Dry gloves?

[boat sju]

Do you cut down your latex wrist seals so that the dry gloves can "breathe" ?

 

[Van Isle]

I'm casting a vote for non-permanent rings on the latex seals, topped with a pair of marigold heavy duty dishwashing gloves pulled over $5 liners. I use si-tech rings. My whole setup cost me maybe $50, taxes in. If/when I blow a glove, it's $3 and 3 minutes to replace. I keep spares in the S.A.D. kit.

To equalize the gloves with the suit, some divers use a flexible plastic straw. I have a thumb loop from my undergarment I don't tuck away. Not ideal if I "blow" a glove and have to make the seal happen, but since I can call a dive at any time, it's not a big deal and it's easy.

It is nothing to do an hour long dive sub-50F and come out without the stumbles, mumbles and fumbles. I was glad at how warm my hands were; I was shocked at how much warmer the rest of me was.

 

[mikeyjoe]

Yep, another vote for stretchy gloves over the plastic ring - huge improvement over wet gloves!

 

[elan]

I've recently considered investing in some gloves and had the suggestion made by some members of my club to look into dry gloves. The sort our shop sells are about 60 dollars, the sort which have a ring which fits onto the drysuit then has a heavy-duty glove (like a dish glove) slide over top to form a seal.

I dive in Vancouver, BC, so the water is relatively cold. Are dry gloves worth the investment, or should I just go for a nice pair of 5mm neoprene?

It's a matter of personal preference but here is what I have got. I"m diving 6 mm crab mitts which have a seal on the wrist. Though the water gets in anyways as the seals are not tight. In 38-50F water it works good for 30-40 minutes. If I go longer than that my hands get cold. Another big problem is that from being in the cold water for long time over several times a week my hands skin becomes really dry. Though I have to put moisturizer they are still kind of dry. The outcome of this whole thing is I have ordered dry gloves a week ago and now cannot wait for them to come. Here everyone who dives all the time dives dry gloves.

 

[DaleC]

Do you cut down your latex wrist seals so that the dry gloves can "breathe" ?

Don't cut the seals!

There are two schools of thought here:

The first is to put a thin tube of some sort under the seal (I use a short piece of surgical tubing knotted at each end) so that air can travel in and out of the glove. This allows them to equalize. The down side is that, in the event of a torn glove, you will get a suit flood if you can't plug the leak (or pull out the tube).

The other method is to just allow the wrist seals to seal. This keeps out the water (from the suit) in case of a tear but you will get a squeeze on your hands.

Try both methods, weigh the risk/benefits and see what you prefer.

 

[DaleC]

You guys are a bunch of babies waaaaa my hands get cold. suck it up!

You come do a 90 minute dive with me in 39F water sometime and we'll see who's a baby with those wetsuit gloves of yours. Don't worry, I'll still have the manual dexterity neccisary to wipe your tears (and whatever else needs wiping).

 

[Matt S.]

I'm casting a vote for non-permanent rings on the latex seals, topped with a pair of marigold heavy duty dishwashing gloves pulled over $5 liners. I use si-tech rings.

Waitaminute... You're doing a stretch-over on si-tech cuffs? I've got si-tech too but I have been using the blue gloves on the push-in rings. I didn't think the stretch-over system would work. Tell me more! I've become adept at fitting the blue gloves so I rarely get a leak, but that's a couple minutes of fooling around I'd like to avoid if I could. Plus the dexterity isn't so good.

To the OP:

Yes, dry gloves are worth it.

Around here, the Diving Concepts are very popular. They snap in like SI-Techs but seem to go on easier. Vikings are well regarded and some people love the stretch-over system. I want to try it. SI-Tech (what I have now) works OK and has the benefit of being cheap.

 

[tgsmith]

I say go for them. I just got a pair of the Si Tech "Glove lock" system last week. I couldn't believe how warm my hands were, really. No ****. I did 2 dives each over an hour in 42* water last weekend and they didn't even get cold, maybe SLIGHTLY chilled. When I say chilled, I mean, "oh, I must be in cold water. humph." For comparison, I was using 5mm Xcel 5-finger gloves the previous weekend and my hands got pretty damn painful after 20 minutes in 42*.

I haven't tried any other ring systems but so far I like the Si Tech "Glove Lock" system that I splurged on. It goes on easy and feels secure. I can put them on my myself. You can install the rings on the suit seals in a matter of minutes with no special tools/tricks/sore fingers.

Order spare gloves online from marine supply stores if you don't have a marine supply store nearby. You can get the blue lobster gloves with liners for something like $15. Keep in mind they aren't too durable, so if you plan on digging/working a wreck, then mitts may be a better idea. I want to find someone with the DUI neoprene zipgloves and cut them off to mount on my rings

To avoid confusion, here's what I have since there are multiple systems offered by Si Tech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT9JxqG79Rw

 

[dave4868]

I haven't tried any other ring systems but so far I like the Si Tech "Glove Lock" system that I splurged on. It goes on easy and feels secure. I can put them on my myself. You can install the rings on the suit seals in a matter of minutes with no special tools/tricks/sore fingers.

Order spare gloves online from marine supply stores if you don't have a marine supply store nearby. You can get the blue lobster gloves with liners for something like $15. Keep in mind they aren't too durable, so if you plan on digging/working a wreck, then mitts may be a better idea. I want to find someone with the DUI neoprene zipgloves and cut them off to mount on my rings

To avoid confusion, here's what I have since there are multiple systems offered by Si Tech:
YouTube - Si-Tech Glove Lock Dry Glove System

Just curious, could you measure and post the diameter of the opening your SI TECH "Glove Lock" system? I've got the SI TECH Quick Clamp system presently, which is almost trouble free, but yours with the locking system looks pretty fool-proof. That could be important for someone like me who can be a Certified Fool sometimes....

I noticed in the video that the larger glove ring has to mount higher on the glove cuff where it's wider.

Does that excess length require that you use a cinch strap of some sort on the wrist to keep the glove in place? Presently I don't need to.

How many dives do you have on them now? Any problems at all?

Thanks in advance.

Personally, I find that dry gloves are still cold. So, I wear 6mm three fingered gloves. Your thumb and pointer fingers have their own compartment while your remaining three fingers are together almost like a mitton. Then I wear a set of wool gloves as a base layer because wool retains a lot of heat. (I wear a wool hat under my hood too).

I think it's possible to still be cold in drygloves if you don't have enough insulation or enough room inside the gloves or don't have a tube or channel of fabric to provide equalization. Too tight a fit can easily constrict circulation and cause one's fingers to get cold quick, even if dry.

I've recently considered investing in some gloves and had the suggestion made by some members of my club to look into dry gloves. The sort our shop sells are about 60 dollars, the sort which have a ring which fits onto the drysuit then has a heavy-duty glove (like a dish glove) slide over top to form a seal.

I dive in Vancouver, BC, so the water is relatively cold. Are dry gloves worth the investment, or should I just go for a nice pair of 5mm neoprene?

For several years, I dove in water temps in the low 40's using a drysuit with 7mm neoprene mitts before finally switching to drygloves. The drygloves were so much warmer I was able to extend my dive times from an hour to close to two hours, even in water in the mid-30's F. The comfort and functionality is great!

Another plus for me is having better dexterity in drygloves compared to 7mm neoprene mitts. That's with a single liner and a fairly close-fitting vinyl glove. The dexterity with double liners is about equal to that of 7mm neoprene, but the warmth is much greater and longer.

In really warm water, such as above 60F, very light liners and close fitting gloves are wonderful!

You'll be very happy you got drygloves, I think.

Dave C

 

[Hawkwood]

Yep, another vote for stretchy gloves over the plastic ring - huge improvement over wet gloves!

I find it intresting that the Marigold solution seems to be a West Coast thing. Those that use them our here picked up the idea from the Coast and it has spread around a small group. I know the group that showed me can thank Sean at Union Bay for introducing them to the Marigolds.