Gloves

V

vdgraaf

Joined
Jul 7, 2008
Messages
18
I went through at least 3 pairs of gloves from MEC and none of them seem to keep my hands warm when I paddle...

I was wondering if anyone has used NRS gloves or something similar that actually work and don't get worn out after 5h of paddling:)
 
I have the MEC Humboldt SQ 2mm, and the MEC Cyclepad 3mm gloves and they both sorta work at keeping your hands warmer than they'd be otherwise. I actually really like the 2mm because they give some warmth, some grip/dexterity and some protection. But most people that paddle cold stuff use pogies. Pogies are warmer,long as your hands stay in them. They are not the best for rock gardening where you may have to ape your way off barnacle encrusted rocks, and I,personally am not a huge fan of rolling in them,though lots of people like them for cold water rolling and whitewater.
 
My fingerless NRS gloves wear out after about 18 months of use; they always rip in the web of the thumb. My NRS Hydroskin titanium gloves are fine until the wind is above 5 kt ... the neoprene is 0.5mm thick and useless in the wind, evaporative cooling chills my fingers to the bone.

My own search for warm gloves has become much more about wind resistance than anything else. I roll, I like dynamic hand positions on my paddle, so I know my fingers will get wet. After a long discussion on my local club discussion board, I arrived at a few approaches, all of which I'm still testing.

1. Windproof over-layer. I have a pair of eVent mitts - actually waterproof - from Mountain Laurel Designs, and they're brilliant if I'm just making miles in cold wind, but they need better grippy surfaces.
2. Mitts are the warmest, hands-down (oof, sorry for the pun), but I dislike the lack of dexterity, especially in rescue situations. I've seen some folks make their own palmless mitts, which seems like a fabulous idea: You can roll them back completely and paddle with bare hands!
3. Thicker gloves. Duh, right? Well, you need to specifically seek out 2mm or 3mm neoprene gloves, which some manufacturers don't produce or don't mention in their product descriptions. The Stohlquist Maw and the Level Six Anti-Freeze gloves are the right class of gloves to keep my digits toasty.
4. I'm going to paint some Plasti-Dip on the tops of my NRS Hydroskin gloves to see if that will cut some wind...it's that wind raking across cold knuckles that kills me. If it fails, no loss, I hate those things... :)
 
I use MEC's Catch gloves (2 mm neoprene) and add on a pair of pogies when it's really cold water. That keeps me plenty warm, but as Rider mentioned, you better practice your roll with them on, before you need it. My first time using pogies I dumped and had to bail because I wasn't used to the loss of dexterity caused by the pogies.
 
On the subject of Pogies. I once saw a pair made out of soft closed cell foam. As far as I know they were not being made commercially, but if you are handy??
they were soft, waterproof, light as a feather, high insulative value. I tried them out but they ended being too warm! My hands were sweating inside.
Just an idea for someone handy ( and has cold hands)!
 
I use 3 mm neoprene fleece-lined Glacier Gloves. The ones with the BLUE trim and precurved fingeres. They're warm. The trick (someone else pointed out) is to use Aquaseal on them when you start to see a spot wearing out. With Aquaseal, they last quite a while.
 
I have been using Chota ThinSkin (3mm) gloves.
Because I use a Greenland Paddle, my hands/fingers are making contact with the waterline on every stroke.
These gloves are thick...but are they warm.

FYI...it is my understanding that Chota may have ceased making these.
 
If even 3mm gloves aren't enough for you, you may want to consider other options besides thickness, since I doubt thicker gloves are either A) made or B) appropriate for paddling.

Look into things that are wind and/or moisture barriers: Wearing nitrile gloves underneath, or even (as odd as it sounds) dishwashing gloves. I know of several people who've used dishwashing gloves in very cold conditions and they said they were great. It's about paddling, not style, right? :) Otherwise windproof mitts made of silnylon, eVent, or other materials might be worthwhile, but only if you can ensure a solid grip on the paddle. It's not about keeping your hands dry, but rather preventing evaporative cooling.

If your hand position doesn't vary much as you paddle, I agree that gloves plus pogies will definitely be a warmer combo. (I prefer actively shifting grip all the time, so I don't use pogies myself, but many do and love 'em!)

Finally, look at your seating, forward stroke, clothing, and posture: You never know, maybe there's something else constricting blood flow to your hands, which may contribute to the feeling of having cold hands.
 
I love Tropos or nylon pogies. I have a kokatat pair, but am interested in something more like this:
http://www.bckayaks.com/products.html

The Kokatat ones are hard to get on and off (you have to use your teeth). I cut some of the elastic, but now they are sloppy. I have seen people with the ones listed above and they look like they have solved the problem.

In the coldest weather (wind is the worst) I wear Hydroskin gloves (several thicknesses to choose from) WITH Tropos pogies. This way the wind doesn't cut through the wet gloves. The lightweight pogies don't add much weight to the paddle shaft and can be pushed into the middle if going through rocks or others gnarly areas.

When I am surfing and rock gardening I like neoprene pogies (aka really really wet). MEC makes a pair that is really short on the arm and super easy to pop in and out of.
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/MensCloth ... unisex.jsp

To roll up I just pop my hands out and use a different hand holds (extended paddle) instead. I have not figured out how to roll with these on my hands. :roll:

Good luck with finding something that works for you. :mrgreen:
 
I'm still looking for the perfect solution to keep my hands warm in cold (and I mean cold) water paddling. My fingers have been getting numb in 2mm neoprene gloves (Level Six Flux).

One problem with gloves, especially thick gloves, is the loss of dexterity. Can you grab your deck lines while wearing gloves when you are in the water? I had a helluva time recently. I'll be adding knots to the deck line to act as a spacer to keep it up off the deck a few millimetres and make it easier to grab with numb fingers and while wearing gloves. I will also be looking into pogies.

Here are some of my comments about gloves, cold water, and practising rescues in adverse conditions: http://pawistik.blogspot.ca/2012/04/out ... reach.html

Cheers,
Bryan
 
I wear loose fitting leather work gloves. Kangaroo skin is best.

They usually need to be wetted thoroughly to get flexibility. Even when wet they are warmer than paddling without, as evaporation loss is minimal. The gloves provide very good protection from wind.

I tried wearing kitchen gloves and found they were really cold because they constrict blood flow and high evaporation rates. Neoprene gloves are better but they need to be a loose fit.

The seals on drysuits will constrict blood flow.

Finally, the advice about cold feet and cold hands is to put on a warm hat. The heat loss via hands and feet from body heat budget is minimal.
 
I have two pairs of the NS gloves with the hydrocuffs. They do a good job of keeping the cold water off of your hands as long as the cuff seal is flat against your wrist or wrist gasket. The problem I've found with these gloves is you need at least two pair for a days paddle if you plan on stopping for a snack because in addition to keeping the sea-water away from your skin, they also seal your sweat inside of the glove.
 
I recently picked a pair of the Glacier gloves (perfect curve fleece lined) after wearing out another pair of NRS Navigator gloves which I always liked because of their dexterity. The GG have a nice snug fit and initially seemed thicker than 2mm maybe because of the thin fleece lining, but they are warmer and actually more grippy than the NRS gloves. They work great on my Greenland blade with changing hand positions. Will have to see if their durability makes them worth the price. :big_thumb :big_thumb
 
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