Kamlei wrist gasket adjustment

Hi,

I recently purchased a Lotus Designs Kamlei paddling pullover jacket on e-Bay. The jacket fits me very well except for the latex wrist gaskets, which are very tight. I have not worn the jacket on the water yet (most of the water here is solid right now) but when I tried it on it was difficult to get my hands though the gaskets and when I did, it felt like I might lose circulation. Based on reading on this forum it seems like I should either stretch or trim them. There are no trimming lines so I was wondering if people had any suggestions on an approach? I though of streching them around a jar and then using a razor or sharp x-acto knife to carefully trim a small amount. Any thoughts? Any one else have experience with this jacket? Thanks…



Chris.

Trim them…

– Last Updated: Jan-10-06 1:05 PM EST –

Hi Chris,
I had the same problem with my 'new' Kamlei jacket. Trim rings would have been helpful, but they are not necessary. I stretched the latex cuffs over an empty beer bottle. I drank the beer first to aid in stabilizing my hand ;-)

I carefully trimmed away several 1/8" rings off each gasket with a new X-acto blade. I have fairly small wrists for a male and I was surprised by how much gasket material I had to remove on the Kamlei compared to my dry suit. As I recollect I removed at least three "rings" and possibly four from each gasket.
Boy, as sold the Kamlei's gaskets are tight!

Safe paddling,
Joe

Hmmm… maybe I should hold off
Based on the post here recently about someone who trimmed a neck gasket and then a couple of years later found it to be loose, I might hold off on the trimming idea. Hard to imagine wearing the jacket with the wrists this tight now though. Hmmm…



Chris

Loosening seals
When seals start to loosen, it indicates that they’re in need of replacement. Depending on how much exposure they receive to UV, skin oil, sunscreen, etc., they will typically last 2-5 years, with 3 being about average. Trimming has no effect on the lifespan. Stretching, on the other hand, damages the latex and shortens its life.



Trim your seals and be comfortable today. Worry about replacing the seals when they wear out. It’s neither difficult nor expensive to do.