Dry gloves in DIR/GUE world....

[mikeguerrero]

Hi all,

I wanted to see if I may get an opinion regarding the selection of Drygloves being used in the DIR/GUE community.

I currently use the DUI compressed neoprene gloves that are attached via my Zip zeals on my suit.

I use the liners that come with them plus a very small wicking glove made by Underarmour.

I dive in Monterey where the water goes from 48-54 degrees. My hands do not get cold at all and I enjoy my dives.

In the beginning, my dexterity was lowered and with time, the more I used the gloves the easier it became to attach attach/detach my bolt snaps, camera and light.

The gloves are also very durable, getting in/out of boats plus rough beach entrances etc. However, in between dives forget it, you are stuck with them on, and must peal off half the suit to use hands.

I don't mind those gloves in a deep/cold dive, but want to find an alternative set of drygloves that can be removed easily.

I have my eyes on the Si tech gloves with rings as I posted on the DUI thread and found out that they can easily attach to my Zip Zeals without a problem, in just about 3 minutes time.

Does anyone recommend them? Are the Diving Concepts prefered? How do they do with warmth?

All comments are greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

MG

 

[Rainer]

I almost never dive wet gloves. I've had the Si-Tech rings on my two suits for three years now. I used to do most of my diving MA (waters down to the mid-30s) and with the right undergloves, I was fine for up to an hour in the coldest waters. Out here in CA, my hands don't tend to get cold. Oh, I use the 660 Atlas gloves.

The Si-Techs definitely have a learning curve. I used to flood them every other dive, but eventually found a "system" that keeps me dry pretty much every time. The DC rings are both smaller and less likely to leak, so you might want to go with those (though they tend to be more money).

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I use Diving Concepts rings on two of my suits, and Viking bayonet style rings on the other. There is no "DIR" answer to the question. Use gloves that keep your hands warm and don't compromise your ability to manipulate your equipment properly.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[lamont]

si-tech gloves.

i went from DC gloves (which i didn't like for some reason i can't remember anymore) to si-tech gloves, to wetgloves for 2 years (i have no idea why i did that experiment for so long), and now back to si-tech gloves.

 

[JeffG]

as long as they are black

 

[TSandM]

I believe the only recommendation with respect to dry gloves is that the inner seals should remain intact (which, in my experience, is important, because gloves DO get holes in them).

I remember reading something that either the WKPP or the EKPP had gone away from drygloves altogether, because a holed dry glove was worse than wet gloves. But it didn't sway me.

I use the Viking bayonet rings. I really like them because they are easy to get on and off the suit, or to change the gloves without tools. It's a positive lock system that was designed for hazmat diving, and the glove CANNOT pop off. I don't know if they work with zipseals.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

as long as they are black

Who are you kiddin' ...

I use the Viking bayonet rings. I really like them because they are easy to get on and off the suit, or to change the gloves without tools. It's a positive lock system that was designed for hazmat diving, and the glove CANNOT pop off.

Lots of advantages to the Viking bayonet rings, including ease of changing a glove, cost, and less (than the DC rings) risk of an inadvertent flooded glove.

The big disavantage is for those with larger hands. I can barely fit my hands through the rings ... and lots of people have bigger hands than me.

I don't know if they work with zipseals.

Not well. Because of the locking cuff on the zipseal, the latex part of the seal tends to ride lower on your wrist, which will tend to push the rings down lower on your hands. When my CLX450 had zip seals on it I tried installing Viking rings ... and they rode down almost to my knuckles. You can make do with it, but it's uncomfortable. For some reason, the DC rings worked a little better. Getting rid of the zip seals worked best of all.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Anti-Hero]

I have the DC ring gloves (in black which makes signals super easy to read) - they work well for keeping my hands dry and warm, but I've found the large, rigid ring to be uncomfortable and cumbersome. They do however allow me to retain my wrist seals.

 

[lamont]

Not well. Because of the locking cuff on the zipseal, the latex part of the seal tends to ride lower on your wrist, which will tend to push the rings down lower on your hands. When my CLX450 had zip seals on it I tried installing Viking rings ... and they rode down almost to my knuckles. You can make do with it, but it's uncomfortable. For some reason, the DC rings worked a little better. Getting rid of the zip seals worked best of all.

My DC suit has si-tech rings on it that KME put on which allow for replacing the seals without doing any gluing. They're held on by friction, but by an awful lot of it, and they're damn difficult to replace, so i'm not worried about the seal flying off during a dive.

 

[mikeguerrero]

It appears the SI tech rings have two different ring systems.

Which of the two is the newer design? If there is two versions, which is better than the other, did they improve on the leaking gloves?

I wonder about the SI tech gloves leaking at the ring, I have nothing positive about the DUI compressed neoprene gloves, never a leak and I have dove them quite a bit.

However, I don't like the fact that they don't come off in between dives.