Best cold weather gloves

Today was my first sub freezing paddle of the year and I have tried many different styles of glove but I may have found the best glove ever (in my opinion) by accident. It is made by the Memphis glove company and called the Ice Ninja, it comes in multiple sizes. The palm of the glove is covered by a textured latex that is not “sticky” allowing paddle rotation, and neoprene water resistance above your wrists. They are very thin for cold weather gloves, they were very warm at 30 deg air and 45 deg water temp.

I found them at an Ace hardware for $10, they are listed on amazon for as little as $5

Thanks for the post
I looked them up. Pretty good especially considering the price. Even if they don’t work, it’s a good deal for $3.95.

This?
Are you referring to this item? One of the reviewers (callcam) refers to a similar-but-different model by the same company, so, I’m asking. He refers to a difference in water proofing.



http://www.amazon.com/Memphis-CN9690M-Ninja-Gloves-Medium/dp/B002U0KEHM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Those look good, thanks!
I wear these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kinco-Warm-Grip-Knit-Gloves-Thermal-EXTRA-LARGE-1790-XL-/190588619243



I like them a lot. They’re warm but not waterproof on top, so I always bring two and even three pairs of gloves in cold weather. Strangely, I’ve never gotten my gloves wet in the fall or winter, but I don’t paddle in rough conditions when it’s cold.

That’s what I wonder too…
These do not look like they are water proof, so not sure how well the mesh top protects from cold water… They are called “Ice Ninja” though, so not sure what other model there is…



Regardless, I ordered a couple of pairs today to check them out. If they don’t work for kayaking, I’ll use them for garden work and auto repairs - this is the kind of gloves I use for these purposes anyway, so at about $4 a pair it’s won’t be a loss…



I have been using Glacier Gloves for the past 3-4 winder seasons (including freezing temps, water and air) and they are great. Except, they tend to fall apart after just a handful of outings for me at the thumb base. Granted, I use them hard on white water and I think the issue is that my fingers are too long, thus forcing the glove to stretch too much in that area and wear off prematurely. Some aquaseal helps temporarily, and I’m experimenting with other ways to patch them-up before they start to wear out but have not found a good way to protect them. I guess I need to switch brands to something more durable, but these are excellent otherwise for paddling…

Kinco Gloves
Here are what some folks in my area use. They keep your hands dry and warm, but make for an odd fashion statement. Good for paddling during deer season, though.



http://www.discountworkgear.com/products/Acrylic_Lined_PVC_Glove_12_inch-625-71.html



Alan

Glacier Gloves
not cheap, but the bee’s knees









http://www.campmor.com/glacier-glove-perfect-curve-fleece-lined-neoprene-glove.shtml

Do your Glaciers last?
As I wrote above, for me I can’t even get one full winter out of a pair without a lot of patching… But if they fit on your hand well and you don’t paddle too hard, I suppose they could last a long time - I just torture mine too much -:wink:

Pogies
Pogies are also an alternative, through I didn’t care for the NRS style (too hard to get on large hands).



Jim

MIT
MITTENS OR [OUTDOOR RESEARCH] GORTEX SHELL FLEECE LINER HAVE USED @ 0 DEGREES W/TOE WARMERS TAPED INSIDE

Glacier Gloves
work better than any other glove I’ve tried but I also use poggies and like them alot

toe warmers
The instant heat packs that are used for winter sports work well dry but when wet, they lose their ability to work.



This style of hot pack works wet or dry but are not as small as the flat ones.



http://www.snapheat.com/SNAP_HEAT/Products.html



Nice thing is that they are reusable and you just need to boil them between uses to renew them. (You can NOT microwave them).



There are many brands of these available. Not sure if any one is better than any other. I keep them in my emergency kit.

Which model? They have many.
I use the Kenai All-Purpose.

mine have held up pretty well
since I moved to Cali, I don’t use them much anymore, so forgive me if I have to search my memory. I think a seam on the heal of one hand was starting to go, and a finger tip had a small chunk missing (still don’t know how that happened). But they held up for years (like five) before they started going. I’m sure you’re right–it all depends on how hard you are on them. I would baby mine. Normal paddling, no death grip. I didn’t like the blue velcro strap, so I took them off. The gloves could take water from the back, but kept my hands warm the way a wet wetsuit would.

If you like those you’ll love
SealSkinz. They have that knit polypro interior and exterior, but an internal layer of thin neoprene throughout the glove, so they’re more waterproof than the Ninja Ice.



Yes, you can get water inside. Yes, the exterior can get cold if continuously wet and exposed to wind. But overall they’re very good gloves for temps for me down to freezing (32 degrees) on the water.

Got them = No Good, IMO
Just got the gloves in the mail today. IMO these are not good paddling gloves. They appear warm and fuzzy on the inside but have several problems that I don’t think a paddling glove should have:



(1) Not water proff at all - the top is some sort of tight mesh. Will also probably cause a good deal of evaporation cooling in winds (good for warm weather, not good for cold). OK might be OK if you don’t get your hands wet, but … (need I say more -:wink:



(2) They are not shaped and at the same time are rather stiff - my hands feel like they will get tired holding a paddle… The fingers want to spring back to a straight position. In contrast, most paddling gloves are shaped - you don’t need to expend any effort to hold the paddle with them beyond what you would need without them. Not so with these…



(3) If the traction this rubber offers against a slippery wet paddle shaft is anything like a similar rubber on another set of working gloves offer, it will be very bad - my other set is lightweight but is essentially the same construction: feels great on the hand but is cold in the water and very slippery against the shaft.



So, no I would not use these for paddling. Seem great for yard work or general wear in cold and dry weather.

Level Six is the Good Stuff
JSMarch turned me on to these a few years back:



http://www.levelsix.com/store/index.php/producttype/hand-arm-wear/mitts-neoprene-mitts.html

Gloves

– Last Updated: Nov-17-12 6:49 AM EST –

Here are some other choices;


http://www.wetsuitwearhouse.com/wetsuits/category/scuba-gloves.html#/?filter.sports_combined=Paddle&page=1

These are mens. they have a womens and kids section as well.

For surf ski in the winter cannot be beat.

Level six
I have 2 pairs of these. They are super warm, my hands sweat in them even into 15-20 degree air temps. They are excellent as far as grip. They are waterproof… but only for maybe 10 paddles. Then they leak and leak fairly substantially. I have Aquaseal all over the seams, that definitely helps. But I wish they would tape and glue their seams, especially at the thumb joint, and perhaps add a kevlar strip at the heavy wear areas…across the palm and at the thumb. But I still love these and buy a new pair every season.

wool
it may be a little bulky but wool retains body heat when wet. i delivered mail for 25 years and in the winter the mailbox is cold to touch and in the rain even worse. i found the wool gloves would get wet but my hand stayed warm because of it’s heat retention.