that normally does the neck closure rubs against the inside arm/chest area and catches. Unfortunately, when you go to detach it, the velcro hooks pull the nylon layer apart, leaving a stringy, fuzzy mess. I have never had this happen with any of the other wetsuits I have owned.

I really like the wetsuit otherwise: warm, flexible, fits well. But this seems like a major design flaw.

Not sure what to do about it.

More thoughts:

Velcro is a brand name for a "hook and loop" closure. These closures can be made out of different materials, most commonly nylon or polyester. For whatever reason, the hooks in this particular closure used by Rip Curl are very stiff. It's like the hooks don't want to bend and let go of the loops easily. I suppose this gives a good strong seal. The problem, however, is when the hooks catch in places they're not supposed to...

I'll just have to pay a lot more attention getting in and out of the wetsuit, right arm first and then being careful with the left arm, making sure it doesn't accidentally brush against the velcro hooks.

You ought to see what Vasoline does to wetsuits :lol

Weird, read " you ought to see how Vasoline does in wetsuits" and started to think about it