Drysuit gloves question

[CavemanScuba]

I have a Bare XCD2 that I hated at first, but I am falling in love with this thing. I am thinking I want to add dry gloves since my hands get cold FAST. I don't know anything about them. I see ones where you don't change the latex seal and ones that do change the seal.....if I am seeing that correctly. Which are better? Do they only come in blue? I was thinking I'll go with Bare since I have a Bare suit, but what other option are there?

Thanks-

 

[Kayforscuba]

Hey Caveman
I have the same suit, Def get dry gloves, makes a world of difference. You can get white or Grey depending on the shop. Blue just seems to be an easier colour to see under water. If you have a latex seal still on the suit go ahead and grab a pair of ring cuff gloves get some one who knows how to install them though! I love them, they snap on and they work great. Just check seals regularly and take care of the actual rings, some times they bend out of shape and then the whole system is pooched!
Happy fun and safe diving!
K.

 

[TSandM]

I'm a big proponent of dry glove rings that leave the inner seal intact, because I have flooded a glove when my wrist seal wasn't smoothed out, and I was astonished at the amount of water I ended up with in the suit. For this reason, I really like the Viking bayonet ring system (which you can get from Bob3 here on SB). It mounts on the existing seals, and can be easily installed and removed without tools. Atlas gloves from the hardware store can be used on the glove side of the ring, and again, take about 3 minutes to install and require no tools -- thus a ripped glove can easily be changed out in the field. The system is positive lock, so as long as you keep the o-rings clean and greased, it will not leak. (It was designed for HazMat diving.)

I have heard that the ring are not large enough for some people with very big hands, which surprised me, because they are bigger than the rings on my friends' SiTech and DC dry glove setups.

 

[Brandon]

+1 for Viking Bayonet rings.

-B

 

[a22shady]

I also have a Bare drysuit I use the New Si-Tech glove ring System. Its very easy to use and install and you can use the suit with or without the Dry gloves without having to remove and re-install the system.

Here is a link to them as well as you can watch a video of them being put on and off the suit.

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

 

[Ouvea]

The Si-Tech Dry Glove System is ridiculously easy to don/doff. It takes a bit of time to properly install onto your suit but once accomplish, it works beautifully. My hands don't get mind numbing cold any more. I have smaller hands so I actually wish the rings had a smaller diameter but you shouldn't have any problems even if you're of herculean stature.

You do want to a good inner glove liner. The liner is what will keep your hands toasty. The ones that came with my Si-Tech gloves are okay and I do get cold but nothing on the order of what I felt with regular wetsuit gloves (and I wore 7mm gloves).

C.

 

[bs63366]

I just got my new dry suit in with the Si-Tech dry glove system and I have large hands and I got the XL glove with them and my hands have no problems fitting into the gloves or through the rings. I have not got to dive them yet but will update when I get some dives on them.

 

[RoyN]

Gonna get that new SI-tech dry glove system as well, whats nice is mount it on the suit and glove, and don't have to worry about twisting the glove to snap it on and etc. Downside of it, price is close to 180 dollars compare to the Viking's glove system to 95 if you get it from Bob3. Just a little patience and love, and the 95 dollar glove works just as well as the SI-tech glove system. Good thing I'm gonna get it from someone used and wasn't interested in it.

 

[BobbyT22]

I have a Bare XCD2 that I hated at first, but I am falling in love with this thing. I am thinking I want to add dry gloves since my hands get cold FAST. I don't know anything about them. I see ones where you don't change the latex seal and ones that do change the seal.....if I am seeing that correctly. Which are better? Do they only come in blue? I was thinking I'll go with Bare since I have a Bare suit, but what other option are there?

Thanks-

I also dive a Bare XCD2 Tech with the Si-Tech dry gloves. I dove the drysuit for 3 years in water down to the low 40's without the dry gloves (5mm wet gloves), but my hands were always cold. I added the dry gloves last year, and the difference is amazing. Truly, a great addition I cannot say enough good things about. Easy to install and also don/doff.

Make sure you use the venting tubes with the gloves as recommended. Without the tubes to equalize the gloves, the warm air from the suit will not enter the gloves and warm yor hands, defeating the whole purpose of drygloves in the first place. Also, without the tubes the squeeze at depths over 50 feet or so is significant.

I tried lower-cost solutions, but the the top of the line combo of XCD2 Tech and Si-tech drygloves is a winner, albeit an expensive one.

 

[tech3324]

Make sure you use the venting tubes with the gloves as recommended. Without the tubes to equalize the gloves, the warm air from the suit will not enter the gloves and warm yor hands, defeating the whole purpose of drygloves in the first place. Also, without the tubes the squeeze at depths over 50 feet or so is significant.

Does the vent tube just run under the wrist seal between glove and suit? Could there be any problem with flooding the suit if a glove leaks?