Custom Drysuit--Undercut sleeves for Dry Glove?

[b1gcountry]

Hey,
I have placed an order for a Custom Cut DUI TLS 350. I plan on adding on some Viking Bayonet style dry gloves. Most of the time I dive, I will be in water cold enough for dry gloves. My question is for anyone who has either the Viking or similar dry gloves (with rings)...

Would you have the sleeve length undercut (ie, made shorter) in order to allow for the extra length of the dry glove?

My main concern is that a "normal" fit on the sleeves has the suit material coming over the seal, so that the sleeve basically covers up the wrist seal. If you have a dry glove ring installed on your wrist seal, the suit cuff and the dry glove ring will both try to be in the same location. Should the sleeve length be made shorter, and if so, by how much?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[TSandM]

My experience is that you actually want the suit cuff to come forward and cover the juncture of the seal and the glove ring. It helps protect the seal where it is stretched over the ring. My Mobby's suit does that, and the wrist seals lasted a couple of hundred dives. The DC suit did not have a cuff that protected the seals, and they last about a third as long.

 

[b1gcountry]

So it sounds like the cuff fits over the dry glove rings no problem? I've never had them side by side...

Thanks for posting!
Tom

 

[np251]

Hi

Having been messing about with drygloves for a year now, i might be able to offer some insight. I started off with the OS system rings, and recently switched to the viking bayonets (actually based on some posts TSandM made in a response to Compudude- thanks for the advice). With the OS rings, and what ive seen of the si-tech and DS rings, they are cut smaller than the vikings and didnt really extend the length of the arm any appreciable amount.

However, the vikings are cut a bit bigger, and i think id be a little more comfortable having about an inch taken off the arm length to compensate. This is based on comfort during an SI or prior to the first dive- oncein the water, they really arent that noticeable, although they are more so than the smaller profile DC/OS versions. Little less rotational ability with the vikings, due to their size. Other than that, they are great and im extremely happy with them.

FWIW, my suit is an oceanic aerdura, made in the UK. Wrist seals that we get here are 11.5 inches circumference if i remember rightly (so i assume suit cuffs are 11.5 or slightly bigger), while my suit cuff circ. is 11. This makes the suit cuff impossible to tuck over the rings, even when i had the OS versions. Having the ability to do as TSandM suggests would exclude the need to trim the arm length and would probably eliminate the very slightly 'my arms are too short' feeling i get on SI.

For me, i would probably stick with the stock arm length and try it out. If you find the suit ring comes too far up your hand when you are all suited up and its as snug against the suit cuff as itll go, then maybe i would trim about an inch off the next time i changed out the seals. However, if i could fold the suit cuff over the rings a little (and you might be able to, given that the reason i cant is that i use a UK suit and TSandM suggests this as a workable option with success, this wouldnt even be an issue.

Hope that helps. Oh, and dry is the only way to go. I can use wet gloves in monterey for about 3 hours... but why be so uncivilised?

 

[do it easy]

I just got a CLX450 and I'm trying to put DC glove rings on it. I got the Zipseals and would recommend undercutting the sleeve. However, with regular, glued in seals, the seal would probably fold under the cuff, which *might* fit over the suit ring, depending on lots of factors, but keep in mind that the trilam suits don't stretch.

Edit: I did not order my suit with shortened sleeves.

I looked into other options for me, and the two on the table now are zipgloves with my zipseals or installing the suit rings directly to the suit with no inner seal. My old DC suit had the rings glued in and I thought it was grand! I'm more paranoid about my p-valve leaking than my gloves.

Have you called DUI to see what they recommend would work?

And yes, drygloves are the only civilized way to dive in freshwater!

 

[b1gcountry]

I've got the DUI number in front of me, but I haven't called it yet. Thanks for the detailed replies. Leaving the sleeves the normal length and then seeing how it works out might be the best idea. I will call up their Customer Service and see what they say...

Tom

 

[Camerone]

I had to have mine remade - CLX450, and I use the Diving Concepts rings. The local rep did _not_ want to undercut the arms, and wanted me to sign a waiver to make them shorter. I refused, and of course, the rings did not fit well (banging around my knuckles when wearing the suit... damn annoying.)

After some vocal criticism and a phone call to the VP, DUI remade the suit for me with the arms shortened, as I had originally requested (but the local factory rep ignored...I hate people who can't listen properly...) With the shortened arms, the rings go on great and end up around the wrist, where they're supposed to be, and where I had intended them to be in the first place. Everything works much, much better, and I don't feel like a Neandrathal with knuckles/dry glove rings dragging when I walk

You'll want somewhere between an inch and a half to two and a half inches off the arms. I opted for the 1.5", just to be conservative, and it's fine...a little more wouldn't have hurt, though.

I've had two suits - this DUI is a replacement after five years for my older Andy's DS2, which had "normal" length arms. I hated the rings on that suit, even though I loved the rings themselves. Even though stock medium fits me completely fine, both suits have been full custom jobs, just 'cause I can, and the shorter arms make everything easier. With shorter arms, wrist seals with wet gloves don't bunch up, so longer gauntlets work great, and are warmer, and if you use rings, the rings sit properly on my arms, not on the hand.

 

[b1gcountry]

BTW, I called up DUI, and the customer service rep said that:
*The cuff usually rests around the wrist bone with a fitted suit
*The sleeve length may be shortened as much as 2" after the suit is made
*DUI does not recommend anything other than the 'standard' cut for people wearing any kind of gloves

That said, I didn't get the impression that third party dry gloves were something she has ever had any experience with.

Tom

 

[dave4868]

If the Viking ring system is similar to SI TECH, which is shown in the commercial image below, won't the "docking ring" will stay in place over the wrist?

My SI TECH rings don't slide down because the docking ring is anchored by the wrist seal to my wrist.

And my DUI TLS350 sleeves are probably a little on the long side.

Dave C