Stretching wet suit difficult to zip up

[ittiandro]

My long wet suit is practically new. I only use it few times a year when windsurfing at the end of the summer, because normally I use the short one. .. I tried to put it on yesterday again, after one year. As usual, I have a big problem to zip it up dry. ( the zip is on the back). It gets stuck in the middle. Most of the times I can pull it up, but with considerable effort and I am afraid to break the strap or, worse, to rip the fabric. I even put some syntethic grease on the zip. It helps, but not much, even though the zip runs like a charm when I don't wear the suit.
I don’t think the problem is with the size ( LARGE) because once I have it on, it feels O.K. and I can breathe well, even though it is a bit tight. . I have somewhat of a belly but I never have any problems with the short one, probably because I used it a lot and it stretched. I wonder what can be done, short of buying an extra-large, but I am sure it will be a bit loose and feel cold. The suit zips up O.K. when wet, though.

Thanks for the input

Ittiandro

[dllee]

Next time, before you put it away for longer than a week, rinse off the wetsuit with wetsuit conditioner. That restores the spring/life/stretchability, so the next time you put it on, it's supple and flexy like new.
Most suits, size L, is good up to 185 lbs..

[isobars]

A. Looser should = warmer, since there's often a layer of air or warmed water between my skin and the externally chilled neoprene. Of course, if that means lots of cuff/neck leakage or folds of neoprene, that's too loose.

B. I always buy my wetsuits fitted fairly loose for minimal stretch, and my dry neoprene suits very loose, for ease of doffing, donning, and comfort. On the dry suits the seals keep me dry so I can take advantage of the baggier fit; they all but fall to my knees when I unzip the top and (easily) pull it off my head. I also have some oversized (no slop, but virtually unstretched) cheap full suits and shorties that I can just throw on and slip off with zero effort for months when I don't need more insulation. I've never understood this apparent fascination with wetsuits that, IMO, don't actually fit.

C. None of this over-the-head flap/velcro/flap/flop $#!+, either. I wore one of those super-stretchy (aka super clingy) once ... key word: once ... because it was dirt cheap on consignment despite looking unused (now I know why), and I wound up deliberately tearing the zipper open to get the damned thing off. I do not brook stuff that doesn't work well if there is a simpler option. A bud said his super-stretchy, super-clingy, flap/flap/velcro/flop took him at least 5 minutes to get if off ... an eternity when one is tired and/or REALLY needs to go to the bathroom. Besides, I simply don't have the patience to fight snarled black-on-black velcro snakes behind my back even when fresh. KISS.

D. Many, maybe most, vertical zips hang up midway; it's due mostly to the angle the zipper lanyard pulls from. On suits that hang up, I use a zip bar ... a dowel with a hook or eyelet on the end. I hook the eye or hook into the loop on the end of the zipper lanyard, lay the free end of the dowel over my shoulder or head and grab it with my hand in front of my body, and pull down on the dowel. Now the zipper is pulled up and away from my back, so it does not snag the flap inside the zipper track. Works very well even on the snaggiest zippers I own.

E. I still ask for help if there's anyone nearby, simply because there's so much crap near the neck of the warmer suits and if I need a particularly warm suit, the neck seal matters.

F. Finally, I toss my suits in the front-loader washing machine with neoprene shampoo and conditioner every time I return home. I got tired of being ordered downwind every time I pulled a suit off. FAR more important, it keeps them supple.

What ... you thought I'd have a short answer to such a simple question?

[dllee]

I do similar.
I wear a S/T for surfing, usually a M for surfsailing, but a LS for windsurfing.
I'm 5'10" and 148 lbs.
Surfing in 52 degree average waters, surfsailing in the same, but hardly fall, and windsurfing in 60 degrees, hardly ever fall.

[ittiandro]

[dllee]

I worked at surf shops for 25 years, then windsurf shops for another 23 years......
1. Tighter fitting wetsuits are warmer in cold water, if you're immersed.
2. Looser fitting wetsuits don't keep you warm because new cold water get's introduced every time you paddle, every time you push through whitewater, fall off, or get splashed while riding the wave.
3. For windsurfing, that is a moot point, unless you like to swim in every time thru the surf.
4. I've used vert back zip suits since 1965. No hangup, you straighten up as you zip up. Once every 5 years, the flap does hang up, so look for a hottie.

[dllee]

HAND rinse your wetsuit in lukewarm water and wetsuit conditioner.

[Xxwindsurfer]

Try pulling downward from below the bottom of the zipper with one hand as you pull up on the strap with the other hand. It will help align the zipper better. Worked for me although it was stuck closer to the bottom

[techno900]

Most windsurfing wet suits are designed to keep water out, at least most of it. They should not be too tight, especially in the arms/wrists because of restricted blood flow which equals tired arms. If you are a flat water sailor, each fall will introduce a little new water, but not that much and it will warm quickly. If you are in the surf, a tighter fit would be better, assuming you get pounded on occasion.

The inside flap behind the zipper can and will snag when zipping. A stick can help pull the zipper away from the body while being zipped, which minimizes snagging on the inside flap.

I have a dry suit for cold conditions, which I can zip my self, but I ask for help if at all possible, since it is much easier. The zipper is shoulder to shoulder across the back.

[isobars]