info about dry glove systems needed

[scubert]

I'm starting to shop for a dry glove system.
I'd like it to be removable from the suit for various reasons. If possible I would also like to be able to use gloves other than the propriatary ones, as I can get industrial gloves very cheap. This would also let me vary the liners in the gloves as situations demand.
I am currently aware that the Si-Tech and Viking systems will allow this but would love to hear peoples feedback on these, or other company's systems that fit the bill

[jasondbaker]

I really like my new Diving Concepts dry gloves. I purchased the 2mil neoprene gloves. These are more durable than the typical rubber dry gloves.

[scubert]

Thanks Jason,
can the Diving Concepts rings be used with other gloves, or am I tied to buying their dive specific gloves?

[FreediveWI]

I really like the SI-tech/ Viking glove system. If you have easy access to the rubber gloves I would go with them- you'll save yourself a ton of money.

Diving concepts has a matching ring/glove system. The SI-tech ones have more options for use. Most people just use the standard 5- finger gloves, but they have 3-finger mitts in two different materials. I used to have a pair of their 3-finger claw gloves made out ofthe 1000g pro material. They were ther toughest, warmest gloves I've ever had. The 5-finger gloves are fine for all non-commercial applications.

The SI-tech rings will work on almost any suit. I have them on my DUI right now.
When you ruin, or loose, a glove the rubber ones are a LOT cheaper than any of the blue gloves out there.

Jon

[scubert]

Thanks Jon,
seems like you've confirmed it, I'm headed for Viking/SiTech.
I know people rave about the DC glove system, but I need the freedom of changing out glove liners if one glove gets flooded, or changing out gloves if one breaches.
And like you said, I'd really rather not spend HUGE amounts of cash on specialized gloves when inexpensive industrial gloves are plentiful.
Thanks again.

[FreediveWI]

Glad I could help. I have been using them since 85' and think that there one of the best systems out there. They keep you dry, but are not so grossly overpriced.

You can make your own gloves by rolling the chemical gloves down over a pony bottle and glue them as you go. That way a new pair of gloves will cost you less than $10 rather than over $60. You can also patch them up in a matter of minutes if you need to.

They are also cheap enough that I know tech divers who carry an extra glove in their thigh pocket in case of a problem during deco.

Jon

[scubert]

Thanks again Jon,
one more question thought.
Do you use the full quick clamp setup, the rubber ring and rubber band, or rubber ring and quick glove thing?
any thoughts would be appreciated as I'm relatively new to dry diving.

[FreediveWI]

I just have the two part ring. There is an inner plastic ring and an outer rubber ring. The rubber gloves themselves have an o-ring in them that snaps on like tuperware.

You can buy the gloves like that to start with, but you can also make your own for a lot less money. Just take your standard rubber chemical glove and drape it over a pony bottle or something similar. Then put a thin layer of glue around the cuff and roll it up one level to glue the cuff to itself. Once it dires you just repeat to the next level up. Keep doing this until you get a nice thick o-ring seal on the cuff. You'll end up with a super strong glove that you made yourself.

I am not aware of any clamp type sytem that you would use? ??? The glove just snaps on.

Inside of the glove I have seen peopl put all kinds of crazy straws to keep the air flowing. I have always just used the thumb loop from my drysuit undewear. It is small and always attached to my suit so I won't loose them. You don't need, or want, any big tubes running through because if you ever put a hole in a glove you would end up flooding your suit. This is also why I keep my wrist sela intact on my suits. If something ever fails on a glove, I want my suit to stay dry.

If that doesn't answer your question I can take some pictures and post them later on today.

Jon

[Achtung]

I have the standard system that come on the DUI suits. I am able to change the wrist seals myself as they are sandwiched between two plastic rings. I use industrial rubber gloves pulled over the rings. The wrist seals are intact, and unlike freediver I use small surgical tubing inserted in the wrist seals to equalize the gloves. My undersuit does not have tabs. I have seen other people use all forms of "straws" but a scrap of towel works well too. If you flood the glove you take it off and pull the tubes. You will get a little wet but nothing major. It's unavoidable. Some people carry a set of neoprene gloves in their drysuit pocket in case the end up flooding a glove. I only do this when conditions are really critical such as ultra low water temps or long dives.

I slashed one of my gloves this weekend getting on the dive boat. No problem, a pair only costs 4 bucks!

My backup drysuit has the Diving concepts system. I liked it alot and the gloves were very warm. The new version has removable liners I think. Good thing as my old ones took forever to dry. The gloves were easy to put on yourself and the system fit any drysuit.

I see alot of si tech gloves lately with their screw on design. These are also easy to put on yourself so I am sure that system is pretty good. I am not sure if either diving concepts or si-tech can be used with the industrical gloves pulled over the rings. I can checkout my suit later and see if they look like they would seal.

Hope that helps,

Darren

[Chris H]

I have the Si-tech "QGR" assembly seen here and I HIGHLY recommend it.

I had the more normal pull over style rings, but I have long enough arms that I very regularly pulled the glove off of my ring and flooded the glove. That sucked a lot. Not to mention, I had a very difficult time getting them on without assistance. With the system above, I can very easily get the gloves on and off without help, and I haven't had a wet hand since I got them. These gloves get two dry thumbs up ;D