I was out on the Truckee this weekend and lasted about 5 minutes using neoprene gloves and about 15 using latex surgical gloves under neoprene gloves. With the Nordic-Blues, do you use some kind of liner? Do they keep your hands warm say 15Deg air temp, 32Deg water temp?. Can you maintain a decent paddle grip? I do not think I will do any cold water paddling anymore this year but want to be ready for next.
I like powerstretch liners
– Last Updated: Jan-05-04 1:56 PM EST –
from Outdoor reasearch (polartec powerstretch 150, or any other place you can get a pair. brother sing likes thermax liners. both of us cut them off near the base of the thumb above the wrist to get them on with a bit less trouble. You can also get atlas 495s fron Redden marine, the wrist gaskets somewhere and make you own.These are the materials used by nordic blue. savings are minor though. The 495's come with liners detached so that is nice. The liners they ship with are too fluffy for any kind of paddle feel. You can use them when things get desperate! or just get medium weight patagonia liners with the OR's above.
Today I used the nordic blues with no liners for a three hour jaunt. water cold but flat at 38 F degrees or so, air about 45. Worked nice. I like warm gloves! Kept me dry during rolling but I only did three.
I know I am using some brand names but these things are the best for me and sometimes you need the best.
BTW. Did you try that Hood I told you about?
Thanks
– Last Updated: Jan-05-04 12:43 AM EST –
I was out on Tahoe and Donner this weekend and was ok using just neoprene gloves. Air temp around 20 water just above freezing. Not too bad with a couple of rolls, but the constant wetness on the river did me in. Did not get a dive hood yet, doubling up on helmet liners did the trick.
Gloves
How about the NRS mittens? If you then put them inside pogies?
I do not like Pogies.
Plenty Warm
and no problem with grip (provided proper fitting). The nordic blue rubber is a grippy type anyway. I generally use a thin thermax liner (as Peter stated above) and find that it’s sufficient for winter paddling. My hands do get cold on breaks when I take of the nordic blues and manage to get some moisture on the liner. You can also increase the warmth by not purging as much air from the glove when you have them on.
I just found a (cheap) pair of 200 polar fleece gloves and will try these the next time out.
Check in with Brian and Peter about getting a similar glove, sans gaskets, by a U.S. company. Add on gaskets yourself. Nordic Blue prices have gone up pretty significantly since I bought my pair over 2 years ago. I think mine were a little over $40 US compared to what is over $60 now. Still worth it in my book for winter hand comfort.
sing
Mittens
How about the NRS mittens. Mine are very warm.
They work well
The stock liners aren’t very good, but they can be removed by cutting the stiching. IIRC, NB now sells gloves with removable liners. I replace mine with Thermax liners for warmer days and Smartwool gloves for colder conditions. Grip is not a problem.
Yup
I agree with the mittens. I’ve also tried the combination of thin neoprene glove used in conjunction with Pogie’s— better dexterity, but not nearly as warm as the Mits. If you’re worried about being able to find the grab loop with mits on, you can use the old trick of attaching a whiffle ball to the loop. If you had to, a quick pull on the fingers of the met will remove it (even when wet inside). I haven’t tried the Nordic Blue’s.
BTW, the NRS Toaster Mits have a very grippy material in the palms.
Link to the mits below.
http://www.nrscatalog.com/product.asp?pfid=2447