Drysuit gasket expansion in warm weather?

[markstephens]

I was paddling today in my drysuit and did a couple rolls to cool off (air temps hit 80 degrees on land!) I got some water leaking in around the neck gasket, which has never happened before. In fact, I rolled as recently as yesterday without this happening. I was wondering if the latex might have expanded slightly in the heat and loosened enough to allow the leakage. I don't think my neck shrank in one day and there are no tears in the gasket. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Dee Hall]

Although your gasket will soften some from warmth, it will not expand. In fact, natural rubber has the unique property of shrinking as it gets warmer. This is why the belt that is too loose in your car engine squeals when you first start up, but stops soon after.

[markstephens]

Thanks, Dee. Hmmm, I did notice the neck gasket was very soft, maybe it collapsed a bit or lost some elasticity, allowing it to be pushed open slightly on some contortion of the rolling sequence. As you know, my roll is less than picture perfect!

[Guest guest]

A little experience from diving in a dry suit; when you turn your head the muscles in your neck flex and sometimes this creates a small gap in the neck seal of a dry suit.

[Brian Nystrom]

How old is the gasket, Mark? It seems like the typical lifespan is ~3 years. UV and sunscreen degrade them and they become soft. If it starts to feel sticky, it time to replace it.