Northern Diver Dry Glove System

[String]

So would you recommend going a size too big to have room for an underglove on these?

I assume with the ND thing the size selection is only the glove size and doesnt affect the size of the rings and so on so if i do guess and get the wrong size i can just change glove as the actual plumbing connections are the same size regardless?

[wilbo]

Originally Posted by String

So would you recommend going a size too big to have room for an underglove on these?

I assume with the ND thing the size selection is only the glove size and doesnt affect the size of the rings and so on so if i do guess and get the wrong size i can just change glove as the actual plumbing connections are the same size regardless?

I would recommend using a glove that suits the time of year - and more importantly the temperature of the water you are diving in.

In winter you will need a thicker underglove - so you will probably need a slightly larger glove. Otherwise you won't be able to move your fingers very well and the inner glove will a) be uncomfortable due to restriction of space and b) not be as thermally efficient - as you're compressing it more than it should be and you have less space around your finger to offer insulation.

In the summer months (if you still use dry gloves) then a thinner underglove can be used - and therefore a smaller dry glove should be used - so you don't have excess glove getting in the way..

Or use wet gloves..

YMMV

[String]

Im happy in 3mm wet gloves in water above about 15c so in the summer thats fine for me.

However in the winter (feb/mar) even my 5mm thick neo gloves made me call dives after 20 mins due to pain so i want a thick underglove.

May order a large ND size (size 9 glove for me) and hope it fits.

My medium hydrotech is very small but they could use a different size guide.

[wilbo]

Originally Posted by String

Im happy in 3mm wet gloves in water above about 15c so in the summer thats fine for me.

However in the winter (feb/mar) even my 5mm thick neo gloves made me call dives after 20 mins due to pain so i want a thick underglove.

May order a large ND size (size 9 glove for me) and hope it fits.

My medium hydrotech is very small but they could use a different size guide.

I can only advise on Rolock gloves - as thats all I have used.

ask them if they have a measuring chart - so you can size your glove - and maybe - if you are borderline - buy two pairs of gloves to cover the range and send back the one you don't feel comfortable with.

remember that you should be able to do everything that you can with wets - so make sure you have the similar range of motion in your fingers before you decide..

[String]

Emailed Northern Diver but as is usual for them, no reply to my size query so im just going to guess.

May play safe and get large, at least then i can always buy a medium if its too huge.

Im currently using Hydrotech mediums with latex seal (impossible to fit, seal and remove) and they're very small on me but different companies i assume use different standards for size.

I can do more with them than wet gloves (due to the virtue my fingers actually work) so not too concerned about that.

[IanDennis]

What Wilbo said

Winter = Cold = size 11 and thick undergloves - 40grm thinsulate

Summer = size 10 and santi undergloves or thin merlino wool

Wrecks in winter or somewhere that a dryglove failure would be make life difficult - such as a long deco dive then 5mm kevlar gloves

Wrecks in summer 3mm kevlar gloves - in case of any wreck/glove interaction

Given the choice I would go for rolocks everytime. The latex seal ones you can fit to rolocks and then trim down- so you can keep using the ones that you currently have - then when you do hole then its 10minutes to swap them over

Ian

[Sipadan]

a personal opinion on dry gloves which may or may not be helpful. i use blue point dry gloves which are very similar to the ND ones, but cheaper, though harder to track down. i'm very happy with them and use them all year round.

Bluepoint - DIVE Other Kit

when i first got them, the wrist seals on my drysuit weren't long enough to have an inner seal, so as a temporary measure, i set them up without . 2 year later and the rings are still attached in the same way. i know the pitfalls, but it works for me anyway, i've always thought you're more likely to rip a wrist seal than puncture the heavy duty glove (unless you're trying to lever lobsters out of holes or pull bits off wrecks). in any event, it's easier to change the glove than a wrist seal on a weekend away (i carry spares, they're cheap enough!). also, it's quite nice not struggling with wrist seals

in 2 years, i've had one leak which was annoying, but minor. as an extra precaution, i leave the gloves permanently attached to the suit. again, it works for me. i can do everything i need to with the gloves on.

last thing, i used the showa 660 glove, am average build (with lady like hands ), use thinnish polartec under gloves and a size 10 (XL) glove.

hope this helps

andrew

[IanDennis]

Having the gloves attached to the suit can be an advantage and a disadvantage. To be honest there are so many possible failure points on drygloves that whether you have an inner seal or not is debatable. Appropriate choice of thermal protection is more important when you don't have an inner seal so that in the event of a flood at least you stay warm. With an inner seal at least seepage is reduced. Personally if I am in an environment where a flood is a possibility - i.e inside a wreck then I would wear wet gloves. I chopped and changed whilst in Scapa this year, depending upon what we were doing. Having the ability to do that is quite nice- one of the benefits of the rolocks that you can dive wet or dry. If it was a deco dive then would depend upon the ambient temperature of the water, someplaces you would struggle without drygloves, others you might be better off wet. I prefer the flexibility of being able to choose.

If your gloves are permanetly attached to the suit you also get the advantage that you know that you can do everything with them attached and not lose dexterity.

Ian

[Scuby]

I use the same setup all year. Size 10 gloves, with a thin liner (although obviously I recognise that "thin" is a very subjective term).

Never a problem in summer, winter, sea, fresh water, anything. Generally put my gloves on before kitting up, just out of habit - I can do everything I need to with the gloves on, so no reason not to.

I have the inner seal intact, and i'm very glad I go. I have once or twice managed to pierce the glove (once blindfolded on my trimix course trying to follow the line back to my cylinder, once on a wreck putting my hand in the wrong place while trying to chase a fish with my camera). I've also on the odd occasion (with my old gloves) put them on a bit wonky, and had them leak. In any case, whenever they've leaked i've just taken it off underwater, pushed the thumb loop back under the seal (I don't keep it around my thumb, just have it under the seal to keep air flow to the gloves), and isolated the rest of the suit from the glove. The few times I haven't done that (earlier this year had a recurring leak, which was why I changed to the ND gloves in the end) I came out soaked - its amazing how much water can get through a little gap!

Don't see it as a problem for long deco or anything, since a wet dryglove is just as good as a normal wetglove. The water isn't going anywhere when it's in there, so it heats up to body temperature just like in a wet glove.

David

[Mark]

Can you use a seperate internal wrist seal with the ND gloves or do you have to use the main suit wrist seal only?

Cheers,

Mark.