Fashion Meets Function: Diving into the Top Five Reasons to Own SlipIns

SlipIns Co-Owner Robin Chesnie has been a part of the surfing world for decades and knows a thing or two about the struggle of getting in and out of a wetsuit. Because of SlipIns creativity and innovation, these diveskins have become a go-to for surfers and divers alike. Check out why she loves her SlipIns and why you should snag a pair yourself!

1. The Struggle is Real: Slip In and Slip Out

When Rick Rickman; my partner and co-creator of SlipIns, taught me to surf in 2013, getting in and out of my wetsuit was literally a battle. I could not get in a wetsuit by myself and that’s just frustrating. I remember looking around the beach and seeing that I wasn’t alone in my struggle; other women were unintentionally exposing way too much of themselves as they wrestled with their wetsuits. A bikini was often on under their wetsuit, and they rarely stayed in place while trying to peel off the skin-tight suit. The concept of SlipIns came from this exact anecdote; I wanted surfing to be fun, not a constant battle versus my wetsuit. SlipIns are a full-body, silky-soft bodysuit with built-in foot stirrups and thumbholes to-you guessed it- slip in and out of your wetsuit seamlessly. We want to catch waves, not create them by accidentally making the beach a nude one. The problem isn’t female-centric, either. Though fewer men might admit their issues with their wetsuit, their struggle is still real too, especially as they get older. I’ve heard several complaints related to less shoulder mobility, and how much SlipIns help them with flexibility. The product is truly revered by both men and women.

DiveSkins/SurfSkins

2. Stay Underwater Longer: No More Nuisances

Not long after we launched SlipIns, we heard from a young couple who went on a vacation to the Coco Islands in Costa Rica. The two of them had bought SlipIns DiveSkins for snorkeling with sun protection as their primary concern. The couple joined six others on a tour boat where they were being taken to jump in and snorkel from a beautiful location. The couple noticed that after just a short time in the water, the other divers were heading back to the boat. Little jellyfish were incessantly stinging the snorkelers, making the dive rather unenjoyable. Protected by their SlipIns, the couple was able to stay in the water and enjoy the scenery; they hadn’t been subjected to the same annoying zaps from the jellyfish and were able to avoid the hassle of mosquitoes as well.

3. Shield Your Skin: Sun-protective Water Wear

When we started in 2014, everything was still in its infancy stages, but so much has changed over the course of the last eight years. SlipIns has evolved with the technology of sun-protective gear, like our Sea Legs/Sand Pants and we are proud to see how far our brand and designs have come. For us, the most important part of our story is hearing from the surfers and divers who have had their experiences amplified by riding the SlipIns wave. Looking fabulous leads to feeling fabulous, and once you have that you are simply being fabulous. SlipIns seeks to remove the hassle of wetsuit worries and allow our surfers to feel one with the water. When we read reviews, we take in every story and hear every struggle, making sure to soak up what our customers appreciate most in their gear. Some of our customers have told us about having life-threatening melanomas where they need to choose between doing what they love or staying healthy. Many surfers and divers need to prevent further damage and skin aging, so they don’t see time with their boards as much as they’d like. And SlipIns offers that protection. It is so humbling to read the testimonials and hear how life-altering their discoveries of SlipIns have been, and how the sun-protection design eliminated their need to choose between their hobby and health. That may be the most rewarding part of creating this product and riding this wave.

DiveSkins/SurfSkins

4. Spotted in SlipIns: A Community of Lively Customers

Our social media posts aim to exemplify the SlipIns lifestyle, and we love sharing real people who wear our gear. Whether it’s The Shark Bait Mammas, a group of not-so-young, synchronized swimmers, or The Girls That Scuba, a social media group of female divers who are transforming the diving experience for women worldwide, we are beyond grateful to have fun-loving, adventurous groups rock our gear. After seven years in business, it has become a rare sight to go on a dive trip and not spot someone in a SlipIns. The eye-catching designs will not only protect you from the sun, but you’ll still be a star too; be prepared for a barrage of attention from others wanting to know "where did you get that!?"

SlipIns unique designs make them stand out onshore but also underwater. Diving is an adventurous endeavor, and it comes with a unique set of risks. It is crucial that you can identify your dive buddy or divemaster, and sometimes the stark black uniform of divers can make this a difficult feat. We have learned from our customers that SlipIns not only help to get in and out of wetsuits, but they are preferred gear as they can be worn alone in warm water or over a wetsuit.

5. Made In The USA: Loving Where We Come From

Since our first day on the scene, Rick and I have worked with the same manufacturer. We feel extremely fortunate as we knew nothing about this kind of business and had no idea what we were getting into. Rick was a renowned photographer, and I was a realtor, but somehow, we found ourselves on this crazy adventure together. We found a local cut-and-sew manufacturer that walked us through every step of creating our designs, and a wonderful fabric printer to print Rick’s creations beautifully on our 50+UPF fabric. These partners are within an hour of our location, allowing our products to be born in sunny Southern California.

It was important to us that our products were making an impact, but we never imagined how much they would help on the eco-friendly front. We had never heard of DiveSkins, but we knew that surfers didn’t have an answer to the wetsuit problem other than putting plastic bags over their feet when getting into their wetsuit. Not only does this sound unappealing, but it leads to plastic waste on our beaches and in our oceans. We were ecstatic to hear that we were inadvertently able to give back to the beautiful oceans that we get so much joy from by eliminating the plastic-bag pollution.

The journey of creating and growing SlipIns has been one full of happiness and gratitude. Being able to create a product that solves a niche problem was enough, but to watch our movement flowing into so many hearts is the biggest reward. SlipIns has a story, and we are only adding pages to it every day.

There are countless reasons to slip-on SlipIns, let’s sum up the top five:
1. Eliminate wetsuit worries
2. Shield your skin from pesky intruders
3. Protect yourself from sun damage
4. Stick out on the ground and underwater
5. Celebrate USA roots.

We can’t wait to keep adding more designs with new, functional wearability. Here’s to the next few years of SlipIns magic.