Si-Tech dry glove system

[David M]

thinking about getting them fitted to my new otter brittanic are they

1 any good
2 self doning

[dry suit diver]

I think Garf has a set of these so maybe he will give us an answer, Imhope so cos I am looking at putting a set of these on my dry gloves if they seem any good.

[wreckweasel]

They're effing huge. Great if you can put up with bulk I guess.

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by David M

thinking about getting them fitted to my new otter brittanic are they

1 any good
2 self doning

1. Yes

2. Nope (not in my limited experience)

I do like them though.

Ian

[Gareth Burrows]

I used them last winter. They do keep your hands a LOT warmer.I had no problems in taking them off and putting them on, although there is a real knack to it.

The worst bit is fitting the plastic rings to your wrist seals. You feel like you are about to bust them big time, and if your seals are not in good shape, you will. Tthe only reason i dont dive with them all year round is the loss of tactile sensation, and the fact that you have these big fat rings on your wrist, which can make getting out of a one piece harness a real bastard if the shoulder straps are a little tight. classic example, you get the ring stuck when taking the rig off in the water, and the glove comes off....brrrrrr, worst case scenario, your flood your suit at that point!

[David M]

How do the gloves fit onto the rings on the suit? ie twist lock?????

[colinicky]

Originally Posted by David M

How do the gloves fit onto the rings on the suit? ie twist lock?????

In my experience it does take a little practice to get it right .They are a push fit & then twist the ring which pushes the glove back off .
DON'T lubricate the O ring, if you do the glove goes on very easily but comes off even easier especially if you equalise the gloves at 30m in the middle of december !
I wouldn't use anything else now in the winter

[Gareth Burrows]

There is a knack to it, but once you have it you are laughing.

As the man says, don't lubricate the O ring or they come off far too easily.

[Midnight]

Have been using them for three years now during the winter, and a couple of times in the summer when I found a hole in one of my wrist seals!!

Thoroughly enjoyed using them as I felt significantly warmer and so was able to concentrate on what was going on around me and what I was doing.

I agree about the size of the supplied gloves, but these can be replaced with a single mold glove that has a smooth outer wrist section which fits you better. I also replaced the very "fluffy" inner gloves, that are supplied, with some "Thinsulate" gloves.

The supplied inner gloves tended to "bunch" at the wrist making it difficult to get an effective seal so I began by cutting them down a bit first but the resulting loose fluff compromised the seal on one or two occasions.

You have to be very particular when assembling the male and female connecting rings to the glove and the suit, respectively, as the slightest kink will let-by. Also, when putting the gloves on the hand you can dislodge the locking ring and end up having to reassemble the setup when your buddy is ready to go!!

I conclude that they area a great idea but do require the attention to detail that a YBOD diver applies to ensure a successful dive.

Good luck with them.
Regards
Midnight