Ultima Dry Glove System question

[Deep South Divers]

Thanks for the video seajay, just what I needed to see as I plan to get the oval sitech cuffs on my next suit. It was very well done.

My pleasure! Glad to see it's been helpful. I think seeing it done makes it a lot less intimidating than if we just talk about it.

It actually gave me some inspiration as well. I've had this off and on leak in my right glove/arm. Because of your confidence in the system, I decided to do an overhaul.

Sweet!

I started with a new wrist seal, I had used heat tape last time, so it was a relatively easy process to replace. Then soaped the suit/arm/new seal with no leaks. Then put on a new suit ring I had in the box from the set I used for my backup gloves. Then added a new oring to the wrist ring. I had the foresight to order some previously due to the experience from my DC rings.

Soaped it all again with the 720's in place, no leaks. I was planning to do some small repairs with aquaseal on some trim, and unfortunately tore my neck seal during this whole process. It was worn and needed to be replaced anyway.

So once I get the neck seal replaced, with heat tape again. I'll be looking forward to get back in the water to check my repairs. Fall is a great time to dive here. The air is cooler, the tree colors are amazing, and the water temp is still relatively warm. Mid 40's.

BTW, I'm diving a fusion tech, for a few years now, it's been a workhorse and no complaints from me, so my plan to get another fusion, and move this one to my backup.

Thanks for all your input and effort into this thread. I'll post up after I get back in the water.

Man! I couldn't be happier.

Sorry to hear about your neck seal. My glued-on latex ones are great, but they only last a season or so before they split. I think the latex just gets aged and weak. Silicone doesn't do that.

...But the silicone neck seals can not be glued on - they require the SiTech Quick Neck, which also gives you the advantage of being able to choose silicone or latex and replace them yourself.

The bad thing about the Quick Neck system is that donning and doffing is a little tighter for my big noggin... And that the ring is sometimes noticeable on my collar bones during a hard squeeze. I find it slightly obtrusive, but in the long run the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, so that's what I have equipped my suits with.

The silicone neck seal is pretty sweet... Very comfortable and seals great.

One thing that I noticed about the Quick Neck... The factory warm neck collar that came with my suit's glued-in latex neck seal doesn't fit it... Therefore, moving from a glued-in latex neck seal to a SiTech Quick Neck either means that they remove the warm neck collar completely or replace it with an adjustable Velcro warm neck collar that absolutely sucks.

As such, I had DRIS make me a whole new, nonadjustable warm neck collar that fts the ring and my neck super well... And is a modification that I highly recommend when replacing a glued-in latex neck seal: Get both the SiTech Quick Neck - with silicone seal - AND a new warm neck collar.

Here's a video about it. The guy that did the custom build is Chris Conterez at Dive Right In Scuba:

 

[Deep South Divers]

I had the Antares dryglove ring system on my Waterproof suit. I didn't realize there were multiple size cuff rings.

I know, right? SiTech can be a real PITA about things sometimes.

I haven't been able to verify this myself, but Waterproof and DRIS both say that the Waterproof Ultima Dryglove Ring System requires the soft suit-side ring in the QCS Ovals and does not fit the soft suit-side ring that comes with the SiTech QCP Rounds.

Apparently the glued-in, soft suit-side rings are different in the two systems... Which explains why it's so difficult to swap between ring and glove systems.

You'd think that if you didn't like one system, changing would be as easy as just buying the hard rings and popping the old ones out and the new ones in... Or that the Waterproof Ultima Dryglove Ring System would replace and fit either system.

No such luck, I'm told. The Waterproof Ultima requires the soft rings from the QCS Ovals.

I'd love to see this for myself... Or at least get a picture or video of the difference in the soft rings.

 

[Deep South Divers]

Just in case anyone was wondering what I was asking EAN86 when I mentioned the exhaust valve modification, I started a thread about it. It's not dryglove-related, but it IS drysuit mod related... Pretty neat stuff.

The thread includes a video and all: Drysuit Exhaust Valve Modification

 

[Ean86]

Just in case anyone was wondering what I was asking EAN86 when I mentioned the exhaust valve modification, I started a thread about it. It's not dryglove-related, but it IS drysuit mod related... Pretty neat stuff.

The thread includes a video and all: Drysuit Exhaust Valve Modification

Yes I still have it installed. I wish it vented a little faster but I've had no issues with it. I like that it's low profile, always open and nothing to adjust on it. It's really easy to swap back to the Apeks valve if I need to.

 

[Deep South Divers]

Cool!

I agree... It probably doesn't vent as fast as a standard exhaust valve, but it's close. The triple check valves are all the same size as the check valve in a standard - there's just three of them instead of one.

The restriction is probably in the Trigon pee valve side-holes rather than the "slots" in a standard exhaust valve.

Still, a Trigon - clear - beats a standard - clogged - any day.

Bottom line? I agree - but only if you're comparing clean vs. clean, which isn't real-world.

In the real world, a clean modded Trigon beats a leaky, clogged standard any day.

...And the Trigon mod doesn't cause an issue donning and doffing your BC/backplate.

 

[Zef]

Loving the Ultima DGS rings with SHOWA 720 gloves more and more every time I dive with them....they simply just work.

On yesterday's dive, after the dive it felt like the gloves were a little to long...back at home I slipped off the protective silicone ring and tried pulling on the glove cuff to pull more material through. It worked with the first glove but initially not with the second. Out of the corner of my eye I say the spray bottle with soapy water in it from the last time I messed around mounting and adjusting the gloves....a few sprays on the outside where the glove mounts and voila, was able to gently pull glove material through to get them size better for me. Just a couple drops of dawn dish soap in water is all it takes.

Did some search, rescue, recovery exercises as part of divemaster certification and had no problems with detexterity tying knots to connect lift bag to objects even with liners under the gloves....still diving with wrist seals but without wrist tubes or anything under the cuff to allow the gloves to equalize, I like how the gloves conform to my hand at depth...though I still have not been deeper than 27meters or so with them yet....but the pressure differential is much less than the changes at shallower depth so I don't predict it will be an issue.

-Z

 

[Deep South Divers]

GREAT testimonial.

Same experience here... The flexibility in the gloves is fantastic... Despite the fact that they're tough as nails. I mean - latex gloves are flexible too, but they puncture easily and aren't real reliable. The 720s are tougher than 660s and almost as flexible as latex gloves.

Great advice on the soapy water. I haven't had the need to try that yet, but it sounds like a great idea when I do.

Most of the drysuit divers I know who use seals and drygloves together (which is everyone - prior to Max's idea of trimming back the seals fully, I'd never heard of anyone doing that before... Nor would I have trusted gloves enough prior to the 720s) ditch the tubes and just make sure to jam their undergarment under their wrist seal for equalization. Some people I know even use "wrist warmers" for this purpose or just cock the little thumb loop under the seal to equalize the gloves.

Sealless, obviously, the gloves self-equalize great.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

The temps are finally beginning to drop back to near normal here. I made a dive this morning and still haven't had a drop of water with the 720s and they stretch enough that they don't pop off my short drysuit sleeves. For twelve years I tried so many configurations that worked (sometimes) or not at all. The 720s are the solution I was looking for.

 

[Deep South Divers]

I've been diving professionally since 2001... Every year for the past 17 years I've dreaded this time of year... The few months when the 3mils get put away for 5mils... With 7mils - and a lot of misery changing in and out of them at the dive site - looming on the horizon.

Maybe five or six years ago that SORTA changed as I bought my first drysuit. I had high expectations, and was badly disappointed pretty quickly. I'm fairly sure that I finished those first few winter seasons off in a 7mil... I mean, at least that way I was PLANNING on getting wet. That was better than NOT planning on it and getting wet anyway.

...So I bought another drysuit, then another... And since we had a TV show airing, I was able to find sponsorships with a lot of companies - including three big drysuit manufacturers. Suddenly, I had four, then ten, and finally something like 30 different suits that I even sometimes got to keep.

I fell in love with one in particular called an SB by BARE... Unfortunately, it didn't last but maybe a dozen dives (not even a week) before it literally started coming apart at the seams. BARE replaced it - no questions asked - but the replacement didn't last much longer.

I asked for a refund on that suit... I'd gotten it at dealer cost, but I still spent money. BARE stammered a good bit and asked me to try an XCS2 instead before giving up altogether.

I was unimpressed with this stuff called "hypercompressed neoprene," but damn if it didn't dive just like the SB. Better, actually. It took less weight, and not only didn't come apart at the seams, but was probably the toughest suit I'd ever dived. It's been a true love affair ever since.

I ranted and raved about the XCS2 so much that BARE sent me a newly-engineered suit to test for them... Same fabric, different design. I made changes and customized it and communicated with BARE and SiTech, and this year they're going to debut that suit... And I can tell you that it's seriously badass.

The problem with diving the hypercompressed neoprene suits is that they are REALLY dry and work REALLY well...Which suddenly makes comparatively small leaks at the exhaust valves and wrist seals that much more apparent. I honestly hadn't noticed the problems back then because I'd been too busy fixing bigger issues.

I'd almost given up on using a drysuit for work... Maybe at all.

As of last year, my modifications were complete: Sealless drygloves (silicone seals only worked slightly better than latex), really tough and dexterous SHOWA 720s, and a triple-redundant exhaust valve that's streamlined and stays where I set it.

When I woke up this morning it was 54° in South Georgia... And for the first time in 17 years I couldn't wait for the cold... I sipped my hot coffee and thought about how much I'm looking forward to this winter's diving.

I haven't dived my drysuits since last April. The 3mm wetsuits have been lightweight and fun, but I can't wait to be truly dry and comfortable this year.

I sure hope my competition doesn't read this thread. I'm gonna clean up this year.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

That's what I love about my diving. My home reefs go from 48° to 68°, although this year was not the norm. It's usually in the low 60s during the summer. My vacation dives are 45° to 49°. I get to dive dry all year. I haven't owned a wetsuit in twelve years.