Best drysuit gloves for women?

[Scuba Christine]

Thanks everyone for your great advice for getting me into the perfect drysuit, now the only part of me that is still cold is my hands.

I have the Si Tech cuffs and want, make that need, to add dry gloves before my next deep dive. At only 40 degrees I thought a finger was going to break off in my 7mm gloves, yes I'm a cold water wimp. Except for my hands and lips, the rest of me was happily warm in my wonderful Whites Fusion suit.

So, since we tend not to have the problems I've read about with getting big hands through the rings, what issues have you found with your dry gloves? What do you recommend?

Thank you!

 

[NE_SSI_Diver]

I would highly recommend the Si-Tech Quick Clamp dry glove system. It is a very simple design and has a lot of versatility. You can don or doff them whenever you want (may sound standard but is not possible with DUI zip seals). Also it is a very simplistic design in regards to putting them on and taking them off.

Donning: Put on the inner lining, and slip your hand through the wrist seal. This allows the glove to equalize with the pressure as you descend. Then put the outer, blue, dry glove on (Make sure the screw mechanism is closest to the fingertips). Then just push the glove into the cuff until it stops. The glove is now secured (Before each dive you might want to remove the o-ring and clean it, but is not necessary).

Doffing: Unwind the screw mechanism and the glove should, and most likely will, pop off easily.

The dry glove system comes with multiple ring sizes so getting a hand through them should no be a problem.

 

[TSandM]

Well, having the wrist rings limits your choices of dry gloves basically to two -- the Glove Lock system and the Quick Glove system. I tried both. The Glove Lock requires some piece or adapter I didn't have, but I didn't pursue it because the rings are HUGE. The Quick Glove system permits you to use a variety of gloves (I use the Atlas orange gloves in a size medium, which permits me to use a polarfleece glove as a liner) and changing gloves is not difficult. I don't like the system very well, though, because I had a very difficult time installing the gloves so they wouldn't pop off and they wouldn't leak. I understand that changing the size of the o-ring helps with that, and I have new o-rings that were sent to me by a generous SBer, but I haven't used the suit with the rings on it since I got them, so I can't say much about whether they fix the problem or not.

 

[a22shady]

My G/F and I both use the Sitech quick glove system and its awesome. Always you to keep your wrist seals if there is a leak you can save your suit from flooding. Very easy to get on and off. I personally leave my rings attached all year don't bother me however my G/F takes her's out once water warms up and uses wet gloves.

Here is a link to a video of them as well as sell...--- Si Tech Glove Lock Dry Glove System - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

 

[Scuba Christine]

Thanks all! Has anyone tried the $10 pullover glove option?

Pullover Rubber Gloves for Dry Glove System - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

That sounds too easy/cheep to actually work but of I could solve my problems for $10, that would be amazing!

If not, the glove lock sounds like the way to go. Many thanks for your wonderful advice.

 

[SeahorseDeb]

Thanks all! Has anyone tried the $10 pullover glove option?

Pullover Rubber Gloves for Dry Glove System - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

That sounds too easy/cheep to actually work but of I could solve my problems for $10, that would be amazing!

If not, the glove lock sounds like the way to go. Many thanks for your wonderful advice.

Christine, One of my girl diver buddies uses them and swears by them, but she needs a buddy to put them on.

I always dove a drysuit with wet gloves, so changing to dry gloves took me four years of freezing hands. I didn't want to lose dexterity, and I didn't want to spend the $. Well last year after a dive in 38 degree Fahrenheit I said "no more!" So I bought the SItech system and I still need my buddy to help me get them on. I'm petite and the rings are huge. I've lost some dexterity because the dang rings get in the way. I don't know what my answer is. I've been in touch with TSandM and we've batted the subject back and forth. I need to dive with more women to see what my other options are. I'm fed up.

 

[Scuba Christine]

Thanks everyone! I'm trying out the pullover gloves and like having toasty hands. So far so good, but I do need help putting them on. The fleece gloves from DRIS are so nice that I'm ordering another pair for the car.

I have stubby fingers and the smallest size of pullover glove worked fine for me.

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Whatever works for YOU is the perfect glove!
The pull-overs are so simple it's just enchanting.

I've dived only Diving Concepts dry glove ring system for 6 years and over 1400 dives.
I love it.
I'm fully independent to put the gloves on before diving and to remove then afterwards.
I gear up bare handed, including clipping on any deco bottles, and don my dry gloves last.

Thanks to Lauryn in Seattle, who introduced me to 99-cent plastic scraper tools from Home Depot that makes popping the gloves off after the dive even easier.

I schhmeeear a little silicone gel on the inside O-rings every 10 dives or so.

These systems are pricey to buy into, but only $5 to $15 dollars to replace the Atlas Gloves. They last 40 or 50 dives most of the time.
(I often grab rough surfaces underwater in heavy surge. I can patch the insides of the Atlas gloves several times before finally replacing them.)

Great to hear you're figuring out dry gloves.
I only dive wet gloves for the very occasional lobster hunting dive, and I have much better dexterity under water with dry gloves.

Enjoy the warmth and safety!

~~~~~
Claudette


"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
--Albert Einstein

 

[ADimitris]

" Is there anyone who could give me a good comparison of the Fourth Element Arctic vs the DUI actionwear pro two piece? I need to get one soon " (And would anyone be interest in buying my pretty, bright pink/ fuchsia and black size small OSS drysuit with BRAND NEW seals from the manufacturer?