Wax and Gloves
I use blue or green (hard) ski wax. Wax and smooth it in just like you do for waxable skis. Been using it for a few years - necessary for use with the Deep See gloves mentioned.
For pogies, I really like the ones by Immersion Research.
A cheap alternative glove is the Kinco PVC lined work glove. You don’t need wax with these. You want the ones without the cuff. Nice and toasty and easy on/off.
http://www.discountworkgear.com/products/Acrylic_Lined_PVC_Glove_12_inch-625-71.html
I use Reactors, no real problem except
they had a little hole in them from where they put to price tag string through. I used neo cement with a patch held in a vice until dry. No leaks.
XL
I am already at XL. I am going to try the wax thing, and if that does not work the gloves are going on CraigsList.
Stohlquist Maw passes 'test’
I decided to resurrect this thread after putting my Stohlquist gloves to the test. As I was putting in along an icy river bank on New Year’s Eve and started floating away from shore – without my paddle. I had to plunge my hands into the water and hand-paddle a couple feet back to get my paddle. The water had only recently turned back to liquid. There were still little ice chunks floating by and ice floes along shore (along with my paddle), but my hands stayed warm and functional. I learned a couple of lessons – one of which is how well the Stohlquist gloves work; the other lesson, of course, is the importance of hanging on to my paddle when I’m launching.