What's the best way to do this quickly?


It's for my roommate....

4/16/2008 12:10:42 AM

what's your definition of quickly?

I'd say get as much moisture out as you can using a towel and then let it finish air drying.

[Edited on April 16, 2008 at 12:23 AM. Reason : ]

4/16/2008 12:22:31 AM

Dryer on tumble dry, no or minimal heat.

4/16/2008 12:25:52 AM

^ Seconded

4/16/2008 12:37:59 AM

I would second the dry with a towel then air dry... I'd have to be a good textile grad and go back and look at the properties for neoprene and how much a dryer (even on min. heat) can impact it's quality... but just guessing, I don't think it's the type of product you want to do much heat drying to.

Besides, in a lot of neoprene products a lot of moisture is wicked away just rolling between towels, etc.

[Accord to DuPont (the company that holds the trademark name of neoprene) most neoprene varieties have "excellent" ratings when it comes to heat aging, but they explicity encourage consumers to store the product in a cool area... so I'd minimize heat exposure where you can. http://www.dupontelastomers.com/literature/neoprene/585E7A59DA93810F6B1A7900D3712585.pdf]

Are you 100% it's neoprene? There are some decent alternatives out there that look/feel very similar.

[Edited on April 16, 2008 at 1:03 AM. Reason : info]

4/16/2008 12:52:15 AM

Towel, sunshine, forced air circulation.

4/16/2008 7:03:20 AM

We hang our wetsuits in the shower, on the curtain rod. Then we'll take fans and position them towards the wetsuits, and turn the bathroom fan on as well. If they're wetsuits, turn them inside out, so the inside will dry first. Ours usually dry overnight. Even though we'll leave ours in the sun when we're not in a rush, it doesn't dry them as quickly, and it can actually break down the wetsuits over time.

4/16/2008 8:59:54 AM

^ OMG no sunshine! bad for wetsuits

4/16/2008 5:34:09 PM

My roomate was just asking...she had scuba wednesday and her suit was still wet from monday...


She asked me if she could put it in the dryer and I said 'Noooo' from a common sense and heat perspective ...but the my other room mate was like put it on tumble...and I was like, yeah, you could do that. She hasn't said anything so I guess it was okay...

4/17/2008 2:42:02 PM

I really wouldn't put them in the dryer -- lots of water still in the wetsuit even if you let it drip for awhile.

I wouldn't put a $400 wetsuit out in the sun too often, but for cheaper wetsuits that cost $70-$100? Big deal. Dries quickly and doesn't stink to high heaven.


One of these days when I have an extra $2,500 sitting around I'll get a custom-cut drysuit.

4/17/2008 7:08:27 PM

i usually just dry my wetsuit out as best i can with a towel then throw in in the bathroom with the fan on to circulate some air. i've hung it outside in a pinch though, but always in the shade.

i wouldn't recommend drying, especially with any heat.

4/17/2008 7:13:58 PM

People who recommend drying wetsuits in a dryer have obviously never seen crispy-fried wetsuit before...

4/17/2008 7:16:49 PM

^ is that what happens?

4/17/2008 7:34:29 PM

I suppose it could happen.

When the NCSU scuba program goes out to the local quarry for their open water training, if it is sufficiently cold they bring some propane heaters to warm everyone up between dives. One semester a kid stood too close and managed to fry part of their wetsuit. Big huge burn mark...


Honestly I'm not sure why someone would want to actively heat neoprene to dry it since it has a lot of rubber in it. Just seems like a bad idea.


Heaters sort of look like this:


[Edited on April 17, 2008 at 7:44 PM. Reason : ]

4/17/2008 7:43:48 PM

^ Hahahahhaha, wow.

4/18/2008 3:22:21 PM