Neoprene

[Robert_Meier]

I sort of know how to take care of my neoprene paddling gear. But it seems to take a long time to dry. What's the best method of getting it dry, without any effort. I think having it damp for days could be bad, so I don't leave it damp in my gear bag.

What I currently do is after washing/rinsing it off in the shower it drips dry over the bath. It doesn't fully dry in the bathroom, so I lay it out near one of my baseboard heaters, but about 1 - 1.5 feet from it, not too close at all! I found the gloves and swelly's (booties) were the most difficult to dry, so I leave them facing open towards the heater. This method got them to dry out pretty well, but also not be exposed to direct heat either.

I look forward to hearing what other's do.

Thanks

 

[Astoriadave]

Robert, a boot drier will take care of those swellies in short order. To dry the neoprene, just hang it so it is exposed to sunlight in a window or similar, inside. Takes maybe half a day that way. Reverse it half way through to dry the inside.

To remove the stink, get Sink the Stink or Mirazyme.

 

[fester]

An important factor in dryng gear is adequate air circulation. Heated air and direct sunlight will shorten the service life of your paddling gear. moving the air around your kit with a small fan while its hanging indoors will go along way to keeping it from getting funky. If you use heat and don't get enough convection for circulation you may inadvertantly provide an ideal environment for the bacteria responsible for that stink

 

[Steve_Fairbairn]

This has nothing to do with drying but I find if I wear wool socks inside my swellies they don't become smellies.

 

[Robert_Meier]

I wear wool socks from MEC in my swellies too.

I like the fan idea. I'll leave the gear hanging in the shower but put a fan at the door to provide that extra circulation. The vent can only provide limited circulation, not enough required.

Thanks for these great suggestions!

 

[Dan_Millsip]

Ditto on Steve's smellies remark. I tend to wear some light socks in them and not only does it keep the smell down but they also don't tend to get so damp from moisture because the socks absorb most of the perspiration.

I rinse off all of my gear after each use -- I have a removable wooden bar that I place over the shower and hang my gear to dry there on some heavy duty plastic hangers that I picked up at a dollar store. Typically, wetsuits and sprayskirts tend to be completely dry within a few hours. I usually hang my wet neoprene gloves on the handlebars of my bike to keep them open and they dry pretty quick too.

Swellies do seem to take a long time to dry if they have been wet. I fold the tops of the boots over and also hang them off of my bike handlebars -- if I need them in a hurry and they're not dry yet, I have a hair dryer that has a cool setting -- 15 minutes of cool air flowing through them usually dries them right out.

Dave mentions a boot drier -- this is something that I plan to make from some PVC pipe. Basically, it's a bunch of pipes that you place boots and gloves over so that air can get inside the wet gear to dry it.

Robert, it's really important to rinse off your gear with fresh water after each use and let it dry completely. Doing this will ensure that your gear lasts a long time as well as stops that nasty neoprene funk thing that smells so bad.

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