Putting On a Wetsuit More Easily: 9 Tricks Honestly Compared

If you want to make putting on your wetsuit easier, you’ll get countless tips on the beach and in forums: a plastic bag over your foot, getting wet first, a squirt of washing-up liquid, socks, sitting down. Some of them work really well, others are myths – and a few even damage your suit.

We at FlipSoc have collected the nine best-known tricks and assessed them honestly. It’s not just about whether a trick helps, but also how practical it is by the water and whether it’s kind to the neoprene.

At the end you’ll find a rating table that shows you at a glance which method suits you.

Why do you need tricks for putting it on at all?

You need tricks because a wetsuit has to fit tightly and the material grips the skin – especially at the tight cuffs at ankle and wrist. That’s exactly where almost all methods come in.

A good trick either reduces the friction between skin and neoprene, distributes the force better or makes your stance more stable. A bad trick may reduce friction, but pays for it with damage to the material or with waste.

We’ve described the basic technique, including preparation and sequence, in detail in our guide How to put on a wetsuit. Here it’s about the aids and tricks on top of that.

The 9 tricks at a glance

1. The plastic bag

The classic: pull a thin plastic bag over your foot or hand, slip into the leg or sleeve and pull the bag out at the bottom. The neoprene glides over the smooth film instead of over your skin.

It works well, and a bag is quickly to hand. However, thin bags tear easily, especially at the heels and toenails. On the beach they like to blow away, and after a few uses they end up in the bin – or, in the worst case, in nature.

2. The thin sock

A thin nylon or sports sock over your foot also reduces friction. Dry, this works reasonably well. But as soon as the sock gets wet, the effect is reversed: wet fabric sticks to the neoprene and acts as a brake.

The sock also easily gets caught in the suit when you try to pull it out. And for your hands, a sock is impractical anyway.

3. Lycra shirt or rash guard

A close-fitting Lycra shirt under the suit helps on the upper body and arms because the smooth fabric glides better than skin. At the same time, it protects against chafing at the neck and under the armpits.

At the tightest spots – heels and wrists – the shirt doesn’t help, however, because it doesn’t reach that far. A good companion, but not a complete solution.

4. Water: getting wet beforehand

A common tip is to get wet before putting the suit on. With normal, jersey-lined wetsuits, however, this usually backfires. Dry skin grips the least; damp or half-wet skin brakes the most.

Only with smoothskin suits from freediving is water commonly used as a gliding film. We explain why and which state works best when in the article Putting on a wetsuit wet or dry.

5. Sports lubricants

There are anti-chafe products specifically labelled for use with neoprene. They mainly help against friction while swimming, for example at the neck. For putting the suit on at the feet and hands they’re less practical, because you’d have to apply them over large areas.

Important: only use products that the manufacturer expressly labels as neoprene-compatible. General greases and creams can damage the material.

6. Washing-up liquid, hair conditioner, oil, Vaseline – the warning

These home remedies turn up in every collection of tips, and yes, they make the skin slippery. Even so, we clearly advise against them. Washing-up liquid, hair conditioner, oil and Vaseline can attack neoprene, seams and glue and significantly shorten the life of your suit.

On top of that, residues stay in the lining, can irritate the skin and end up in the water the next time you swim. A trick that makes your suit age faster is the most expensive one in the long run.

7. Posture and sitting

An underrated trick: sit down. On a bench, the edge of the car boot or a rock, you have both hands free, can bend your foot and don’t have to balance on one leg. It’s also easier on your back.

For the upper body it’s the other way round: stand up and lean forward slightly when closing the back zip. That stretches your back and the two sides of the zip come together more easily.

8. Rolling and working in sections

Instead of pulling the suit up like a pair of jeans, roll the legs back beforehand to just above the cuff. Then you slip straight into the opening and roll the material upwards bit by bit.

Grip with your fingertips, not your nails, and push up small sections. This technique costs nothing, protects the material and is the foundation on which all the other tricks build.

9. The dressing aid

A dressing aid is essentially the plastic bag taken to its logical conclusion: a smooth gliding layer over your foot or hand, only robust, reusable and made specifically for neoprene. It works exactly at the tightest spots and functions wet or dry.

We show what this looks like in practice further down, using FlipSoc as an example.

Which trick helps most? The rating table

Methods that create a smooth gliding layer on foot and hand, combined with good technique, help the most. The following table rates all nine tricks by effectiveness, practicality and how kind they are to the material.

Trick	Effectiveness	Practical by the water	Kind to neoprene	Sustainable
Plastic bag	good	medium (tears, blows away)	yes	no
Thin sock	medium (dry only)	medium	yes	yes
Lycra shirt	medium (upper body only)	good	yes	yes
Getting wet first	low to negative	good	yes	yes
Neoprene-compatible lubricant	medium	medium	if approved by manufacturer	medium
Washing-up liquid, oil, Vaseline	good	medium	no	no
Sitting and posture	medium	good	yes	yes
Rolling and working in sections	good	good	yes	yes
Dressing aid	good	good	yes	yes

The table shows: there’s no single miracle trick. The best combination is dry skin, rolling up in sections, sitting down when needed and a gliding layer at the cuffs.

Which mistakes make tricks ineffective?

Most tricks fail because the basic technique is missing: if you tug at the hem or yank the suit up in one go, no bag will help you. Watch out for these typical pitfalls.

• The bag or gliding aid sits loosely and slides into the leg with you as you slip in
• The sock is wet and brakes instead of gliding
• The leg isn’t rolled back, so your foot has to work against all the material
• The crotch sits too low, so it pulls at the shoulders and arms later
• Fingernails dig into the material and leave nicks
• Sand on your feet increases friction and abrades the cuffs

How does FlipSoc work as a dressing aid?

FlipSoc works like a robust, reusable gliding layer for foot and hand. The dressing aid is made of ripstop nylon, is light, tear-resistant and dries quickly. The neoprene glides over the smooth nylon through the cuff instead of sticking to your skin.

It’s quick to learn: fold the loose ends inwards by about a third, pull FlipSoc over your foot or hand, slip into the leg or sleeve and then pull FlipSoc out. Then the other side.

Compared with a plastic bag, FlipSoc offers more robustness and less waste, works wet and dry and, at about 100 g, fits in any sports bag. After use, simply rinse it with clean water and let it air-dry – not in direct sunlight or on a radiator.

To be honest, FlipSoc isn’t a cure-all: it’s built for classic wetsuits with a jersey-lined interior. It is not suitable for smoothskin or open-cell suits from freediving and spearfishing, where the inside is bare, rubbery neoprene that sticks to the skin. And because we’re convinced of its durability, FlipSoc comes with a five-year guarantee – you’ll find details of the durability guarantee here.

Which trick suits which situation?

Which trick suits you depends on where and when you get changed. A quick guide:

• At home or in the car, dry: Rolling up, sitting down and a gliding aid at the cuffs are usually all you need.
• On a sandy beach: Put down a mat, keep your feet clean, use a gliding aid rather than a bag that can blow away.
• Second session with a wet wetsuit: Dry your skin, air the suit inside out in between, gliding aid for foot and hand.
• In the cold with a thick suit: Store the suit warm, allow plenty of time, put accessories on last.
• Before a race: Put it on calmly, don’t get in sweaty, work the material well up for free shoulders.

Frequently asked questions about tricks for putting on a wetsuit more easily

Does the plastic bag trick really work?

Yes, the plastic bag works well because the neoprene glides over the smooth film. The downsides are that thin bags tear quickly, blow away in the wind and become waste after a few uses. A reusable dressing aid uses the same principle, only more robustly.

Can I use washing-up liquid to put on my wetsuit?

We advise against it. Washing-up liquid, hair conditioner, oil and Vaseline can attack neoprene, seams and glue and make your suit age faster. Residues also stay in the lining and get into the water.

Does it help to get wet before putting it on?

With normal, jersey-lined wetsuits, usually not. Dry skin grips the least, damp skin brakes the most. Only with smoothskin suits is water commonly used as a gliding film.

Which trick is the most sustainable?

The most sustainable are techniques such as rolling up and sitting down, as well as reusable helpers such as a Lycra shirt or a dressing aid. They create no waste and protect the material. Single-use plastic bags, on the other hand, are the least sustainable solution.

Can I combine several tricks?

Yes, and it actually makes sense. The best combination is dry skin, rolled-back legs, pushing up in sections and a gliding layer on foot and hand. If you have balance problems, sit down as well.

Conclusion

If you want to make putting on your wetsuit easier, you don’t need home remedies from the bathroom. The most effective tricks are simple: dry skin, rolled-back legs, small sections, sitting down when needed and a gliding layer at the tight cuffs. Washing-up liquid, oil and Vaseline are better left at home.

The plastic bag remains a usable emergency solution; a reusable dressing aid does the same, only more robustly and without waste.

If you want the bag trick in a durable version: find FlipSoc, the dressing aid for your wetsuit, here – with free shipping and 14 days of free returns.