Dry gloves - with or without drysuit seal?

[Boarderguy]

Kubi rings, no wrist seals at all. I did for the first 2-3 dives and got tired of the restriction. No issue for the last 100+ dives even with a punctured glove. I just kept that hand low and didn't have any ingress above the hole. I now use Showa 660s and they're tough enough for my grabby style of diving around here.

 

[MB NZ]

I dived for years without seals and never had a problem. A small tear does not lead to suit flooding. Your experience may vary.

 

[davecampbell]

Kubi rings on 2 Seaskin Novas, Sitech silicone seals intact, and Showa 720s with various liners. I keep the wrist seals in use as the vast majority of my diving is sub 100', and in the 38-42°F range. A punctured glove isn't necessarily a dive ending event with the wrist sealed, and my thermals stay dry for the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th dive of the day. It's easy to throw on a new glove and spare liners on the boat between dives... drying out a completely flooded set of undergarments ...not so easy. I do leave the thumb loops sticking out of the seal for equalization, but they can be popped back in easily, with minimal flooding. If the Great Lakes were warmer maybe I'd consider removing the seals...

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Tight wrist seal, with a short bungee with a knot at the end to break the seal works for me. If your dry glove or the sealing ring start leaking, you can grip the knot with your fingers, pull the bungee into the glove and avoid a major leak. I wouldn’t bin a dive due to a torn wrist seal but would replace it immediately after the dive.

It depends on your local conditions and dive lengths. Flooded drysuit in Mexico on a 3-4 hour dive? No problem. Flooded drysuit in colder water on a 2 hour weekend dive, sleeping in a hotel? An inconvenience and cold deco but you will be fine. Wet undersuit and drysuit on a multi-day cold water liveaboard or if you are camping? You will struggle with getting stuff dry, wrist seals are worth it to avoid wet arms.