dryglove?

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sunkarm

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Location
New Zealand
# of dives
100 - 199
hi,

is drygloves necessary if we r using drysuit? which is the best dryglove at the moment?
 
They are not necessary, but very nice. I currently use 5mm wetsuit gloves & at times wish I had dry gloves. A lot of people like the ring type in which the ring goes under the Latex wrist seals. That way if the glove floods, it only floods the hand & not the entire suit. I will hopefully be able to get a pair later this year.
 
They're not necessary. I know many drysuit divers, myself included, that do not use dry gloves. Some seem to love them, others hate them. It's really a personal decision, but it isn't necessary. The wrist seal seals out the water and while your hands will get we if you're not using dry gloves, the water doesn't get down into your suit ... except of course for minor leakage for some divers with very pronounced wrist tendons.
 
It may be more than necessary - dry gloves may be required if your diving style or body type delivers wet sleeves on every dry suit dive.

For me, thats the case.

I live in SoCal - hardly cold water (50 - 60+) by some standards, but my reasons for wearing dry gloves year 'round:

1) I lost a lot of weight a few years ago, and there is simply no wrist seal that will keep the water from running up the tendons of my wrists. No more wrists like mortadella, so I get wet.

2) I am a photographer - so I'm constantly bending and grabbing my camera and strobe arms. The flexing and range of motion I require again lets water into my wrists.

3) Often I'm doing 2 to 5 successive dives in a day - if I was just doing one, a little dampness around the wrist of my DS undies probably wouldn't be a problem. But after several successive dives, I'm now wet to the elbow. Not fun.

4) Dry gloves give me better fine dexterity than wet gloves. You wouldn't think so on the surface, as they seem fat, blue and fluffy. But unlike 5mm wet gloves, dry gloves vacuum pack onto your hands at depth. I have much better fine motor dexterity with dry gloves. Especiallty at the finger tips.

5) As a photographer, I don't move much. So I'm diving a huge tank (or dubs), long dives, cold water, not moving. With Dry Gloves, I avoid blocky (and unsafe) hands, retain full dexterity over the longest dives, and I get the added benefit of warm feet. Yes - dry hands = warmer feet.

So I dive them year 'round. Even when the water is in the low 60's, I'm in my dry gloves (just with no liners...) Of course in those temps, its about being dry, not warm.

I love 'em.

They're probably the best $65 investment I've made in my diving.

I use the Diving Concepts system. Cheap (bought several sets off of eBay and TDS), easy to replace the glove in the field, gloves are $6 a pair, easy to repair, easy to custom fit the glove, Orings are easy to find, etc.

I love 'em!

---
Ken
 
Ken, if the chance for you to dive in 70 or 80 degree water came up...would you still wear drygloves?
 
SparticleBrane:
Ken, if the chance for you to dive in 70 or 80 degree water came up...would you still wear drygloves?
I've used drygloves in the 60-low 70's range because I was too lazy to take out the rings.
 
SparticleBrane:
Ken, if the chance for you to dive in 70 or 80 degree water came up...would you still wear drygloves?
Dived Kona - 77 degrees. Did 5 or 6 dives a day and wore my 5-7-9.

Can't imagine I'd be in a drysuit in 70 - 80 degree water.


---
Ken
 
If you wear drygloves in the 70s/80s, I'll laugh at you and you'll look like a dork.
 
SparticleBrane:
If you wear drygloves in the 70s/80s, I'll laugh at you and you'll look like a dork.
But you will still be you. So I win.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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