I’m a huge fan of SnapDragon Hypalon Hyper Hands.
Easy to get in and out of, great insulation, real nice.
Rumor has it Dupont Hypalon is being discontinued.
Haven’t bought pogies recently. Had
some old Stohlquists that had aluminized reflective stuff on the inside. I kind of liked that.
Not a rumor
– Last Updated: Dec-05-10 1:22 AM EST –
Hypalon ceased production earlier this year. it remains to be seen what this will do to the inflatable boat world, since every quality brand who isn't Zodiac has been using Hypalon as the exterior coating of their fabrics.
As for poagies, I've got some old nylon Stohlquists with fleece lining and found that they're not as sloppy wet as some of the neoprene poagies I've owned. The Snap Dragons look intriguing, though...
nrs
i got a pair From NRS. Well made, with nice details.
Allover im very pleased with nrs.
Kokatat Tropos Kayak Mitts
I’ve been using Kokatat Tropos Kayak Mitts and found them toasty. Had to snip the elastic around the wrists in a few places, but after that they go on pretty easy too.
same old school stohlquists
I’ve got similar-sounding poagies with nylon outers and fleece lining. They’re very cozy, and don’t really feel wet.
Shouldn’t “pogies” be spelled
poggies or pogghies or poguies or poaggies?
Why isn’t the “g” in pogies pronounced like the g in large/sage/rage?
"going pogue"
I vote for “poguies”, like “rogue”
I am not able to get comfortable with
the whole notion of “tying” your hands up inside a pogie. Pogies do not provide enough flexabilty for hand location in my opinion. I assume that most winter paddlers use them in conjunction with a glove or mit, if not, what happens when you pull your hands out, or become separated from your paddle? My reactor gloves seem to handle any weather and are comfortable with dexterity that does not require their removal for almost any task. I don’t remove my gloves until my drysuit comes off,and my drysuit does not come off until the boat is strapped down and all of my gear is stowed away. I am sure that many here use and like pogies, I just can’t get comfortable with anything that limits my options. I can also imagine, perhaps incorrectly, that other GP users might be less comfortable with them too. Bill
gp pogies
I think for GP you need a model accomodating larger tubetube
Pogies with GP work for me
You can adjust the velcro so the opening will slide up past the shoulder of the paddle, so you can use extended paddle strokes with no problem. When it’s really cold I use a thin pair of gloves underneath. The combination works really well for maintaining “feel” of the paddle loom with good warmth. I use a pair of Mountain Surf pogies that look identically shaped to Snapdragon Hyper Hands but are plain neoprene.
Pogies
The Pogie name was trademarked by Bonnie Losick who was a member of the US Whitewater Team back in the early 70’s. She came up with the name and made and marketed “The Bonnie Hot Pogie” back in the 70’s. I remember meeting her at some New England white water races back then.
Not tying your hands up
Pogies slide fine - you just have to make sure that you haven’t got them too tight around the shaft. But most are fairly flexible on that part.
The only thing I’ve run into is how guickly you can get your hands out and back in again, since what you are wearing underneath is usually not sufficient in itself to be out for longer than it takes to adjust something or take a couple of pics. The pogies I just picked up has a fairly stiff wrist enclosure that is fixed size - no messing with a velcro tab to get out or back in - and that seems to handle the in/out part easily.
Love my pogies - hate neoprene gloves
The problem with “many”, not all, neoprene gloves is that your hands fight against the molded form of the glove and you get a squishy smushy feeling on the paddle shaft fatiguing the wrist and forearm.
Just logged 17 miles on the Shiawassee River 12-5-2010 in below freezing temperatures with high winds.
http://bit.ly/ShiSnow
Pogies prevent any windchill effect on the hands. They move easily anywhere on the paddle shaft, drip rings prevent any droplets from entering.
I did wear wear a set of ultrathin Seirus Innovation® Power Stretch® glove liners made of Polartec® Power Stretch® fabric - inside the pogies. This protected my hands from exposure for camera shots, gps, etc.
Hands slide In and Out easily
Some pogies are long, almost up to elbow.
Shorter versions make for rapid insertion/extraction.
http://snapdragondesign.com/products-page/paddle-mitts/hyper-hands/
No drip rings on a GP.
If what you are wearing under the Pogie is not sufficient to protect you without it is that not a problem? If you encounter a problem requiring the use of your hands for a prolonged period, in or out of the water, is this not a problem? I carry a storm paddle as a back up and had to use it yesterday when my primary paddle slipped off of my ice covered skirt. Along with my paddle would have gone my Pogies, and this would have left me exposed while I retrieved my storm and returned to my primary paddle. It took a while to retrieve the paddle in 30 mph winds.If you are involved in a rescue, you probably are not going to be using your pogies, so what do you use, and how well will your hands be functioning? I am not claiming to be correct or knowledgeable, I am asking the questions because these concerns have kept me from using pogies. Never mind the issues I mentioned about off water pack up and GP paddle use. I find my NRS reactor gloves to be very comfortable (warmth and fit) with no added fatigue at all. Bill
you are right - not good for rescues
mopharn, you are correct - if you lose your paddle, or spend more than 10-15 minutes with your hands off your paddle, your hands will get cold. And they would not help if doing rescues. When I paddle in the winter, I am with a friend who never needs rescuing, so it isn’t an issue. Once we start paddling we usually do not stop except for brief periods to pee or get a snack, so my hands are rarely away from the paddle. I do bring a pair of thick neoprene gloves as a backup (although I almost never use them), and also a pair of fleece gloves for if we land for lunch. However, mostly I don’t like landing for lunch in cold weather, because your body gets cold so quickly if there is any wind. I prefer eating quickly on the water and then resuming paddling in within 10 minutes or so.
I agree that if you think your hands will be away from the paddle for more than 10 minutes, pogies are not the way to go.
Paddle shaft feel
If someone doesn’t like the pogies concept, that’s fine.
Not every piece of gear is for every individual in every
possible scenario in every situation.
Pogies offer an suitable option many people enjoy.
For the greenland paddle crowd , go true traditional
http://bit.ly/aaqqatit
Replace Hypalon material
– Last Updated: Dec-07-10 1:26 AM EST –
Millathane millable urethanes could replace Hypalon
http://www.tse-industries.com/Millathane-to-Hypalon.asp
NGS Elastomer in Germany also manufactures Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene CSM 20 and CSM 40.
Husky EXLON™ is a direct replacement for Hypalon.
Looks like Hypalon type fabric is still on the market.