To dry glove or to not to dry glove-- that is the question

[hoopa]

Hey all... Looking at picking up a bare sb dry suit pretty soon and am mulling over the idea of going with a dry glove or not... Im new to dry suits and wonder if a dry glove is the way to go vs just a wet dive glove.. Im diving in so cal mostly-- but go north a bit..

Another question is--- if i go with a dry suit system (thinking about the Si tech)-- and i have a problem with a glove--- could i take them off and use a wet glove over the ring?

Last question is-- how do those of you who use a dry glove like them vs a wet glove?

Looking forward to your input and thanks..

 

[w ripley]

If you are diving cold water and like to stay down for any extended time, then you need dry gloves. Let me qualify that: If you're the kind of person that doesn't get cold easily, then you probably will be fine with wet gloves. If not, then it's a no-brainer. Just be sure to get larger than you think you will need gloves, so that you can put the insulated glove liners in them. There are lots of treads on which work and which don't.

Taking the SiTech off will depend on how you mount them. If you mount them to wrist seals using the docking rings then there should be no issue with taking them off.

I also use a heated vest for any cave dive with a deco over 1 hour or with any ocean/lake dive that has cold water top-to-bottom (no warm water for deco). I can't tell you the last time I used wet gloves, although I probably bought 15 different pairs over the years trying (in vain) to keep my hands warm.

As soon as Golem Gear comes out with heated glove liners to work with my vest I'm getting them.

Just all depends on you and what kind of diving you're doing.

 

[eponym]

I love my dry gloves.

I spent years diving dry but with wet hands.

I came back to the surface unable to unclip anything because my hands were so cold they would not work.

When I went to drygloves everything changed. It was the best move I'd made since deciding to dive dry.

They give me so much more time underwater that I feel stupid not to have gone dry hands to begin with.

-Bryan

PS. I use the SiTech ring system and you can drop the ring and go back to gloves any time you want to. I do not leave the nings installed on my wrist seals between dives as I believe it will stress the seals. Others may disagree.

 

[Captain12Pk]

I'll second everything eponym said above.

 

[TSandM]

I had to go to dry gloves the first winter I dove. I got out of the water one day with tears running down my face, because my hands hurt so much. I went to dry gloves and have never looked back. Even a leaking dry glove is better than a wet glove, in my book.

It can be difficult to wear wet gloves with dry glove rings in place on the suit. I use a ring system that is very easily removed, should I ever want to do that (and when I travel to Mexico, and don't wear gloves at all). My system, the Viking Bayonet ring system, also permits swapping out a leaking glove in the parking lot, with no tools, so the worst I'm going to do is one damp dive.

It is my personal opinion that it is important, if you use dry gloves, to retain the seals on the suit. Otherwise, a leaking or torn glove is going to flood your dry suit, and that is a very bad thing. Having been sloppy one day about making sure my wrist seals were flat, and having a glove choose that day to leak, I know what I'm talking about.

 

[Peter_C]

Even a leaking dry glove is better than a wet glove, in my book.

I agree with that!

For me anything colder than about 60 degrees is worthy of dry gloves. Having arthritis and keeping my hands warm makes a big difference in my enjoyment.

I have had gloves flood for a few reasons, and like being able to remove my equalizing "tube" or in my case my thumb loop from undergarment to seal off my drysuit.

 

[Kevrumbo]

I use the non-ring DUI Dry 5 drygloves for diving here in SoCal homewaters (10 to 18deg C):
DUI - Diving Unlimited International - ZipGloves and Drysuit Gloves
DIR-diver.com - Dryglove rigging

A little less expensive and not as bulky around the wrists as ring-systems, but can be a little tricky to don & doff by yourself at first without the help of a dive buddy. . .

 

[w ripley]

Here's one way to use the SiTech gloves with the DUI zip seals.

 

[Peter McGuinness]

How is that installed? Is the glove ring installed directly on the DUI zip ring? (certainly looks like it)

 

[Belce]

I use Diving Concepts dry glove system, easy on and off and has a click when it goes on correctly.