The fight against smelly gear

[TheJoe]

All ways dry your gear after each use. I hang up wetsuits, dry suit, impact vest, life vests. My helmet and harness goes on a box fan at low speed to dry those.

[Grizwald]

I worked as a commercial diver when I was young and even more stupid than currently. I agree with Dave1986. If you are in the water long enough you will "warm" your suit. Wash it with soap and a bit of gentle scrubbing whenever you have a chance. But always always always hang it to dry with it turned inside out. On the boats we used to hang them in the engine room. It pissed off the engineer but there were more of us then there was of him. Urine is not usually the cause of the smell, it is usually the oils off your skin and the bacteria that goes with it.

[Delta99]

I have been keeping most of kite gear in the freezer for years. It keeps it in pristine condition, and low on nasty oders. A win win situation.

I tend to microwave my wetsuit in preparation for the next session, although sometime i just put it straight on, frozen, to help adjust to the cold.

HaHa, sure you do.

[nothing2seehere]

Also I never peed in my wetsuit, so I don't know if that would be a big factor.

There are 2 types of kitesurfers - Those who pee in their wetsuits, and liars.

Nah mate. No need to pee in your wetsuit when you have a shower block (with toilets) by your launch spot

[sflinux]

Always hang your gear, never leave in a bin. When it is cold and rainy, my gear stays damp and can get smelly. My main smell comes from booties. I rinse them with fresh water, and when they start to smell (~once a month), rinse them with vinegar. I fold the booties at the ankle, and hang from the toes. My rashguard and towels go to the washing machine when they get aromatic.

[macka]

A7A757D7-C4A8-4DC5-9C77-8FF93F772A52.jpeg (28.17 KiB) Viewed 326 times

Dettol for laundry!

[iriejohn]

Buy a quality wetsuit, rinse it in fresh water straight away, dry it completely inside out then reverse and completely dry the outside, and every once in a while use a splash 'n' dash of this stuff while rinsing it. Job jobbed.

https://dirtbusters.co.uk/product/72-co ... s-5-litres

[Mossy 757]

Fresh water in a tote, dunk and rinse, hang dry.

[OzBungy]

I fill my gear tub with water and give the wetsuit a good rinse. I think squirting with a hose just gets it wet and doesn't actually wash anything. I hang the suit on one of these to dry.



Stinky booties used to be a problem. Rinsing the booties in a weak solution of water and vinegar would get rid of the stink, but it would come back again. I finally solved the problem forever by simply turning the booties inside out to dry. Even hard soled booties can be inverted enough to get the inside exposed and dried.

[tswierkocki]

I dry my wetsuit inside out on a HangAir hanger and boots and gloves on a PEET dryer. Both work well for keeping the stink out.