Posted by brianc on June 04, 2001 at 15:55:49:
In Reply to: Dry Suit : was Hey Josh posted by Steve on June 04, 2001 at 15:15:24:
I adamantly deny any claims of being an expert, but I can still spout off as well as anyone else...
I used to use dry gloves. I found that I often did not have enough air in my suit to get air for insulation in the gloves. I was constantly lifting my hands above my head to get some air into them when I was shallow. The only time that I have had a drysuit flood (aside from training) is when one of my dry gloves got torn. I slipped on an entry and caught myself on a rock. I was wearing reef gloves to prevent a tear in just such a situation, but the tear was at the bottom of the cuff of my outer glove, which slipped up when I fell. I did not see the tear, since my outter glove cuff moved back into place when I recovered. I was surprised at 20-30 ft when what felt like a little chill turned into cold water pouring down my arm and my boots filling up. That was the end of using dry gloves for me. I now use Xcel 5.4 mm wet gloves and have been comfortable in temps down to the mid-40's.