Hold up though, I actually had the EXACT opposite experience with those Deore XT calipers. Mine started leaking fluid after one winter and Shimano told me it was "normal wear" even though I barely rode them. I'll take a cheap Tektro that I can replace twice a year over that headache any day.

@vera_robinson36 is onto something. Read where swamp water can show you what's really in the ground.

Had a buddy who did the same thing on a dig in France, mixed up a Roman coin with one from a medieval layer... totally wrecked his whole timeline for the site report. He still gets crap about it from the lead archaeologist.

You mention it's a gift, but what about the people with sound sensitivities who have to leave the park entirely to get away from it?

Looser straps just means the skirt floats off your face at depth" - that actually makes a ton of sense. I used to think tighter straps were always better for sealing, but you're right, too much tension just pulls the skirt away when pressure changes. Good point, I'll loosen mine next dive.