I first saw these several years ago when I did my first PNW dive on Uncle Pug (the boat.) Almost all of the locals that weren't mental (wet suits, 3mm gloves, etc.) were diving these way cool snap-on gloves. Hmmm... look interesting.
I was diving dry at that time, but diving wet gloves. I remember in the 47 degree water my hands getting quite blocky.
Fast forward a couple of years, and I now understand the system. Wrist seal redundancy, dressing with bare hands, quick replacement with inexpensive Atlas gloves, etc. I'm thinking "the DC gloves look very nice, but not for me. I have Zip Seals, I can just use Zip gloves..." I'm a SoCal and lobstering with rings on my drysuit wrists is just not going to happen. So I'm using the zip gloves and everything is good. Love 'em. Hate the fact that I have to don the rig wearing the gloves, but whatever. I just zip on seals to go lobstering, its all good.
Fast forward another year. I find a wetsuit on eBay that works - so I'm lobstering wet (haven't been wet diving since OW... its interesting.) So now I'm re-considering the DC gloves... as I dive with my Zip gloves as much as I can (even in the summer here) as when I'm photographing, I get leaks on the left from carrying the camera...
I see a pair completely mis-listed on eBay - so I pick them up for about half-price. Brand new. This last weekend I read up on the Cali68 Zip Seal DC Glove marriage, and give it a try. (huge props to Mark Vlahos for helping decode the Cali-zip and helping me assemble these...)
OMG these things rule. The rings aren't nearly as large as I remember them being, and no where near as large as the SiTec rings. I love the fact that I can zip on or zip them off, depending if I need to dive wet (if I'm deep lobstering, or something... guess.) Although I can't imagine diving wet gloves ever again - even in SoCal summer - where the water gets into the high 50's / low 60's. I just love diving the dry gloves - especially because the leaks from my camera / Goodman handle don't soak me to the elbow on a 4 dive day.
These things rule. Easy on, easy off, solid, warm, dry. I can't say enough good things about them. If you dive dry, you should consider these things. I can't imagine diving dry with wet hands again.
(Still looking for the Uncle Pug "Dry Gloves = Warm Feet" theory to pan out...)
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Ken
I was diving dry at that time, but diving wet gloves. I remember in the 47 degree water my hands getting quite blocky.
Fast forward a couple of years, and I now understand the system. Wrist seal redundancy, dressing with bare hands, quick replacement with inexpensive Atlas gloves, etc. I'm thinking "the DC gloves look very nice, but not for me. I have Zip Seals, I can just use Zip gloves..." I'm a SoCal and lobstering with rings on my drysuit wrists is just not going to happen. So I'm using the zip gloves and everything is good. Love 'em. Hate the fact that I have to don the rig wearing the gloves, but whatever. I just zip on seals to go lobstering, its all good.
Fast forward another year. I find a wetsuit on eBay that works - so I'm lobstering wet (haven't been wet diving since OW... its interesting.) So now I'm re-considering the DC gloves... as I dive with my Zip gloves as much as I can (even in the summer here) as when I'm photographing, I get leaks on the left from carrying the camera...
I see a pair completely mis-listed on eBay - so I pick them up for about half-price. Brand new. This last weekend I read up on the Cali68 Zip Seal DC Glove marriage, and give it a try. (huge props to Mark Vlahos for helping decode the Cali-zip and helping me assemble these...)
OMG these things rule. The rings aren't nearly as large as I remember them being, and no where near as large as the SiTec rings. I love the fact that I can zip on or zip them off, depending if I need to dive wet (if I'm deep lobstering, or something... guess.) Although I can't imagine diving wet gloves ever again - even in SoCal summer - where the water gets into the high 50's / low 60's. I just love diving the dry gloves - especially because the leaks from my camera / Goodman handle don't soak me to the elbow on a 4 dive day.
These things rule. Easy on, easy off, solid, warm, dry. I can't say enough good things about them. If you dive dry, you should consider these things. I can't imagine diving dry with wet hands again.
(Still looking for the Uncle Pug "Dry Gloves = Warm Feet" theory to pan out...)
---
Ken