At 09:55 AM 11/23/98 -0500, you wrote: >Sisler, Clyde wrote <snippage happened>: >> When I finally got my head through the neck gasket I noticed it was just a >> wee bit tight and as I was on the verge passing out, that my feet were also >> starting to fall asleep too. I heard/read somewhere to stick some >> appropiate sized objects into the gaskets for a few days to help them >> stretch. Any comments on this technique? And Steve commented: >Definitely try the stretch technique before you start cutting. If you >still think you need to cut, look at the concentric lines on the inside >of the gasket and cut _one_ at a time. I'd suggest you try wearing the suit for a bit before you make any adjustments to the seals. If you really do find them intolerable, then stretch cautiously (you can always stretch them further, but you cannot "unstretch" them). You're trying to hit the balance that allows you to wear the suit comfortably, but still provides an effective seal. I would not recommend cutting seals, for two reasons: 1. You are trimming away part of the "taper" that seals against your skin. The greater the area that seals against your skin, the more effective the seal. 2. More importantly, any unevenness and or notch in the cut can act as a "stress riser". The seal is a "tensioned structure" in use, and stress risers can cause the seal to split very easily. As far as I know, all drysuit manufacturers suggest stretching rather than cutting. Happy, safe paddling, Philip T. **************************************** Mountain Equipment Co-op 1655 West 3rd Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6J 1K1 Tel: 640-732-1989 Fax: 604-731-6483 email: pid_at_mec.ca Visit our website at: http://www.mec.ca ***************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Nov 23 1998 - 08:45:55 PST
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