Adding wetsuit relief zipper....

Does anyone know of a shop that can add a zipper ( sac area)??? or is there anything I can do, was half tempted one time to just cut a slit in my suit!! 

Eric

Check out Dolphin on West El Camino.

Not in your area, but Blown Out Wetsuits on Portola Ave. in the Live Oak area of Santa Cruz (between SC and Capitola) - it's just a small shop, but friendly people who might make special arrangements to get it done. They (she) repaired a leg zipper - I think for $10.  She has some used surfing suits for sale too.

I did make a relief  opening in an old windsurfing suit I was using to kayak in maybe 10 yrs ago.  I used some Velcro to keep it closed. It was a lot of work with a stitching awl and the result kind of drew attention to itself - but it worked well enough (if I was careful to keep the velcro well away, if you know what I mean), even though I'd never do that to another or a good wetsuit.
    If you wear a speedo under your wetsuit, keep in mind that you will need to be able to get it out of the way, or make a relief opening in it (more velcro!)- something to consider when sizing the slit it the wetsuit.
    I love my NRS farmer john - it has a double zipper ( one up, one down), and it's very durable - I just throw it in the wash light perm press setting (no agitator machine) with my other fishing togs every time I use it.
   

a little off topic but when your storing your wetsuit, wash and soak in fresh water and let it dry (do not sun dry / avoid direct sun light) and then roll it when storing or traveling - do not fold it. The less crease you have on it, the longer it will last.

I too have a farmer john with a double zipper, but it seems that whipping it out for relief has led to some bad luck otw so i'm back to pissing myself and catching big fish

Finally got tired of smelling like a urinal after a day on the water so I cut a brass zipper with two inches of surrounding denim out of a pair of old jeans. The material was then glued with ShoeGoo onto a shorty wetsuit. After the glue dried the zipper was opened and a slit in the suit was made. The fabric was stained black to match the neoprene. Works well.

Adding a zipper to a wetsuit is easy. I have offered to do it for you guys for the cost of materials and was hammered for all kinds of stuff. Anyway, just get some wetsuit glue (a solvent; toluene or mek) and a plastic #10 zipper 10 inches long. Turn the suit inside out and place the zipper where it works out for you and your plumbing. With a permanent marker draw around the outside edges of the zipper. Remove the zipper and lay it top side up on some cardboard. Clean mating surfaces with the solvent twice. Thin down some of the wetsuit glue for the first two coats to the zipper and the suit stay within the lines on the suit and approx. 1/2" If away from the zipper teeth make sure you cover the ends too. Three to four coats letting each coat dry to the touch. Replace the zipper and apply pressure to glued areas. Let this dry for about an hour. Open the zipper, remember the pull is against the wetsuit, once you have the zipper open, with a new razor blade make a slit in the suit. Start and stop your cut 3/4" from the glued ends. No sewing is needed.
Again, for anyone who needs help, PM me. I'm in Santa Rosa /Petaluma
John

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I don't believe a 3 mil suit offers enough protection and I wasn't able to find anything thicker off the rack with  relief zipper which is a must for me.

Ive done my last 3 suits with a method very similar to Jwin's. The hardest part is that area of the wetsuit won't lay flat but it's definetly doable.  Once the glue is ready to stick the parts together it's very unforgiving so make sure you got stuff lined up, cause you don't want to try and pull it apart for any re-positioning.  Make absolutely sure not to get any glue on the zipper teeth or on the suit where the zipper teeth are gonna contact it or it probably won't open. 

And I do remember when Jwin offerd up his services and the crap he got, not sure what was up with that??