I’m looking at getting a pair of mitts for cold weather kayaking. I currently have the Sealskinz, NRS Hydro and Neosport 3mm Neoprene gloves. I’m looking for something that will keep my fingers warm in the cold weather and I’ve researched that mitts may be the best solution. I live in NJ and want to continue paddling into the winter. I was out this past weekend and used the Neosport gloves. They seemed the warmest but my fingers were cold at times and the temps will continue to drop. The air temp was 40 and the water temp was 45 and I want to be prepared as the temps drop even further.
After doing some research, the two mitts that I am considering are:
NRS Toaster Mitts
Level Six Creeker Mitts
For those who have used mitts, would you mind giving your opinion? Thanks!
have you tried pogies? They are surprisingly warm. I have gloves that I keep in my lifejacket in case of an emergency but I’m really happy with pogies and the warmth they provide.
Maybe as important as which hand-wear is the color of your paddle shaft. Black is the best color, because if there is sunshine, the paddle shaft becomes a hand-warmer. I have found that even in pretty cold temperatures, if there is no wind and the sun is out, my hands actually are warmer without gloves–on a black shaft. Black gloves are also helpful and the ones I use are waterproof “Thinsulate” gloves. They cost me a whopping $6.95 on sale and they work better than anything else I’ve tried. If it gets too cold for them, I’m outa there.
I like pogies a lot better than gloves. My hands stay pretty dry and there is a nice pocket of warm air around them. The ones I use are neoprene, are unlined, and are wide at the base so your hand can slip in and out easily. I have no experience with mitts so I can’t compare pogies to mitts. What I like about pogies is that my hands are much drier and warmer than gloves.
@Barry9999 ALL really cold weather gloves, that is for sub-freezing air and water 40 degrees C or below, are a PITA to put on compared to lighter weight gloves. But the looser, the easier. And you can get pogies that are nice and loose, in fact you want them with space to trap air. You may have to pull the second one tighter around the wrist with your teeth if it has a cord to tighter up is all.
Pogies + Gloves
Kokatat Kayak Mitts (fabric pogies) plus some light neoprene gloves (for when you need to have your hands free but not freeze) should have you covered till the water turns solid. The Kokatat fabric pogies are of negligible weight and roll up to stow on the center of the paddle shaft so you can deploy them when you need them.
I had considered pogies but ruled against them for safety reasons. I like working on different strokes and once in a while I goof and need to immediately release my top or bottom hand so my boat doesn’t trip over my paddle and dump me. I can do that with gloves. Also, if I happen to wind up in cold water I want my hands gloved rather than exposed to the elements. Just a personal choice.
Nor will pogies work with a stick
I used Glacier Gloves last year but my hands still got wet and cold. I was going to explore mittens (not Pogies) this year then came across Smartwool glove liners (47% merino wool) and bought a pair.
First tried wearing them under my Glacier Gloves in late November. My hands remained warm in 40F air temps even though my gloves were wet. Most recently wore the liners under my neo gloves while paddling for four hours in 32F air temp and falling snow. No cold hands so I’m sticking with the merino wool liner/Glacier Glove combi. Another benefit is that I can slide the neo gloves off and still have my hands protected by the wool liner gloves.
My Glaciers are a size M so I went with a size S for the Smartwools. So far they’re holding up pretty well and I intend to use them as liners when I’m snowblowing my driveway as my hands get cold easily.