SURFDRY

SURFDRY responded to a persistent but overlooked problem in water sports: wetsuits and accessories often remain cold, damp and unhygienic between uses, reducing comfort and shortening product life. The brief was to create a portable, low-power drying solution that avoided heat, which can compromise technical materials. Key challenges included designing for a wide range of gear shapes and sizes, performing across materials such as neoprene, Yamamoto rubber and Yulex, and delivering reliable results in highly variable ambient conditions across global microclimates. The project needed to balance drying performance, simplicity, portability and everyday usability in one universal system.

Over two years, SURFDRY evolved through iterative design, testing and refinement to solve wetsuit and gear drying without heat. The design process was informed by proof-of-concept users, including Olympic athletes, professional surfers, leading manufacturers and major water sports retailers. The final solution centered on purpose-built ambient airflow that could perform across varied gear formats, sizes and materials while remaining compact, quiet and low energy. Major roadblocks included achieving universal fit from youth to adult sizes, compatibility across diverse material types, and dependable performance in changing ambient conditions. The result is a repeatable, evidence-led design solution for everyday gear care.

SURFDRY creates impact by helping users get greater value from the gear they already own. By accelerating material-safe drying, it extends usable product life, improves total cost of ownership and reduces premature replacement. Environmentally, longer-lasting gear can help reduce landfill waste from products that are difficult to recycle. Socially, reducing prolonged moisture supports better hygiene and may help lower moisture-related skin diseases (MASDs). Just as importantly, a dry, odor-free wetsuit creates a more enjoyable experience, encouraging people to get outdoors, get in the water, and feel better doing it.

SURFDRY’s key design features are centered on adaptable airflow, universal fit and portability. Its purpose-built venting system is engineered to circulate ambient air efficiently through water sports gear, accelerating drying without heat and helping protect sensitive technical materials.Three concentric, increasing diameters enable the product to accommodate a broad range of wrist and ankle widths, supporting gear across youth and adult sizes. A movable shutter rotates to suit both single-opening items, such as gloves and booties, and multi-opening products, such as wetsuits with multiple exit points, allowing one system to work across multiple gear categories.SURFDRY is also USB-C powered, enabling use with a wall adapter, battery brick or solar panel. This makes it especially suited to travel, small apartments, garages and other compact spaces. For storage and transport, the two units nest together into a compact form. Lightweight at approximately 0.45 kilograms, SURFDRY balances technical performance with intuitive, everyday usability.