Were your drygloves an improvement?

[Hyper-limits]

So what is there to practice? Is there a course I can take?

I can see the patch right now. Dry gloves Diver

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

I'm considering ging that route, so votes will be appreciated. (And hopefully, useful to others.)

I've seen lots of people fumbling about with these things, too. Please consider the fumble factor in your vote.

If you dive in winter conditions an upgrade to drygloves gets my recommendation for sure. But what is your coldest water temps? Temps down to 10 degrees Celsius, any wet three finger mittens will do just as good.

There IS a fumble factor in the beginning, but no problems you can't overcome easily. My first three dryglove dives were wet and cold. then I finally figured out how the seals (Si-Tech ring system) work, and since then my winter dives have been "paradise" compared to what they used to be!

I would recommend the Viking ring system before the Si-Tech though. And I don't like the simple latex-over-latex gloves at all. -You're supposed to be dry and comfortable, aren't you?!

Ring system!!!

 

[wedivebc]

I have actually ditched a dry glove mid-dive and practiced pulling out the little string that allows the glove to equalize. If you put the glove back on after that (trapping the water thats inside your glove) your hand will be darn cold, but it's not the end of the world.

If you have the zip gloves without an inner seal, I wouldn't recommend this little plan.

I have this fear of having an hour of deco to do and having a freezing hand. I have the sitech glove system with latex wrist seals and I have also used the marigolds with the cloth white gloves inside. I am going to give them another try this week as I will be doing less aggressive diving for a while.

 

[wedivebc]

I can see the patch right now. Dry gloves Diver

Don't laugh, it could happen.

 

[Mo2vation]

I have the zip seal gloves - as I do no deco diving and am not diving amongst any twisted wreckage - I'm pretty comfortable with them. And should they ever leak I can just make a slow, chilly ascent.

I've had them for a year, and have used them on and off - but I've been using them exclusively for the last 3 months on all non-lobster dives - just for the practice. So far, the only dexterity loss I notice is ABOVE the water - donning the suit, the hood, etc. Doffing the neck seal, etc.

Once in the water, they cinch down and I can do everything I do in my wet, fingerless (index/thumb cut off) gloves - clip / unclip, turn on and off the can light, deploy / stow the overrated Scout light, reach and grab the wetnotes, write so I can actually read it, reach in and deploy the back up mask, etc, etc...

I love them. I really love them. I also like the fact that I remain truly dry. I get tendon leakage (holding the goodman) and with the zipseal smurf city gloves, its the only time I come out with bone dry sleeves after a 3 or 4 dive day.

For the next suit in teh fall, I'll probably get the snap-ins. Replacement gloves are cheap, I can don and doff the suit without the gloves on and there is the redundant seal. The trade off is the hard ring... I'm still hung up on that. If/when I get past that, I'm all over the snap ons.

---
Ken

 

[dr_shappero]

There are ups and downs to any new piece of gear as well as things to get used to, but I would say that for the diving I do in the northwest (40s and 50s water temp.), dry gloves were perhaps my favorite addition. I haven't had the need or desire to dive wet gloves since. I would highly recommend them for any type of coldwater diving. I would agree that the loss of dexterity takes a little getting used to, but a small price to pay for toasty warm hands during and after your dive!

-Keith

 

[Shiprekd]

Excluding the loss of dexterity....

Which are the most reliable? I'm going to be upgrading my DUI cf200 to dry gloves and now you have my curiosity..

 

[Mo2vation]

Excluding the loss of dexterity....

Which are the most reliable? I'm going to be upgrading my DUI cf200 to dry gloves and now you have my curiosity..

Dry gloves are significantly thinner than neopreme gloves. Think about this. They are way, way thinner. So, IMO, the perceived "loss of dexterity" thing is really because they're simply not as tight. But once underwater, they clamp down (just a bit) and I actually have MORE dexterity than with full neoprene wet gloves. Surely in the finger tips, where there is less material than before between my fingers and whatever I'm dexting... Surely more that you snowman divers in the NE with those eskimo gloves.

And because my hands aren't like blocks of wood at the end of the dive, I maintain better dexterity throughout the entire dive - especially at the end where I need it most (stowing the reg, writing a note, stowing my light, deploying an SMB or whatever...)

I do sissy single tank recreation weenie diving - so for my DUI, the zip gloves made sense. Its a rare day in SoCal when it gets in the low 50s, but it happens. And I'll dive PNW and NorCal sometimes where it will get in the low-low 50s, high 40s. The rest of the time for me, diving is in the 58 - 64 range - fine for wet gloves, so I zip off the smurfy gloves, zip on the seals, its all good.

And as much as it pains me to admit to it (the Uncle Pug Dry Glove = Warmer Feet postulate) it is true. I've changed a number of times on the same dive trip ('tween dives 1 and 2, or 2 and 3, etc.) and I've noticed my feet are toastyer (is that a word?) when I dive dry gloves.

You're going to love them. I know I do.

---
Ken

 

[jonnythan]

I have about the same dexterity with drygloves + thick insulation as wet gloves.. the difference is that I can actually feel my fingers with the drygloves

 

[Mo2vation]

I think its funny we're all having this conversation in, you know, APRIL (almost) and not like in October or November...