I purchased a Mont-bell dry top with GlideSkin (neoprene covered with nylon on the outside and a slick material to seal on the inside). The neck is choking me and I need to loosen it. With latex, I would just cut one or more rings off until I achieved comfort. With GlideSkin, there are no ring marks to cut. Do I just cut the same amount from the top or are neoprene gaskets stretched to fit?
Who manufactures the GlideSkin material? Is there any source for replacement GlideSkin gaskets?
You’ve hit on the major limitation…
…of neoprene seals; they either fit or they don’t. They aren’t meant to be trimmed and they don’t stretch. If it fits, fine; if not, send it back.
montbell???really?
interesting…love the titanium coated neo gaskets…they fit great and feel better in the long run…and i have found them just as dry as latex without irratating…
i konw that i have heard that stohlquist has made a different sized neck gasket for someone (i think here on p.net)…
maybe the top was made with the wrong sized gasket…hit the maker up…see if they have info or a way to put a bigger one on…
r
interesting! only on the japan montbell
site…
that looks neat…love their other stuff…
cool…
i would drop them a line/give a call to talk with someone there about it…
r
The latex gaskets
are cone shaped which allows them to be trimmed to fit a larger size neck. I have not seen the neck gasket on this particular drysuit but I would assume that if you trimmed it down it should become more comfortable. I would contact the manufacturer to see what they suggest. Neoprene gaskets can fit a greater range of neck sizes than a latex gasket if made correctly. Many of the drysuit manufacturers are getting closer to making a good neoprene gasket and probably sometime next year they’ll have it. Next year there will also be neoprene replacement gaskets sold on the market. Latex will soon be a dinosaur.
Glideskin Gaskets
– Last Updated: Nov-16-07 10:19 PM EST –
DonG,
You said in an earlier post, "I decided to try making a gasket out of 1mm neoprene with nylon on one side and Glideskin on the other".
Where can I purchase Glideskin to make a gasket?
The instructions you previously posted at http://sports.webshots.com/album/560875316BHdfnb can no longer be referenced. Is there another URL I can use to look at your instructions?
Thanks in advance,
Richard
I apologize for removing the link
I was asked to remove the link for a period of time. The information will soon be available. I can’t really say anymore about it at this time.
If I had to trim a neoprene gasket with
no trim rings, I would pull it over a can that has ring depressions around the circumference. That would increase the odds of making the cut at the same level all around. One could check by measuring from a ring depression to the terminal edge of the neoprene.
I have a Palm semi-dry top with neoprene gaskets. The wrist gaskets were a little tight. Surprisingly, they responded favorably to prolonged stretching. Because they are two-layer, conventional trimming is not an option, but I believe I could remove one layer and still have a good seal.