Ultima Dry Glove System question

[crcobb]

Well I didn’t die, 80’ for 90 minutes, the water was 48f, told you it was warm, but I just did the left glove, certainly was easier to get my ds on, and even easier getting it off, the left was maybe a tad warmer.

I think I’ll do the right when I have a hot minute, using seajays method.

So I'm wondering what you were diving on for 90 minutes. You diving wrecks or something else interesting? Most my time in the Great Lakes is wreck diving.

 

[a878bob]

No wrecks last time out, but that is my main diving as well.

I spend some time in the quarries, usually half the time diving/exploring, the other half practicing. I just started carrying 3 bailouts for my breather. So I'm spending some time getting that worked out. It’s not as easy as I thought it would be. And certainly not as elegant as I would like.

 

[Zef]

Before I began using 720's I used 495s most of the time. I always ordered them from here.

And they carry the 720 too...$4.00/pair + shipping
ChemResist Gloves - A720


If you buy between 2 and 11 pair the price drops to $3.59...and the cost of shipping does not change.

Too bad they don't ship to APO addresses.

And if you are worried about them popping off they have these bad boys, though a bit more expensive but they can be custom trimmed:
North NK803ES Nitri-Knit Supported Dipped Nitrile Gloves (6-Pack) - NK803ES

-Z

 

[stalefish]

Had a hole in one of my 720s last week I couldn't even see the hole at first, finally found it (in my thumb webbing area) by filling the glove with water later.

Huh interesting. I had two 720's leak in this exact spot within a week of each other, for no apparent reason. I don't really touch anything while diving, shore diving so no handling of boat ladders etc...

 

[Degenerate]

Maybe this has been discussed already, but it's a looong thread
Has anyone tried mounting a pair of gloves directly on the suit end of the system, where you would normally mount the wrist seals?
Not that I'm afraid my rings are gonna come off during a dive, but doing the above would eliminate a possible (although very very unlikely) failure point.

 

[Storker]

Maybe this has been discussed already, but it's a looong thread
Has anyone tried mounting a pair of gloves directly on the suit end of the system, where you would normally mount the wrist seals?
Not that I'm afraid my rings are gonna come off during a dive, but doing the above would eliminate a possible (although very very unlikely) failure point.

That sounds seriously impractical to me.

When I kit up, I prefer to do so with bare hands. I've tried wearing my glove liners under my seals, but that means I have to don the liners before I don my suit. Fixing and adjusting things while wearing - even thin wool - liners is a major PITA. I want bare hands for that job, and I don't even want to think about how it'd be if I were wearing both liners and gloves.

 

[Degenerate]

That sounds seriously impractical to me.

When I kit up, I prefer to do so with bare hands. I've tried wearing my glove liners under my seals, but that means I have to don the liners before I don my suit. Fixing and adjusting things while wearing - even thin wool - liners is a major PITA. I want bare hands for that job, and I don't even want to think about how it'd be if I were wearing both liners and gloves.

I would have zero issues getting all my gear on with a pair of gloves, by the time I don my drysuit it's all assembled and all that is left is to get my harness on.
If I can't handle some straps and a buckle while wearing gloves on land, how can I trust myself to do things like clipping boltsnaps or shooting an smb during a dive?
Nothing to adjust on my gear, it's all set up the same way every dive.
I won't use a liner until water temps here drop below 10 degrees, but even with a liner I have no issues with dexterity.
The only "problem" I could see is that it will be harder to dry out moisture that ends up in the gloves/arms.

 

[Storker]

If I can't handle some straps and a buckle while wearing gloves on land, how can I trust myself to do things like clipping boltsnaps or shooting an smb during a dive?

I see a major difference between wearing liners and gloves topside, and wearing the same underwater where I can get just enough squeeze to stick my gloves to my fingers.

Have you ever tried to tuck a neck seal while wearing liners or gloves? I have. I prefer not to. Some things, like tucking a neck seal properly, requires quite a bit more sensitivity than just opening or closing a boltsnap. Clipping a boltsnap is not a problem even when wearing drygloves underwater. And shooting a dSMB is just as difficult in drygloves as it is in wetgloves.

I prefer doing things the easy way. YMMV.

 

[taimen]

Has anyone tried mounting a pair of gloves directly on the suit end of the system, where you would normally mount the wrist seals?

Yes. That is my preferred way. I currently have Santi ring system and haven't been successful with 720s because the material doesn't stretch enough. But with latex gloves, both Santi gloves and thinner ones like G17Ks it works very well. I have many buddies who attach gloves directly to Sitech ovals. Most of them use Viking 5-finger latex gloves, Santi gloves or rarely thinner G17Ks. But there should not be any reason why you couldn't do that with 720s, too.

It is an endless debate which way has least failure points. But my reasoning is that I dive seal-less for warmth and ring-less for simplicity and less failure points. Drygloves directly glued to your suit are the most unobtrusive and reliable (seal-less) way to use drygloves. Installing gloves semipermanently in place of seals comes second. This has the great advantage that you can replace gloves easily if they puncture.

That sounds seriously impractical to me.

It is doable, and the reward is such that I choose leaving my glove ring system in the storage box. Even with cut back seals I have to don undeegloves before drysuit (to avoid cold bridges). This means I would have to don all my gear wearing the undergloves anyway. For the first dive it is ok. For the second dive of the day it would mean handling wet equipment with undergloves/liners and getting them damp or wet before dive. And that would mean freezing. Thus, despite all impracticalities, using permanently attached drygloves is the most comfortable, definitely warmest and most convenient solution for me. You get used to adjusting equipment, tucking neck seals and everything else with Santi gloves and Hestra Heliski undergloves with liners. Heck some guys do it with Viking 3 finger mitts, and they look clumsy to me. A nuisance, yes, but better than anything else.

 

[Storker]

It is doable

"Doable" is not necessarily equal to "practical", nor to "most efficient". As always, YMMV. I'm just adding my own perspective, and everybody has to find out what they prefer themself.