Following a long conversation with Marianne (MJH), she has suggested I share my dry glove experiences with everyone for your combined entertainment
As time has passed, I have noticed I feel the cold (particularly in my hands more and more).
At the January DIRX Stoney gig, I got a pair of
Hydrotech Smurf Hands
Following the vast amusement offered to all getting me into my new toys, I found that there was a marked difference - my hands only made it as far as insanely painful - not numb as a corpse - and I could just about launch an SMB, rather than require a manservant to de-kit me
I did a few more dives with them and realised that the faffage involved in putting them on was a pain (I even had an open water student help me with the seals!), and they could be warmer, they have a flock type lining which offers little room for different insulation.
Also, you have a 1-2" band across the wrist where the radial and ulnar arteries pass, where you only have the latex seals (and possibly a sweat band
), this allows the area to cool enough to shut down the circulation to the hand, and you end up horribly cold and numb.
After a conversation with Andy Kerslake (and fondling his Qualofill liner gloves) I though that RoLock rings were the way to go, and
Phill Nackers was going to stock them.
Logically, the ring system should be warmer as you lose the overlapping latex seals, and replace this with air.
I had agreed to dive with Phil (recurve in YD) at Stoney and decided to call into the Nacker's Yard to get a set of RoLock gloves.
Fitting the rings was interesting - the instructions are in German! You can download a set of instructions as a PDF from the net, but they are in "Swenglish" - imagine the worst Ikea instructions, but with words!
After trying to follow the instructions for the first ring (left arm) I realised I could not turn the sleeve back from inside out to normal as I kept snagging on the cuff dump (please, keep quiet the cries of heresy
). Remove the cuff-dump and the sleeve can be inverted back to normal.
Great, fit the other ring and all is sorted - or is it?
Now I get the first instruction about marking the point on the wrist seal that marks the back of the hand! You need to orient the rings correctly so that the 1/4 turn lock works as expected - D'OH! Time to remove the suit rings and start again.
Second time lucky - I have the suit rings mounted and persuade the gloves into their rings with judicious application of percussive maintenance.
On arriving at Stoney with my nice shiny new £135 dry glove system, I get my under-suit and liner gloves on - and realise I got the glove rings mixed up! The left glove is on the right ring and vice-versa :stupid: I could get the gloves mounted, just not as the instructions indicated.
All ready to go, gloves mounted and jump in the water - AAARGH! the right glove has leaked!
Well, I'm in the water lets go for a dive and feel the water suck up the liner glove, under the wrist seal of my suit and up my right arm
It turns out that removing the gloves from the rings is even harder than mounting them, but I swap the gloves over and take extra special care to ensure that there are no folds in the glove where it mounts into the ring.
After a dry fortnight, I get back to Stoney with recurve and hatch a cunning plan...
Rather than running the liners under my wrist seals, I opt to have them just within the dry gloves, then if I have a leak, only my hand will get wet and I don't have to wuss out on the second dive.
I find the supposedly easy to use rings incredibly difficult, and struggling with the system in 25C sunshine in my drysuit, fully kitted in Xerotherm and Arctics I stat getting hot... too hot.
I get the right glove on with difficulty, but the left one doesn't want to play, it just won't turn. With help, I get it to go, but it doesn't look right. A quick plunge test reveals that it isn't right and my left hand is now wet...
No problem, take the glove off... cr*p, I can't!
Get some help to get it off... No, it won't budge!
I'M STUCK! I can't get the left glove off, bu
er!
Phil and the others are in the water waiting for me, so I suggest to Phil, that if I get out of my gear and unzip my drysuit, I can sort it out.
WRONG! I can't get the glove off and I'm over-heating like crazy.
I'm de-kitted and have my suit half off, so I tell the others to go and dive and I'll sort myself out.
Just as they break the surface, I work it all out - my cunning plan to wear the liner gloves outside the suit seals, had a fundamental flaw - the limers are too big! I've managed to jam the liner within the RoLock fitting, thus making it difficult to turn and compromising the o-ring - DAMN!
30 seconds later I have my suit on with the liner gloves under the wrist seals and the dry gloves click on and off like magic, nuts. the others have gone.
Finally, I get a dive with the RoLock gloves, set up (almost) correctly and they work a treat - they just take perseverance to set up, but my hands were noticeably warmer.
Many people say they can't cope with the lost of dexterity, but I find that the diminished dexterity is more than mitigated by the fact I can actually use my hands.
Overall, I would recommend the
RoLock Glove System just be prepared to spend some time setting them up - and ideally get help from someone who has done it before
Dom