Dry gloves for N.E.

[bmk67]

Hey guys! I just posted a dry glove question under the Equipment section, but I figured I dive in N.E. so who better to ask then the guys who dive the conditions as me. Up until this point I have always used a wet suit I just got a dry suit and I am completely new to diving dry. When I bought the suit the guy I got it from gave me a dry hood with it as well, but now I need gloves and don’ know where to start. All the info you can give me would be great again I know nothing about diving dry. So any tips, hints, and suggestions would be great (even if it has nothing to do with gloves) Thanks guys!

 

[danberall]

I have used both the SI-Tech dry gloves and the the Diving Concepts dry gloves. I like them both for different reasons, but I probably prefer the latter a little more. They seem a little easier to get on and you don't need to worry about lint on an exposed O-ring ...

A few things to think about:

- Do you want to have an inner seal? This keeps your drysuit from flooding if you ever get a hole in the glove, but it also means you need to keep a small airway (usually a small tube) open to prevent hand squeeze. I used to keep an inner seal but I don't anymore. I have only had one leak with four years of using them and it was only a pinprick. I figure I'll just end my dive if anything more significant occurs.

- Do you do a lot of wreck diving (digging) or scallop diving? Dry gloves do not hold up to a lot of abuse and will develop holes over time. Although Aquaseal helps, the gloves will never be "dry" again. Its not a big problem if you just get comfortable replacing the gloves. Seattle marine sells the gloves for $10 - $20/pair depending on whether you get lined or not.

- Do you want lined or unlined gloves? I've used both and I'm not sure that it matters. The argument against lined gloves is that they smell after a while. The arguement for them is that they tend to be a little warmer.

There is no question that when it comes to winter diving, nothing matches dry gloves. The down side is that they turn you into a wimp and going back to wet gloves is not so easy.

Cheers. Happy diving.
Danny

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Some dryglove Videos can be found here:
Dry Suit Gloves - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

Hope that helps a little. Drygloves are GREAT! Not too bulky, simple to get on and off vs. wet gloves(pita), and alot warmer and more comfortable than wet gloves

If you are doing some harsh diving/ digging, get the pullover glove system. The replacement gloves are cheap and pretty durable. The only failure point is the glove.....and you can have a couple pairs topside in your kit

 

[RIOceanographer]

A lot of us don't bother with dry gloves. There are some very warm wet gloves out there that will work for most diving around here.

Don't get me wrong, dry gloves have their place. They are a good idea if you do a lot of very cold water diving (say 30's), or really long cold water dives (i.e. tech diving with long deco hangs) but they have their drawbacks as well. I've seen lots of people with soaking wet sleeves because of leaking gloves, much more so than with people using conventional wrist seals with wet gloves. If you are working a lot with your hands, it is easy to get holes in the glove when you are handling things and I have seen people have issues with dry gloves not seating in the rings properly which if you don't catch it before you go in the water equals and instant suit flood. In addition, the dexterity with dry gloves is not as good as with a more form fitting neoprene wetsuit glove. So my take on it is if you need a dry glove to stay warm, use them, but if you can stay warm with a wet glove and avoid the hassles of dry gloves by all means go with the wet glove.

There are some very warm wet gloves available that have worked for me (individual diver's glove fit and tolerances to cold vary so you may have different results). For most diving I use a 5mm, 5 fingered gauntlet style glove which works well with drysuit. For very cold dives (water temps in the 30s) I tend to go with a 7mm, 3 fingered mitt also gauntlet style. Several manufacturers make nice gloves in these two styles. Here some examples:

Bare Sport 7mm Three-Finger Mitt

Bare Sport 5mm Gauntlet Glove

There are also some semi-dry gloves that are just wetsuit gloves that have a gasket around the wrist to prevent most water exchange but which aren't really true dry gloves like those integrated into the drysuit. These tend to be pretty warm and reduce the occurrence wet-sleeve problems and have better dexterity compared with the true dry gloves but the gaskets on the wrist can be difficult to pull on.

Hope that helps. Dive safe and stay warm!

 

[reefseal]

What dry suit do you have? Some suits mfgrs have sep. glove options.
I've got DUI dry gloves (zip seal), they are lined. I wear them with the fleece gloves that came with the dry gloves.

They have never leaked in 2 1/2 years diving with them.

If were to do over again, would opt for detachable ones vs. zip seals. You have to put your gear on with the gloves and it's very awkard attaching air inflator hoses, tucking in my neoprene neck seal.

I started w/ wet gloves with dry suit. On one winter charter, topside in between dives, my hands froze. That was the moment decided dry gloves were a must.

 

[spt29970]

I too have the DUI dry gloves with zip seals. As the previous poster indicated they are a bit awkward because you have to don and doff the suit with the gloves attached, but I have gotten pretty good at it. I have been diving the same gloves for the past couple years and haven't had any leaks at all, but I am pretty careful with them. They are nice and warm.

The only drawback is that since they are attached to the suit, I have to take the top of the suit off between dives. This isn't too bad since I usually want to take of the top of the suit off to eat a meal or visit the head. I have two sets of glove liners so that I can change them between dives. Wearing dry gloves is like working with a glove box, perspiration condenses on the inside of the glove. By changing the liners, they stay nice and dry.

I zip the gloves off at the end of the dive day so that the suit will air out properly, or so that I can wash the suit.

 

[fppf]

Check out Si Tech Glove Lock rings. By far the best system on the market to date. Easy to don and duff. I wrote a whole review and product compare on TDS.

 

[trappist]

Why bother with dry gloves ?? Personally I use my 5mm gloves (with holes...) in water temps down to 34... I'm not on the cold side either, some will confirm, but even if I will probably move one day to dry gloves, I do not feel the need to use them right now. I think these gives an extra thing to manage and if you ust moved into drysuit, I would rather get used to it, and learning it the hard way with the big gloves is not a bad thing anyway
This is just my 2 cents and the way I feel about it. At the end, it is your choice. Take your time to choose the right one for you and for your suit.

 

[Rainer]

Cold hands mean cold feet. If you're going to roll in a dry suit in <60F water, roll with dry gloves. I did two years of diving in MA and can't understand how people dive wet gloves, especially in the winter. If you're calling dives because of "block hand" syndrome, it's time to rock dry gloves. It's a comfort *and* safety issue. If you've only been diving wet gloves, you have no idea how much warmer your entire body will be once you make the switch. Not to mention the much improved dexterity once you go dry.

I've had the original Si-Techs for a few years, and they work fine (once you learn to seat them properly). Most people I know have had great luck with the Diving Concept rings. The new Si-Techs are similar to the Vikings. Both also seem quite decent. I maintain my wrist seals.

I'm a huge fan of the unlined gloves (<$4 at Seattle Marine for Atlas 660s or 620s). Just add your own undergloves (REI, surplus store, etc). They're warmer anyway.

Dry gloves are fine in wrecks and for shore diving. Only time I would switch to wet gloves was for lobstering.

 

[fppf]

The new Si-Techs are similar to the Vikings.

The new Si Techs are NOTHING like the Vikings. The vikings are a sharp stick in the eye compared to the new Si techs. Everything is different between the new Si Techs and the Vikings.