Ok weird one. Smurf gloves

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Wouldn't work. Oh well, I guess it's back to wet gloves...
 
Perrone,

You could always make your own drygloves. They aren't that complicated and there is a really good DIY thread on doing it in the DIY forum. :)

Edit: Or there used to be. Looks like the DIY forum has been cleaned up quiet a bit. PacketSniffer on here is the person who wrote the original posting on how to make the gloves. You might contact him.
 
Ok, I'll give that a shot.
 
Hi. Have to agree with bisonduquebec.

Where I dive, water temperature is below 50-60F most of the year. Almost all DIR-divers I know around here use Nordic Blue "smurf" gloves.

nordic-blue.jpg
(size chart)

These do not use any rings at all, instead they seal simply by laying the latex seals of the gloves snugly over the latex seals of the drysuits. We find this superior to ring system because they are easy to don and doff (with som practice), simple, dry and streamlined. They can be used on any drysuit with latex seal cuffs.

In order to equalize the pressure between the gloves and the suit, we wear wool gloves underneat both seals (put them on before the drysuits).

The point is, the seals are cones which can be cut to fit any wrist. No rings to worry about!

Best,

Pal
 
The only people I've talked to who have used the Nordic Blue gloves admit that they are a PITA to get on and off. This was something I was quite interested in when I starting looking into dry gloves, as it seemed to avoid the annoyance of the plastic rings that catch on everything, but the feedback discouraged me.
 
Actually, it was the difficulties getting the SI Tech ring gloves on and off that made me look for alternatives :wink:

When I switched to Nordic Blue I did struggle to get them on without the help of my teammates. However, after having used them for some 30 dives I get them on within 30 seconds each (and yes, they stay dry :)). I guess it is a matter of habit.

There are two points that people seem to miss:
- The latex seals must be trimmed to best possible fit. And best fit doesn't mean too tight. The gloves only need to cover the suit seals by half an inch (1 cm)
- There must be some kind of exchange of gas between the gloves and the suit. Having the latex directly to the skin will give you cold hands.

Peter Steinhof has an excellent article about dryglove rigging.

Pal
 
pred:
Actually, it was the difficulties getting the SI Tech ring gloves on and off that made me look for alternatives :wink:

I had problems with my SITech rings for the first few dives, but I've got them figured out now. A little bit of cristo-lube on the o-ring does wonders for donning and doffing. The only thing you need to do is make sure the cuff is free of debree before placing on the glove so that you get a good seal.
 
Ringless:
The 2 best ways to don the Nordic are to either fold the cuff back over the glove, insert hand, wrestle cuff back over sleeve cuff, or just lube the outside the cuff & stuff it inside the glove, jam hand into glove. You can either try the glove's cuff stuffed inside or try to wrestle it back out.
Then there are the Endurotech 3-finger mitts with internal neoprene cuff, they run pretty big.
Viking Rings:
"Viking Classic": 3-7/8"
"Bayonet" 3-3/4"

Si Tech has been threatening to make both "Extra Small" & "Godzilla" ring versions for the past few years. I'll have to check & see how they're coming along.
 
amascuba:
I had problems with my SITech rings for the first few dives, but I've got them figured out now. A little bit of cristo-lube on the o-ring does wonders for donning and doffing. The only thing you need to do is make sure the cuff is free of debree before placing on the glove so that you get a good seal.

Yup, I had probably gotten them right if I had had the patience. However, with the ringless I have no issues with the ring snagging in the harness when gearing up, which also annoyed me. When the Nordics cost less than half as much as the SI Techs, the choice was easy.

When I put the gloves on, I simply put my hand half-way in, use the other thumb to pull the glove seal over the suit seal (1-2cm), check that there are no folds, and put the hand all the way into the glove. No need for folding or lubing, really. It's just a matter of practice/habit (which also can be said about ring systems, I know :D ).

Also worth mentioning (slightly OT) is that some of the bolt snaps should be replaced with larger ones since drygloves are more bulky. Personally I put the dry gloves on before rigging the equipment, in order to get used to dealing with them. Clipping of the long hose is pretty hard in the beginning!

Pal
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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