Gloves with wetsuit? Or if cold enough for gloves, it is cold enough for drysuit?

[Oz Chris]

Planning on doing some shallow lake dives in midwest next summer. Mostly above the thermocline but might dip below it a bit. I have done drysuit and wetsuit diving 20-30 ft before and felt fine enough, especially in late summer when the water warms up a bit.

What temps are you talking? (I'm from Sydney, Australia).

I only dive wet, and generally wear gloves (3mm) with a 5mm suit when diving at home. Temps range from 15C/59F - 22C/72F. Below 15C and I'm either calling the dive or not getting in (I'm lucky that the window of that is pretty narrow each year)

 

[Kevin Floyd]

FWIW I wear fingerless gloves with my dry suit.

 

[Esprise Me]

I wear 1mm gloves with my 7mm wetsuit and with my drysuit. Above around 70F I don't bother. I don't like gloves; I hate the loss of dexterity. But these thin gloves keep my hands from going numb, so I actually have more dexterity with than without them in cooler water.

But to the broader question, I like diving wet, and I only switch to my drysuit when I can't be comfortable in a wetsuit anymore. I add a hood, gloves, and Sharkskin jacket to make the wetsuit work first.

 

[Resqdivemedic]

I dive wetsuits most of the year. I have 3mm, 5mm, and 8/7 semidry which I use depending on temps. Been using the semidry recently with ocean temps in RI around 63-64 with 3mm gloves and been nice and toasty. I have dove in 35 degree water with the semidry and 5mm gloves and hands got cold after about 20 minutes. I have used 5mm "lobster claw" style mitts in cold water (less than 40 degrees) and again 20 minutes seems to be the average time before hands get cold. I purchased a drysuit last year and plan on getting dry gloves at some point.

 

[CanadaDan]

Manitoba diver here.... I wear dry gloves all the time, kids wear 5mm Bare Ultrawarmth wet gloves.

 

[jborg]

I might be an anomaly, but I find it quite comfortable with 2mm wet gloves down to 12-13 C with a drysuit. Perhaps being warm and dry keeps fingers warmer as well due to blood circulation? When it's colder I switch to dry gloves, sometimes using the 2mm neoprene gloves as glove liners...

 

[Dark Wolf]

I dont dive a wetsuit, it is drysuit all year. I do wear wet gloves most of the year with thumbs and first two fingers cut off the gloves. When arthritis dictates, I switch to dry gloves. But I have a love/hate relationship with dry gloves. I love being able to feel (and more importantly, move) my fingers, but I don't like the loss of dexterity.

DW

 

[JBFG]

If it's warm enough to wear a wetsuit (3mm for me) than I'll wear mechanic gloves with it.
If Its too cold for a 3mm (15C/60F or below) I'll wear my dry suit with either mechanic gloves or dry gloves when the temperature drops below 12C/52F.

 

[Zef]

When diving a wetsuit (water temp greater than or equal to 15c), then I wear 3mm gloves.

I find with thicker gloves that I have a hard time getting the 2nd glove on fully/properly and I hate both the feeling of the glove like that and the feeling of helplessness not being able to do much about it.

Below water temp of 15c and I am either transitioning to my semi-dry or dry suit. If diving the semi-dry then I continue with the 3mm gloves...If they are not warm enough then I just stick it out.

With my drysuit I have a few options for dryglove systems sitting on my workbench.

-Z

 

[Julius SCHMIDT]

In a wetsuit, for those unexpected moments I carry fitted gardening gloves in a bum bag hanging from the bc.
Sometimes for mild abrasion protection it's 1mm neoprene fingerless diving gloves, with the fingerless concept originating from cutting off the worn through fingertips of the 1mm non fingerless gloves