Spent 3 years drying my wetsuit inside out before someone laughed at me

I was at a job in Port Angeles last month helping with a bridge inspection. We were all suiting up in the warehouse, and I hung my wetsuit like I always did with the fleece liner facing out. An old timer named Gary stopped mid zip and goes "You trying to dry it or cook it?" Turns out the liner is supposed to face in so the neoprene can warm up and force moisture out the other side. I had been walking around in a damp suit for three straight winters because I thought more air flow was better. He showed me how the water just beads off the outside in ten minutes if you do it right. Made me wonder what other basic stuff I have completely backwards. Anyone else have a mentor point out something obvious you missed for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_mitchell8329d ago

Three winters? That's rough, buddy. I once spent a whole season wearing my climbing harness with the gear loops on the wrong side because I just assumed the front was the front. Took a guy named Dave pointing at me and asking "You planning to rappel backwards?" for me to clue in. The wetsuit thing actually hurts me to think about though, that's like a lovecraftian horror of dampness you just accepted as normal life.

jade_hunt4829d ago

The first time I went ice climbing my buddy Mike spent twenty minutes trying to figure out why my crampons kept coming off before he realized I had them on the wrong feet. The heel bail was digging into my arch the whole approach and I just thought thats how it felt. @uma_mitchell83 I feel your pain on that harness thing though because I did the exact same thing with my first climbing harness except I had the gear loops facing backwards on a multi pitch and kept dropping slings. Mike finally just grabbed my harness and said "you look like a backpack that grew legs." I think these are the kind of things you only learn by having someone laugh at you first.