McNETT® - Essentials for AdventureTM

Wetsuit/Drysuit Care

  • Iron-On Repairs

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    • Iron Mend

      Iron Mend™ Repairs

      Iron Mend™ Iron-On Fabric Repair Patch provides strong, flexible, long lasting repairs for neoprene. Use Iron Mend to reinforce and repair high stress areas on your suit, including knees, elbows, under arm and around the zipper.

      Step 1:

      Wash with Wet Suit & Dry Suit Shampoo and dry neoprene article.

      Step 2:

      Pre-heat iron to acrylic, low or delicate setting. For irregular surfaces, including sleeves and legs, insert a piece of wood to create a firm, flat ironing surface.

    • Iron Mend

      Step 3:

      Cut Iron Mend to overlap damaged area by 3/4”. Always round the corners of your patch as patches with curved edges are less likely to peel back later. Place Iron Mend over damaged area with the urethane coated side down and cover with full sheet of heat shielding paper.

    • Iron Mend

      Step 4:

      With preheated iron, press Iron Mend down with firm, even pressure for 10 seconds. Lift and rotate iron; apply for another 10 seconds.

    • Iron Mend

      Step 5:

      Allow repair to cool for a few minutes before testing adhesion. Apply more heat if needed.

  • Dry Suit Zippers

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    • Maintain Zippers

      Maintain Zippers

      Dry Suit zippers are tough to operate and expensive to replace. To ease opening and maximize zipper life, remove dirt and gunk with Zip Care™ Liquid Zipper Cleaner & Lubricant. For heavy duty lubrication use Zip Tech™ Stick Lubricant.

  • Drysuit Care

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    • Clean Your Wetsuit

      Find Drysuit Leaks

      To find pinhole leaks in Gore-Tex® fabric dry suits: 1) Turn the suit inside out. 2) Soak the tip of a rag in rubbing alcohol and dab over the suspect area. 3) The hole will show up as a contrasting color. Allow area to dry and seal (on the inside surface) with Aquaseal®.

  • Wetsuit & Drysuit Care

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    • Clean Your Wetsuit

      Clean Your Wetsuit or Drysuit

      Wash dry tops, dry suits and wetsuits in McNett® Wet Suit and Dry Suit Shampoo. To eliminate the toughest odors dip suits in MiraZyme™ treated water (and air dry (see instructions on the bottom of page 20). MiraZyme is a powerful blend of odor fighting microbes & enzymes.

  • Ease Suit Entry

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    • Silicone Pump

      Silicone Pump™

      To slide right into your wet suit and booties, spray inside with Silicone Pump™ prior to suiting up.
      To ease dry suit entry, put a plastic grocery bag (with an opening on both ends) or a shower cap over your head to prevent the latex neck seal from sticking to your hair.

  • Zipper Cleaning & Care

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    • Zipper Care

      Wetsuit & Drysuit Zippers

      Regular cleaning and lubrication helps zippers last the lifetime of the suit. Without proper care (left), expensive zippers degrade and need costly replacement. Keep your wet suit, dry suit, gear bag zippers free of harmful dirt, sand and salt deposits with Zip Care™ (right).

    • Zipper Care

      Step 1:

      Unzip item and use Zip Care‘s brush top to remove grit and dust.

      Step 2:

      Brush Zip Care generously onto zipper teeth to clean and lightly lubricate. Wipe off excess.

    • Zipper Care

      Step 3:

      Carefully open and close zipper to thoroughly distribute Zip Care.

    • Zipper Care

      Zip Tech™

      Zip Tech™ is preferred for multi-dive lubrication. Use Zip Tech to lubricate and protect watertight and airtight zippers on dry suits from corrosion and harmful salt, chlorine and other pollutants. To use: Open zipper and apply Zip Tech sparingly only to the outer teeth of the zipper.

    • Zipper Care

      Max Wax™

      If you prefer a paraffin wax and silicone-based lubricant, Max Wax™ is great for general zipper lubrication. Note: Some suit manufacturers prefer you use silicone free formulas such as Zip Tech and Zip Care.

  • Gasket Protection

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    • gasket care

      Use UV Tech™ to protect & restore gaskets

      With exposure to sunlight, saltwater, and chlorine, synthetic gaskets degrade over time due to the loss of structural oils called plasticizers. Proper protection with UV Tech™ is essential for maximizing scuba gear life.

  • Drysuit Repair

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    • Aquaseal gasket Repair

      Use Aquaseal to seal leaky gasket seams

      Step 1:

      Turn suit inside out. Clean damaged area with Cotol-240 or isopropyl alcohol. Non-fabric surfaces such as latex should first be roughened with sandpaper, then cleaned.

    • Aquaseal gasket Repair

      Step 2:

      Apply Aquaseal in a 1/16” high bead overlapping seam edges by at least 1⁄4”. Use included brush to saturate fabric surfaces. Dry level overnight.

  • Wetsuit Cleaning & Care

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    • Wetsuit Care

      Clean & Deodorize Your Wetsuit

      Regular cleaning with Wet Suit & Dry Suit Shampoo prevents chlorine and salt damage (left half of photo) and keeps suits looking and feeling like new (right half of photo).

    • Wetsuit Care

      Step 1:

      Find two clean large tubs – one for washing and one for deodorizing. Fill both tubs with enough warm or cold water to submerge your suit. To the first tub, add 2 capfuls (1/2 oz) of Wet Suit & Dry Suit Shampoo per gallon of water.

    • Wetsuit Care

      Step 2:

      For extra suit conditioning, add a few teaspoons of Silicone Pump™ in with your Wet Suit & Dry Suit Shampoo when washing your suit.

    • Wetsuit Care

      Step 3:

      Give your suit a good scrub to eliminate saltwater, chlorine, sweat, urine and other residue. Regular cleaning maintains suit suppleness, keeps colors bright and eases suit entry.

    • Wetsuit Care

      Step 4:

      To remove residual odors and bacteria from your wet suit, add 2 capfuls (1/2 oz) of MiraZyme™ Enzyme Based Gear Deodorizer to the second tub. For stubborn odors, apply MiraZyme directly to problem areas with a spray bottle.

    • Wetsuit Care

      Step 5:

      Dip suit to saturate all areas. Remove from tub. Do NOT rinse.

    • Wetsuit Care

      Step 6:

      Hang suit to dry on a flexible, padded wet suit hanger. As the suit dries, MiraZyme does its work - consuming organic matter such as hair, mold, mildew, as well as algae, bacteria, pollution, waste matter and urine, leaving your suit odor-free.

  • Maximum Strength Wetsuit Repairs

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    • Aquaseal

      Maximum Strength Repairs

      Urethane-based adhesives are the best for achieving maximum strength and durability.  When your goal is a permanent bond, choose   Aquaseal® Repair Adhesive & Sealant – it’s the industry standard for high strength, absolutely permanent repairs to all kinds of dive gear including wet suits, dry suits, gloves, boots, gear bags and more.  Aquaseal cures to full strength overnight or in 2 hours with Cotol-240™ Cure Accelerator & Pre-Cleaner.

    • Glove Repair

      Holes & Tears

      Aquaseal is also ideal for repairing holes and tears. For holes larger than a pinhole, create a backing with removable tape. Fill hole and 1⁄4” beyond. Remove tape after Aquaseal has fully cured.

Find more great tips like these in our Repair Guide

  • Zipper Cleaning & Care

    Zipper Cleaning & Care

    Regular cleaning and lubrication helps zippers last the lifetime of the suit. Without proper care (left), expensive zippers degrade and need costly replacement. Keep your wet suit, dry suit, gear bag zippers free of harmful dirt, sand and salt deposits with Zip Careā„¢ (right).
  • Boot Use Tip

    Boot Use Tip

    TRUE OR FALSE? Heavy duty mountain boots are obsolete for backpacking. True. But while the ultralight backpacking crowd (carrying 20 lb. packs) get by on trails using trail running shoes or even good sport sandals, most folks carrying heavier loads should have some ankle support. Well-made light hikers with a 3/4 or full-height ankle collar are usually enough for moderate loads on most trails.