Have you ever had trouble with dropping your wet (most of the time covered with sand) wetsuit in the car after changing. I saw some wetsuit bags / changing mats from ripcurl and billabong in surfshops. But 30€ is to much. So i decided to build one by myself.
I will use an old bottom layer from a tent (an old one, out of work) Then i´ll cut out a circular form (Radius = 2ft). at the edge i will put a chord. i´ll sew the lap so that i can pull it together like a bag after changing.
cheers clemens
One suggestion, if I may - you may find your bag won’t close all the way, as the drawcord will only bunch up the fabric so far- a minr design change and it’ll work pretty good-
hope that’s of use
doc…
Trash bags work fine; just don’t throw your suit away.
A lot of the guys and gals around here use large plastic lidded containers in combination with a gallon jug of water. sequence:
open lid, stand in bin
pour (hopefully) still hot water into suit, enjoy
remove suit, shucking down into container
step onto lid
dry yourself and apply footwear (don’t forget clothes first)
finish washing suit in box with remaining water
empty box of water, replace lid, done.
Now your suit is rinsed and your feet are clean, no gritty 'tween the toes.
Those wetsuit bags are fine, but if used on dirt or sand, the bottom invariably gets dirty and wet. Once you cinch it up, the bottom becomes the whole outside. Also, unless quite thick and waterproof, they start to leak, which was your problem in the first place. The plastic container is a great place to keep all the other random stuff you use for surfing as well.
wells
I too use the big rubbermaid storage tub idea, standing on the lid. With a family of 3, I’d be using a shovel instead of a vacuum to clean sand out of the truck. The containers are good for cleaning also, as you can just fill 'em up with water and wetsuit detergent and let it soak. The problem with these containers is that they take up a lot of space, and depending on the type of vehicle/number of people sometimes a bag is more suited. For bags, I used a side- zip duffle that has a waterproof lining. To solve the changing surface problem, I use one of those cheapo bamboo beach mats that roll/fold up. Change on the mat, toss the wetsuit in the duffle, shake off the mat and put that in the duffle too.
thanx for your hints and tricks
cheers clemens
I’m with Pete - I use the Rubbermaid-type storage containers, for vehicle stowage, long-term stowage and cleaning . They’re handy for a lot of things.
Rinsing suits- if it’s winter or generic cold weather, then suit and I go into a nice, hot shower together. If a suit is getting put away for a while, then it gets washed in cold water plus a little pine-sol or whatever generic restaurant-grade equivalent I have ( cleaner and disinfectant to deal with the bacteria and such that may be in there), rinsed twice in cold fresh water and then tucked into a container, taking some care to not fold it, just wad it in at random, so it won’t crack along the same old folds.
Now, my boards tend to travel to the water in padded board bags, so when I get to the beach I find that they work real well as changing mats. Remove board, remove wetsuit, set bag flat on the sand and stand on it while putting on the suit. When I get out of the water, the suit comes off, the board and suit and all go into the bag and I’m set.
Yeah, it’s maybe a little more hassle taking the padded bag to the beach and not leaving it in the truck, but at the same time all the sun exposure and damage exposure a board gets between vehicle and water is something I don’t need to worry about. As a ding guy, I really hate fixing 'em on my own boards. Better to have everything safe in the bag. Plus, if it all gets stored in there, well, it’s kinda hard to lose stuff or forget it - ‘damn, forgot my left boot’ is something you stop saying, y’know? .
hope that’s of use
doc…
A good ol’ plastic trashbag can be your best friend… And it doubles as a raincoat 
HerbB