Considering Zip Seals for my TLS350

[tstormdiver]

I am looking at retrofitting my TLS350 drysuit with zip seals. I am looking at this because sometimes I need drygloves & sometimes I do not. My thinking is that this will allow me to switch back & forth between drygloves & regular seals with ease. I currently have a temporary SI Tech Ring dryglove system that I have yet to get to work. It has leaked every time. I've tried it several times with no success. What are people's thoughts on them? How big an additional failure point is the zip seals vs regular? That has been my only hang up,.... the reliability. Also,... anyone know basically how long the retrofit process takes? Thanks!

 

[spectrum]

Tammy,

Are you thinking of having 2 pairs of zip seals, one with your glove rings and one without OR using zip gloves or zip seals & wet gloves depending on the dive?

The zip gloves will need to remain in place for the duration, they are not a last minute item to don so once suited you are gloved.

The zip feature is a pretty rugged item but I have to believe that frequent change-overs will take a toll. I doubt that the repair interval could be worse than a conventional seal cycle but the cost will be much higher. They probably have a cycle count they can quote but real world conditions would be my concern.

The rings have a firm diameter to it that makes for some bulk at the wrist, one standard size. The engagement is a pretty positive and apparent thing so I think you could predictably know they are on right. I have not heard of any breaking away in use but my experience is limited.

My understanding that this must be done at DUI. DUI will not release a set of mounting rings for field installation for fear that that they get fitted to a competitors suit. That makes sense as it's a competitive advantage that they own. That may be a clue on turnaround time.

Pete

 

[Peter_C]

I would stick with what you got and make sure they are installed correctly. Removing them and installing will take about the same amount of time as ZIP gloves and the ZIP feature is not really worth it. Plus who wants their gloves permanently attached to the drysuit.

 

[tstormdiver]

Pete & Peter, right now I have regular glue- on seals. My plan is to send my suit back to DUI for the retrofit. As it stands right now, I need the dry gloves when I winter & deep dive in a quarry & need to be bare handed for cave diving & in warmer temps. Right now with the normal glue- on seals, I primarily dive with wet gloves, after about 20 min. my hands get so cold that they are pretty much useless due to numbness & cramping. I do have a SI Tech ring system, that is removable, but have pretty much given up on it, as it has leaked every time I have used it. My thoughts with the Zip seals is it will give me the flexibility to change back & forth between the Zip drygloves & the regular Zip Seals. I generally would not be switching these out several times a day like that, but more with the seasons or such.

 

[sardiverdan]

I use zip seals at the wrist. The issues I have had with them is the fact that the ring is rigid so sliding computer and bottom timer over seal is a PITA. They hold up very well and the idea is that if you tear a seal you can simply replace it without sending it in to have the work done. What you plan on doing with the gloves will work fine. The issue that I had with the zip gloves is that they extended the length of my sleeve to the point I had too much length and the gloves would flop around on the end so I just stayed with wetsuit gloves. For me DUI is right down the street so turnaround is a day or two.

 

[Peter_C]

I have Viking and SI Tech gloves that have never leaked. My drysuit has though. Before I had another brand of dry gloves that did leak and even wet they are warmer than regular wet gloves. There is either something wrong with your ring system or they are installed wrong. Find a solution and I think you would be happy with them as they are.

Glue on seals are really easy to change. The ZIP seals are also servicable with new latex seals, but you have to own two pairs to make it worth while. You could install the SI Tech permanent ring system and have replaceable wrist seals and glove locks, BUT you would always have the wrist rings installed even in a cave with no gloves. That system would allow the future use of silicon seals when they become available.

ZIP's are nice and a good way to have field replaceable seals, but you have to purchase to pairs or they are useless. I bought a used pair and glued new latex seals onto them. Same with the neck seal.

 

[oldpeanut]

Pete & Peter, right now I have regular glue- on seals. My plan is to send my suit back to DUI for the retrofit. As it stands right now, I need the dry gloves when I winter & deep dive in a quarry & need to be bare handed for cave diving & in warmer temps. Right now with the normal glue- on seals, I primarily dive with wet gloves, after about 20 min. my hands get so cold that they are pretty much useless due to numbness & cramping. I do have a SI Tech ring system, that is removable, but have pretty much given up on it, as it has leaked every time I have used it. My thoughts with the Zip seals is it will give me the flexibility to change back & forth between the Zip drygloves & the regular Zip Seals. I generally would not be switching these out several times a day like that, but more with the seasons or such.

Hi Tammy,

I think another option is to have your DUI TLS350 drysuit installed with the Si Tech Peamanent Ring System. This allows you to use the silicone wrist seal which is superior to the latex seal and in addition, you don't have to be stuck with the expensive zip seal or zip dry gloves system only DUI can provide.

With Si Tech Permanent Installed Ring actually you have a lot options of your gloves selection. Please refer to the links below:

Si Tech Permanent Wrist Rings for Dry Gloves - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

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

Si Tech Silicon Wrist Seals - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

4th Element 5mm Semi Dry Gloves - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

Si Tech Quick Dry Glove System - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

Personally I have tried all of them, pull over dry gloves, 4th Element 3mm Semi Dry Gloves and Si Tech Dry Gloves System in water temperature around 48 degree F. Based on ease of use, comfort, warmth and dexterity my preference is 1. 4th Element 3mm gloves; 2. pull over dry gloves; 3. Si Tech Dry Gloves.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Terry

 

[PfcAJ]

I had zipseals on one of my suits for a little over a year. Changing the seals takes a little practice to get good at, but its not hard at all once you get the hang of it. Be sure to check the seal every time you put the suit on, its easy to have a little part of it separate (easily fixed by snapping it back into place).

I ultimately had them removed because I found them to be bulky and I prefer the bottle neck type seals (which isn't an option from DUI) on my suits. I think that for your purposes though, its a good idea.

 

[ptyx]

A lot of dry glove ring systems will retain the wrist latex seal as an extra safety in case you get a leak in your gloves. With those systems, if you want to dive wet gloves you can leave the suit side ring in place and just use wet gloves.

Zip seals are really nice if you plan on diving wet. The problem is that they limit your option for dry gloves systems. You can either use DUI zip gloves, which are nice but have a high replacement cost and aren't designed to be removed between dives - or try to install another ring system on the zip seals. It's what I've been doing with my DC rings. It works well (and looks good), but I end up with a wrist system which is a bit too complex too convoluted for my taste - complexity attracts trouble. I've seen it done with SiTech rings as well.

If I had to do it again, I'd probably skip the zip seals and have a SiTech system glued directly on the suit.
It seems to fit all my criteria:

• retains wrist latex seal (safety/allows for wet gloves)
• allows to easily replace the latex seal when its dead
• allows to easily keep the suit on and remove just the gloves between dives
• replacement gloves are cheap

Remember to plan for extra inches the ring system will bring when measuring your dry suit.

 

[kathydee]

I’ve never had any issues with my DUI zip seals in 200+ dives and love the fact that in 5 minutes I can fix a ripped or stretched seal – no mater where I am. Usually bring backups.

The seals are pretty easy to swap out if you just spray a little soapy water on the joint before pressing it together. Start on one side - not so different than a zip lock bag or Tupperware. Installation gets easier with practice.

I have wrist seals with dry glove rings (Diving Concepts) = zero issue

And plain wrist seals for warmer climates where I wear no gloves or lighter gloves.