Pro tip: The difference a drysuit zipper guard makes over 6 months

I used to think zipper guards on drysuits were a waste of money. Figured they just added bulk. But after 6 months of daily dives in the Puget Sound, I saw a clear before and after. The diver who never used a guard had to replace his zipper twice in that time, about 1,200 bucks total. The rest of us who ran guards had zero issues. The cause was simple: grit and salt grinding down the teeth every time we climbed back on the boat. Not using a guard just lets that junk get into everything. Has anyone else noticed a big difference in gear wear from something this small?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliver_torres43d ago

Grit and salt grinding down the teeth every time we climbed back on the boat" - man that's a perfect example of how tiny habits prevent big repairs. I see it all the time with folks who don't clean their wetsuit zippers after surf sessions, then wonder why they seize up. Little things add up fast.

baker.simon3d ago

Ngl, I've gotta push back on this one. I've been diving for almost 8 years in cold water and never used a zipper guard on any of my drysuits. I'm talking hundreds of dives in the Pacific Northwest with all that grit and salt. The only time I had a zipper fail was when a buddy stepped on it with fins on, and that had nothing to do with a guard. Honestly, most zipper failures I see are from people forcing them when they're frozen or bent, not from salt buildup. And those guards can trap moisture against the zipper, which actually causes corrosion over time if you don't dry them perfectly. Tbh, spending $40 on a guard feels like a solution looking for a problem to me.