Which nordic blue model do you have/suggest? There are two, the 301 and the 302.
The ones we have are
I’d have to go down into the kayak stuff to get the model number, but the ones we have are those with the latex gaskets meant to be worn with a drysuit (they also have a model with rings or whatever that is intended to be used with a diving suit), and liners. We will be cutting out the liners and using separate gloves as an underlayer, per the habit of others we know who use them for kayaking.
Putting them on
Thanks Celia. I thought those would be the ones. Does the glove gasket go on under the drysuit gasket or over? Are you able to put them on alone?
under rather than over …
i put them on under the wrist gaskets … they tend to leak water into your hand otherwise. as for putting them on by yourself … yes, that’s a challenge to be sure and with some practice you’ll be able to manage it.
short thin liner and fold back work
The key to easy on and off is a shortened thin liner glove, so it aids slipping the blues on and off without getting bunched under the gasket.
Two, start with the gasket folded part way back on iteself.
Three, carefully trim back the blues gasket, yes and only so much, just like a neck gasket, it only needs be so tight to seal.
A small amount of food grade silicone on ones wrists and the blues gasket also aids in this process and it prolongs the life of the gaskets in that extreme stretching of latesx is part of what kills it eventually.
Surrender your pride and if have a partner allow them to use the surgeon’s technique of helping you on with them too.
Finally, I would advise NOT putting it on UNDER the drysuit gasket. Better IMO if it has to leak to leak into the glove and NOT the drysuit. However, imo it will not leak at all if one doe not have folds, or bunched up places in it. Sometimes it is pulled up too far, resulting in wrinklles in the drysuit gasket being under the glove gasket.
I leave a small space
between the gaskets. Leaves about 1mm of skin exposure and that gets covered by the drysuit sleeve.
Nordic Blue rec
I believe in the info that came with our Nordic Blues it recommends putting them on with gasket over your dry suit gasket.
It also recommends having a friend help you putting them on.
The folks at the Scuba Center are great. They called me to confirm that the model gloves I was ordering were the correct ones for our dry suits.
Take Nordic Anti-Depressants!
Of course those of you who either are Nordic, or have visited know what those are!
Leaks, putting them on
We just got ours, so are just figuring out the difficult parts like getting them on. The post above by Evans has the process we are going to use - he and another paddler locally have spent the last season working this out so we are not likely to improve on it.
As to leakage… I haven’t gotten mine on a bottle to stretch them yet, but it is quite clear that they either have to be stretched or slightly shaved like half a ring to leave me with some circulation. I have small hands, so the Nordic Blues smalls work for me (which is the same as Medium in American sizing as I recall). Assuming we are both talking about the ones with the latex gaskets, I can’t see leaks being an issue with them over the drysuit.
Ditto That.
No overlap. No leakage issue for either drysuit or glove.
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