I ordered a pair of the NRS Freestyle wetshoe. Not sure if they’ll be warm, but 3mm of neoprene has got to be better than the spandex fabric shoes I have now. We shall see. I might have to look into heated socks as it seems very hard to keep my feet warm otherwise. I’m guessing a lot of it has to to do with the fact that they’re sitting right on the inner boat hull, which is surrounded by water in the 30s. Maybe I could get some boot liners like you mentioned and wear those in the NRS shoes. I’ll let you guys know how it turns out.
Also, I ordered some Kosi Pogies from Rosie, so we’ll see how those perform.
I use those iron powder hand and toe warmers when skiing. They need oxygen to produce heat, so they work well in my Gore-Tex ski gloves, but not very well in my ski boots. I don’t think they would work well inside neoprene boots or gloves.
I do exactly this on the bike because I generate a lot of heat and I don’t want to be overdressed and have my clothes get wet from sweat. I’ve discovered that the key to overcoming the initial chilliness is to have a cup of hot tea before going out.
It’s not a concern in the kayak because it is much easier to peel off layers and stow them away.
Heated socks are nice. My wife and I have 12V heated clothing made by Gerbing for the cool weather motorcycle touring that we used to do before kids. We both appreciate the gloves and socks much more than the vest or jacket liner. Her hands followed by my feet are always the weakest links in our cold weather endurance no matter what the activity, and disposable toe warmers don’t work well in waterproof boots because they don’t get oxygen.
Our 12V gear only works on a motorized vehicle of course and has to be plugged in. Some years ago, I was gifted a pair of heated socks that used 1.5V D cells. They were cheap crap and didn’t do much besides waste batteries. Now there are socks with USB-chargeable lithium batteries from reputable companies that I would like to try, but they are expensive and I am unsure whether they could survive water immersion, or at least not become a burn hazard. Something to look into…
The NRS shoes seem better so far. My feet did not get cold today, but then again, it was 60. However, air temps were the same yesterday, and my feet got cold in my cheapo water shoes, so I think the NRS neo booties may actually work.
I don’t know how anybody can say the Glacier Bay Perfect Curve Gloves can keep their hands warm even in moderately cold weather. I took them out on a bike ride in the upper thirties and my hands were aching do bad it was hard getting back in and had to run warm water over them when I did.
They are good gloves, comfortable, good fit, feel great on the paddle, nice cuff, but keeping your hands warm, nope.
Perhaps the blood flow to your hands was chilled by the breeze past yr arms? The Glacier Bay perfect curve gloves are my go-to for winter paddling and rolling practice. One size too big, and I cut the cuffs and re-sewed to seal better to my tuilik. Haven’t suffered yr experience, and paddling with a GP the gloves stay wet, outside and sometimes in. They are wearing out, however.
That is what Glacier said they are not designed for Bicycling with wind passing over the gloves at speed and no hand activity to promote circulation but I expected better performance than this. I then wore them as a casual glove just walking about and they did not keep my hands warm. You say they work for you but I would be very reluctant to go out on the water with them on a moderately severe day, because I can not afford for my hands to feel like they did on that bike ride out on the water. Just can’t hapoen, there is no way back.
Edit: I just remembered, I did use them with them jammed over a pair of silk liners and they were better. I may try them again this year because they are a comfortable paddling glove and look well made. But for cycling in severe weather it is ski gloves.
My hands get cold pretty easily. For cycling, what I’ve found is that the most important aspect of a glove is that it must be windproof. With a windproof shell, you need surprisingly little insulation, even on really cold days. On the road and gravel bikes, I use Gore Windstopper fleece shells with either thin synthetic liners or medium weight wool liners, depending on the temp. I don’t ride the road when it’s much below 40, as I’ve had bad experiences with ice. For colder days on the gravel bike, I have some Pearl Izumi shells that are Thinsulate lined, which I pair with the same liners.
I also use the same shell/liner combinations on my mountain and fat bikes most of the time, but I have a pair of Bar Mitts for when it’s really cold and windy. They’re basically pogies for bikes and I was totally floored the first time I used them on a cold, blustery, winter beach ride. My hands were actually getting too warm and I ended up using just the thin liners in temps well below freezing with a stiff breeze. I could have gone bare-handed, but they would have gotten cold really quickly when I took my hands out.
The problem with neoprene gloves is that they don’t breathe, so my hands sweat and my liners get wet, which inevitably leads to cold hands. I’ve tried them for paddling, cycling and ice climbing and the results were the same. My dry gloves suffer from the same issue, but they’re much roomier, so there’s more air trapped in them. I carry a spare pair of liners that I can change to if necessary. During breaks on the beach, I take the liners out of the gloves and let them dry as much as possible. That strategy works pretty well.
Just for my information, I am trying to figure out why the Glacier Perfect Curve gloves failed so miserably on that bike ride in admittedly very severe conditions with temperature, wind and humidity so I do not unjustly trash the gloves. Is it because they are not windproof because they are a paddling glove not made for cycling which naturally creates wind at speed. In other words, in those exact same conditions, I may have been comfortable on the water in the kayak paddling because that is what they are made for?
Another thumbs up for Dachstein mittens. I’ve been a fan of their gloves and even their sweaters since the late 70’s, when I worked at an outfitter that sold them. The ultimate boiled wool product, their process keeps the lanolin in the wool which helps the material shed water, and they hand knit them about 50% larger than they will be before the hot water shrinking process happens that makes the knit thick as heavy felt but still flexible. They used to be only grey/white marl color but now they have a wide array of colors – I bought a cherry red pair 30 years ago when the first started with the colors. I still have my original grey mitts that I got in 1977, a pair of the gloves that date to the 1980s. Since they are preshrunk, they can be tossed in the washer and dryer, though I stick to Woolite soap so as not to strip the wool. Costly, for sure, but how many items of clothing last for 47 years of regular use?
I splurged on the sweater back in my 30’s , a horizontally ribbed high-necked design with a button placket so you could vent it. The sweater was originally designed on spec for the mid century Himalayan climbing expeditions to Nanga Parbat in Pakistan by the Germans and it was incredibly warm. I eventually outgrew it and had to sell it to skinny climber, but it kept me cozy on many winter backpacking and XC ski touring trips. I have used the gloves twice for chilly weather paddling. Even wet they are still reasonably warm and block wind.
I recently picked up a pair of Goretex overmitts with a reinforced palm and long wrist gauntlet that fits over the gloves and will try that combo out, maybe today when I have to shovel my driveway for the first time this season.
I got my Kosi Pogies today. They are nicely made, but don’t keep my hands warm. Admittedly, there were 30+ mph winds today, so the windchill was like 6 degrees. Still, my cheap Heytur pogies did better. I think part of the problem is my hands getting wet. So, I guess I could just use my Euro paddle when it’s really cold, then my hands stay dry due to the drop rings. If I use my GP, my hands get wet no matter what. I wonder if I wore a pair of thin neo gloves under the pogies if that would help, like some NRS hydroskins? I still want to try something like the “shittens”, but not sure those would help once wet.
Me and my buddy were out today, and our hands were so cold they felt like they were burning.
Some people swear by them but that has been my experience, they just don’t keep your hands warm. Comfortable, good fit, good feel on the paddle but dont keep your hands warm.
Your experiences mirror mine. Neoprene gloves don’t keep my hands warm in cold air, whether on the bike or on the water. A windproof shell + moisture wicking glove liner works best for me. My best gloves are an old pair of Scott ski gloves which have a thin, stretchy, moisture-wicking inner glove clipped to a windproof Gore-Tex shell. Second best are deerskin shell with removable wool liner. Neither are really suitable for paddling though. Even the Gore-Tex ones will soak through if they continue to get wet. Dry gloves with thin Merino liners sounds like a good idea to try.
I ordered the thin NRS Hydroskin gloves. Figure they’re worth a try. Up until now, I’ve just been paddling bare handed under the Heytur pogies. Even when they’re all wet inside, my hands were decent. I think the big problem the other day was 30 mph and windchill. Maybe the thin glove under the pogies (the Heyturs or the Kosis) will be enough. I don’t plan on being on in such extreme conditions as the other day, so we’ll see how they work when it’s 30-40 degrees and light wind.
If all else fails, I’ll probably have to get some sort of waterproof or dry gloves, and use my Euro paddle which will prevent wet hands.
I am sorry, with all due respect to advocates of Glacier Gloves, I just went outside to bring in some Boston Ferns in 34 degree temperatures ,no wind, with my Perfect Curve Gloves and my hands were stinging within 10- 15 minutes. They ain’t working.
I walked my Siberian Huskies before dawn this am wearing my GGPC gloves, to see how they stood up to the cold air. AccuWeather said the local temp was 26F with 10-G14 mph winds. After ~25 minutes my hands were chilled, with a slight loss of dexterity. Did expect worse results, esp. at these temps. Wool liners would be needed to paddle. Interesting the differences in our observations.
