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Wetsuit Changing Mats
Shop wetsuit changing mats at Rider Shack. A changing mat protects your feet and keeps sand and grit out of your wetsuit and your car. We carry two distinct styles to suit different needs — cinch-bag mats that double as a wet bag, and grass mats that are soft underfoot and great for sand control.
Pair with a changing poncho for the complete post-surf kit.
Wetsuit changing mats — why they matter
A changing mat might be the most underrated piece of surf gear you own. It solves three problems that every regular surfer deals with: protecting your feet from hot asphalt, sharp gravel, and broken glass in parking lots; keeping sand and grit off your wetsuit during the change so it doesn't work its way inside on your next session; and giving you a clean surface to work from when you're peeling off a 4/3mm in a tight parking space.
Style 1 — cinch-bag mats
The cinch-bag style mat is two products in one. You change on it, then cinch it closed around your wet wetsuit and gear. Your soaking wetsuit goes straight into the bag — no dripping on the car seats, no wet gear loose in the trunk, no smell building up. When you get home you open the bag, hang the wetsuit, and the mat rinses flat again in seconds. This is the style we recommend for daily surfers who drive to sessions and want the simplest possible post-surf routine. The mat function and the wet bag function are handled by one piece of gear that lives in your car permanently.
Style 2 — grass mats
The grass mat is a thick, soft turf-style mat that feels great under bare feet and does an exceptional job trapping sand. As you change on it, sand falls through the turf rather than building up on the surface — which means less sand in your car and less sand working its way back into your wetsuit. The soft surface is particularly good on cold winter mornings when standing barefoot on concrete is genuinely unpleasant. Grass mats are also easy to shake out and rinse clean. We carry the Surf Grass Mat in standard and X-Large.
Which style is right for you?
If you drive to every session and your main priority is keeping the car clean and your wetsuit contained — cinch-bag mat. If you surf a lot, change quickly, and want maximum comfort underfoot with good sand control — grass mat. Many regular surfers end up keeping both: a cinch-bag mat in the car for weekday sessions and a grass mat at home for rinsing and drying in the back garden.
Post-surf rinse and shower
We also carry the Block Surf Shower Tank and the Water Buddha Post Surf Shower Kit. Both solve the same problem: a portable supply of fresh water at the car for rinsing your wetsuit and yourself before the drive home. Rinsing your wetsuit in fresh water immediately after every session is the single most effective thing you can do to extend its life. Salt water left sitting in neoprene degrades the material significantly faster than salt water that gets rinsed out. A portable shower tank makes it possible to do this every session regardless of whether there are shower facilities at the break.
The full post-surf kit
A mat handles the ground. A poncho handles the change. A rinse jug handles the wetsuit. Together they make every session end as well as it started. Browse changing ponchos and wetsuit care.
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Changing ponchos · Wetsuit accessories · Wetsuit care and storage · Wetsuits
