I’d been using cheap neoprene from Walmart or Farm & Fleet, but they’re not all that comfortable for paddling and I accidentally left my preferred pair at the lake 20 miles away and didn’t have time to go back and get them before work and didn’t expect them to still be there later. The couple pair I tried at stores today had rough seems along the fingers that would be too uncomfortable to use for paddling.
Are Glacier Gloves http://www.glacierglove.com/pages/neoprenegloves.htm still the most recommended for paddling? I got this link from thread from last year on “Thin Gloves”. Which model is recommended this year?
I’d be using them for both carbon kayak paddles and carbon canoe paddles most of the time, so a glove that would work well on both single blade and double blade paddles.
Thanks.
NRS reactor gloves
are what i have. to be honest, i hate wearing any gloves, preferring pogies, but when the water is near freezing and i’m on the river, i use these. they are great, very warm BUT.
if it’s frickin cold, and you get water in them right away, your hands will be cold. you have to warm yourself up and try to keep some water out until you get going. at least this is my experience. when water is near freezing, it’s a lot to ask of any glove to be perfect, unless it’s a dry glove like those polar blues or something, but that’s a different animal all together.
good luck.
I really like the Aleutians
for air temps down to about 20 deg F. Lower than that, it is the Nordic Blues. The Aleutian last about a season, but are very flexible and comfortable. The Nordic Blues are warm and dry but not very flexible and a bit of a pain to get on.
Pogies
I know the thread is “gloves” but I find pogies to be wonderfully effective.
Wet hands or Dry?
Paddling quiet water I just wear polypro or rag wool liners or fleece gloves if it’s real cold.
If I know my hands will be wet I wear the NRS Hydroskins. Wet and ice forming on the boat I have a pair of thick neoprene gloves with prebent fingers. They’re a bit awkward but WARM. Certainly less awkward than icy hands.
NRS Mittens
When it gets cold, I wear the mittens. When it gets really cold I use pogies.
Diving gloves
Have the NRS reactors and generally find that the curved finger gloves are both less comfortable and less effective - they seemed to actually inhibit needed circulation for me.
We use Deep Sea gloves, dry gloves intended to mate with a diving suit from a scuba shop. They have much more flexibility than many cold wetather paddling gloves and work fine for me whether or not I bother to try and mate them with my drysuit. Also can be put on without help from others, one of the issues with the Nordic Blues.
Mom was right!
Wear your mittens!
Fingers together make for warmer companions than apart. The NRS Paddle Mitts I’ve found warm enough for winter playboating and you can still operate a zipper or get your car key into the lock. Finer dexterity than that, well now you need fingers more than flippers. For the winter diehards I always keep the NRS Mitts in the showroom along with Kokatat Kayak Mitts Pogis.
See you on the (colder) water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
poggies
I was out a few weekends ago and both of my friends were wearing neoprene. I was wearing only my poggies and did not get cold but both of them did. One of them was even wearing the thicker gloves.
However,if you do white water and use a short paddle without rubber to prevent water from flowing drown the shaft they do get wet!! I’m planning to get a pair of neoprene gloves to wear under the poggies for when its really cold.
I would highly suggest the poggies and you still have full contact to the paddle. I think they are great!! Mia
mom is right
but I do like my Glacier Gloves till the temp drops below zero, then I add Outdoor Research overmitts. Windproof… I hate pogies as I cannot paddle with my hands in one position. I want to be able to extend the paddle in a flash when its needed.
poggies
The poggies actually do glide along the shaft. If you have a greenland paddle they will not work. I could see how they could be restraining if you are in very rough conditions!! But to me they are great and if I end up in rough conditions and would wear gloves and I guess getting my hands cold would be the least of my problems!! Mia
Yup
mittens for me, after trying everything else. Nordic blues are great tho’ PITA to get on. Does not work with my wetsuit. So mitts it is for me.
sing
Pogies with canoe paddles?
I haven’t seen pogies in person, but they won’t work with single blade paddles, will they?
Level 6 mittens
Take a look at the Level6 mittens–believe Greg Stamer had a post on these within the last year.
Deep See Comfort Dry Glove
My favorite as I can get them on and off without assistance and find I do need to use my fingers when in my boat.
http://www.deepseeinc.com/products/dry_comfort.html
What is a pogie?
pogie wearers
In cold conditions how do you maintain your hand dexterity when assisting someone else in a rescue? that is unless you can take them off the paddle shaft…
I find that reaching that balance of comfort and dexterity is the key to being paddling safe. Its not always an easy balance to find.
In my sea kayak guide cert class we had to do rescues in the ocean in February.
Glacier Gloves
There are 2 Glacier Glove models I like to use:
The Kenai All-purpose (Model 016BK) are the ones I wear the most - great paddle feel, and warm enough for sub-freezing weather, and cheap. But the rubber is soft, so use with care to prevent early wear-out. (On the positive side, they patch well with Aquaseal for extended life).
The Hypalon perfect Curves are also great (model 002HBL), about the same on warmth, but more durable. I like the comfort and feel of the Kenai's better, but I choose the Hypalon's when I'm more concerned about rock abrasions/etc.
FYI, the reason I gave model numbers is because the Glacier Glove site has several very similar-sounding names for other models of their gloves.
I prefer Glacier Gloves over NRS gloves because by the time the NRS gloves are thick enough to keep my hands warm, they are too thick and uncomfortable and I can barely feel my paddle. I prefer Glacier Gloves over pogies or mittens because I can provide others or myself a variety of assistance while wearing my Glacier Gloves. These work really well for me and have helped me paddle all year without developing blocks of ice for hands.
PS - as per your request, they will also work whether you are paddling kayak or canoe...
Cheers
I can second the Reactor gloves