Caring for your wetsuit is simple: a few easy habits will help it last longer, stay warmer, and feel more comfortable every time you paddle out. At Simpel, we want you to get the most from the suit you already own. More sessions in the water, more value, which results in less waste.
Key tips
Take your time. Don’t force it. Pull the suit on in small steps, slowly feeding your arms and legs through rather than yanking. Forcing your feet through the lower legs while holding the hips can damage crotch and knee seams, leading to leaks. Always use your hands at the point of resistance and gently work the neoprene over your foot. The same applies to your arms, don’t push through the wrist cuffs without guiding the neoprene; this puts strain on the chest and underarm seams, weakening stitching and can lead to leaks. Taking your wetsuit off
Be careful of nails – when putting a wetsuit on that has a smooth skin finish (might be on one or multiple panels, avoid pulling at this area all together if you can. Otherwise, be very careful with your nails to avoid tearing your wetsuit.
How to put your wetsuit on
- Choose your surface first. Always get changed somewhere clean. Avoid gravel, tarmac, or other rough ground, if that’s not possible, stand on a towel, board bag, or changing mat. This prevents unnecessary wear on the neoprene before you’ve even hit the water.
- Preparing your wetsuit to put on. Undo the zip, pull back the overhead flap and put both your hands into your wetsuit, grabbing the waist and pulling it to the top of the neck entry (so it now looks like a pair of trousers)
- Stepping in. step through with one leg at a time, slowly working the first foot all the way through until your foot pops out the ankle of the wetsuit. Note if you start to feel resistance, use small movements to work your foot through the suit, don't force it and stretch out the whole suit (this is to protect the seams and ensure they stay in the best condition). Once you have one leg in, now repeat the same with the second leg.
- Pull your suit up to your chest - wiggle the suit up from your hips to as close to your armpits as possible before starting to feed your arms in. If your suit has a smooth panel on the outside, avoid grabbing this area if you can otherwise be careful not to sink your nails into it.
- Right arm and shoulder in first (or sealed side first if using another suit). With all Simpel wetsuits, slide your right hand in to the arm and work your hand all the way through to the end of the wrist cuff (again using small movements and trying not to force it through and put strain on other seams by forcing it) work the wetsuit slowly back up your arm until you have from your wrist up to about 2/3rd of your arm in, then simply dip your right shoulder into the shoulder pocket of the wetsuit.
- Left arm and shoulder. Now it’s time to repeat the process with your left/other arm then double check the entry overlap is flush at the top of your back (flick them into place if not, using your hand)
- Seal the suit – pull the bib over the top of your head and then zip the wetsuit up. Once this is done, flip the metal zip pull tab back so it is tucked under the popper webbing (black material with popper on near the left end of the zip), then clip the popper in place.
Taking your wetsuit off
- Simply reverse these steps, until you get your wetsuit to your waist
- Now continue to peel the wetsuit (shoulders waist etc) down as far as it will go and then start to slowly feed one foot out through the ankle, then do the same with the other foot until you’re completely out of your wetsuit.
- Place your wetsuit in your Dry Backpack, Dry Duffle, or wetsuit bucket.
- Rinse your wetsuit – follow “Cleaning your Simpel wetsuit”.
- Store your wetsuit – follow “Storing your Simpel wetsuit”
Extra Care for Delicate Panels
Some areas are designed for performance and warmth — like single-lined (smooth) panels. They’re more delicate than double-lined neoprene, so:
Be mindful of your nails when pulling the back panel.
Handle gently to avoid unnecessary stress or damage.
Because a suit that lasts longer means less waste, more money saved, and more time doing what matters most: surfing.
