Dry glove basics

loosebits · Jan 26, 2007

I've been searching the forum on dry gloves trying to understand the basic options out there but haven't yet been successful.

I've seen some gloves with a latex seal that looks like it doesn't integrate with the drysuit at all, I've seen others with a ring that looks like it somehow integrates with the wrist seal and then there seems to be another option or two out there.

Can someone take the time and explain the different options and the advantages of each? I also am curious about the insulation options. I get the impression that some gloves are think and warm and others are just pieces of rubber than need a liner inside. Is this the case?

My main consideration in any glove is dexterity.. have to be able to unclip my spg. Also, I may start diving in cold Missouri caves someday so being able to feel the line is a must.

One more thing.. I have very large hands (8 1/2").

Peter_C · Jan 26, 2007

Since you are using a drysuit, I would recommend integrating the gloves into the suit. Many people use the latex seals to mount the gloves using a ring system, leaving the seal in place. You then need to put something like a coffee stirrer or caveline under the seal to keep glove squeeze down. The other option is to use DUI zip seal drygloves. The downfall to them is they can not be removed, where as you can take gloves with the ringed system on and off.

Lined vs not lined. After using a lined pair, I will never do it again. If the glove gets wet inside, it is next to impossible to dry it out. Liners can easily be removed and dryed. I would venture to say the ones with liners will have more dexterity though. You can swap the gloves around with a little effort. Search dry gloves and there is tons of info on the tool to make it easier, along with where to purchase the replacement gloves for 1/10 of what a dive shop would charge for the same thing. Bob3 has great into, so you can probably use his name and search the exposure section. Posted below and edited here since this is the info I was trying to get for you, http://www.seamar.com/atlasgloves/index.htm

COVCI is where I got mine, although it does not show on the website anymore. They were around $145 shipped and are the lined type.

Edited for incorrect info.

ClayJar · Jan 26, 2007

The latex seal ones don't integrate with the drysuit arms. The ring systems attach to latex wrist seals in some manner (some may be permanently attached to the sleeves, instead, I assume). There are simple press-together rings (like the SI Tech ones, also sold as Bare) and bayonet-style rings (Viking apparently makes some of this type). Finally, there are the DUI Zip Gloves. For those, you need a DUI suit with the zipseal/zipglove system installed on the wrists, and you can't get those with any other brand of suit.

As for the gloves, I'll leave that to someone else. Most I've seen are "rubber" gloves, with or without built-in liners. With the built-in liners, they take forever to dry. Without, you just wear however much insulation under the gloves as you want and can fit (just like with a membrane drysuit).

Jim Lapenta · Jan 26, 2007

I use a ring system on my OS Systems suit. When I put them on correctly they work well. New Years day was not one of those days

. I had too much of the latex through the ring and when I was stretching to get my rig on I inadvertently popped the seals.found out immediately:11: ! Luckily the water was a balmy 60 degrees so it was not too bad except that the gloves held too much water in and made my hands feel heavy. The second dive since they were wet anyway I just used my 3 mil gloves and was fine. The dry gloves I have take a liner for warmth. I find that with the fleece liners that came with the system they are more than comfy in water down to 45 degrees or so. This is the coldest I've dove so far. Dexterity is very good, I dive BPW DIR style and had no issues with unclipping the spg and any other clips I needed to( can light).:mooner: Touch however is another issue. While I have good sensation in the finger tips for most tasks I'm not sure they would be ok for following a cave line. I've never done cavern or cave and the wrecks I've been on and used lines in did not require as much light tactile sensation as I understand is used in caves. I've looked into the other glove systems including OMS that uses latex seals seperate from the suit where you put a little warm water in the palm before the dive. I even talked to the OMS dealer closest to me and was kind of told that they would not be worth the expense in his opinion. He himself uses the ringed smurf gloves like I have. The only issue I see with you having large hands is getting a ring sytem on and off may be a pain. My hands are not large but there is still some wiggling involved with mine when the liners are on. I haver also heard of people using thin neoprene reef gloves as liners since if you do have a flood or leak the neoprene will still keep some warmth in

. What you really need to do is go in a and try some on. You can try on a ring set without attaching it to the suit. My advice would be to also take a length of line with you and tie it off to something in the shop and just run your fingers along it to get an idea remembering that if they get a little colder sensation will be reduced and go from there. It might look a little weird to be laying line in the shop:huh: but hey if it makes the sale I'm sure the lds will not mind. BTW any lds that uses this idea to allow customers to try gloves for the purpose of determing if they are the right one can PM me for the address to send my commission check to

.

Peter_C · Jan 26, 2007

I will add a little more. When I mentioned putting the cave line or a straw into the latex seal, that is also so it can be removed underwater in case of a glove failure.

Testing the gloves in the store with a cave line is a good idea. Do remember though, that they will be compressed more against your skin once you are underwater.

dsteding · Jan 26, 2007

I posted this a while back on another board, should cover the range of ringed (integrated to your suit) gloves (note that some of the info is local in nature, but it should give you an idea of one way to approach this):

There are four basic options out there:

1) Si-Tech: Pros: Ease of installation, ease of changing out gloves, easy of getting them off after a dive, they have a big nut that allows you to basically unscrew the gloves; cost (buy the rings ($60) buy the gloves at Seattle Marine, and away you go): Cons: a bit cranky and difficult to get sealed right at first, the solution seems to be licking your o-rings and evenly installing them. The licking part can draw some funny looks . . . these are also rebranded by Bare for their suits.

2) OS Systems: I recently put these on my DC suit. Pros: Still relatively easy to install, and they are double o-ringed so they seem to seal better than the si-techs (i.e., more idiot proof). Another pro is cost, you can get the rings/o-rings for about $70 and then buy gloves at Seattle Marine for $3/pair. I like these rings so far, my only con is that they aren' as easy to remove as the Si-Techs, but this isn't a huge issue.

3) Viking Bayonet: These are made by Si-Tech for Viking, there are two kinds of Viking ring systems, one is basically the Si-Tech system described above. The Bayonet system has a different attachment system, and this seems to work great (one of my dive buddies uses them). They are, however, a bit more expensive and hard to find (Bob3 on Scubaboard is a Viking dealer, and the rings without gloves are $100 or so).

4) Diving Concepts: Pros: The lined gloves are uber warm, the system seems to attach with no leaks: Cons: Price ($150-they come with comfy, really nice lined gloves, but those gloves are bulky) and it is a major PITA putting these rings on suits; I've also heard that switching gloves out is a PITA as well, although Bob just did that with his with no apparent ill effects.

All of the above are available with or without gloves. My suggestion would be to go to Seattle Marine (www.seamar.com) and find your gloves. Buying the gloves from a dive shop means a ridiculous markup. As noted by Bob, there are two kinds of gloves, the Atlas 495s, which come with this thick yellow liner (and are $15), and the Atlas 620/660s, which are a bit thinner cut (and are $3). I find that a wool liner works fine with the 620/660s, I buy those at the army surplus store on First Ave in Belltown for $3/pair. go buy those, take them to SeaMar, try gloves on for the right fit, then go find rings and put them all together. NWSD in Kenmore has the OS Systems, the Si-Techs and the DC rings in stock, although call ahead to be sure they are on the shelf.

The Atlas gloves come in various thicknesses. As Bob noted, the blue gloves are thicker than the orange gloves, so they are a bit more puncture resistant. Separate to this is the cut of the glove, as I noted above the 495s are wider and bulkier because they are designed to work with the thick Atlas liner. I think that liner is overkill, but I suppose it depends on how warm you want your hands to be.

SwimJim · Jan 26, 2007

dsteding:
I posted this a while back on another board, should cover the range of ringed (integrated to your suit) gloves (note that some of the info is local in nature, but it should give you an idea of one way to approach this):

Great post. Viking also makes a ring type system where you pull the glove over the ring. It has less failure points then the scitec type system and works very well. The Viking rings are also bigger then the scitec's. I have rather large hands and had troubles donning the scitecs. Viking, no problem. This system is compareably priced to the scitec as well.

Jim

jduncan · Jan 26, 2007

Peter_C:
I will add a little more. When I mentioned putting the cave line or a straw into the latex seal, that is also so it can be removed underwater in case of a glove failure.

Testing the gloves in the store with a cave line is a good idea. Do remember though, that they will be compressed more against your skin once you are underwater.

Peter, I noticed you have a clip connected to your primary second stage. What is that for? I see you are using a pretty short hose - maybe thats why - to keep it from falling away? Just curious.

Jeff

dsteding · Jan 26, 2007

jduncan:
Peter, I noticed you have a clip connected to your primary second stage. What is that for? I see you are using a pretty short hose - maybe thats why - to keep it from falling away? Just curious.

Jeff

My guess is that is actually a long-hose configuration, you can see it clearly set up here

jduncan · Jan 26, 2007

dsteding:
My guess is that is actually a long-hose configuration, you can see it clearly set up here

Got it. Why the clip on the second stage?

Dry glove basics

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