Walmart hunting gloves
In the North East, Walmart - Hunting section has great Neoprene gloves - cheap. The nicest paddling gloves I have ever used. Around $8.
When it really gets cold, I use them with waterproof over-mutts. In an emergency, I can pull them out fast if I need my fingers.
forgot to mention…
Drip rings really help keep your hands warmer. No sense in bathing them with cold water on each stroke. For GP use I put a tight loop of bungee around the inner blade areas and it works great and doesn’t interfere with my hands. Leave the knot on the bottom as you paddle.
Under Armor has gloves.
They have gloves but I don’t know their intended use. I’ll check it out and get back to you.
Glacier Glove brand gloves.
Get the ‘Perfect Curve’ model w/the very light fleece liner, not as clammy as straight neo gloves. They are fairly thin, but not too thin. They are precurved and have a great grip on the paddle as well as being H2o-proof. Tried the NRS Reactors, which are too thick, too curved and I thought an uncomfortable fit on a paddle and hand, and no where near as warm as the Glacier Glove even though thicker. Just my two cents.
Nitrile gloves
I use the heavier duty disposable ones from Grainger. For me the are better than dishwashing gloves and much less restrictive than neoprene gloves. Also I often use plain old wool knit gloves.
Yep I’ve bought abour 4 things at
walmart, and those are one. I was driving through maine on hte way to a put in, and was desperate.
just curious
>I often use plain old wool knit gloves. <
How long do they last?
I would have thought the palm wear through pretty quickly?
I checked out the Under Armor gloves
they would not be good for paddling. I have a pair of the Wal-Mart gloves but they don’t compare to my NRS neo gloves.
Idea
I haven’t found the ideal glove, either. Closest I’ve gotten is Sealskinz gloves, which are waterproof and preserve feel better than anything else I’ve worn.
Sealskinz are not real warm. But I did a comparison one winter day: I put a leaky Sealskinz glove on one hand and left the other bare. I put both hands in the water and left them there for about half a minute. I really had thought there wouldn’t be much difference–there was. So even though they’re not really warm, they’re still my favorite glove for paddling. Even though one leaks, it’s still far warmer than bare skin. And yes, the nonleaky one is warmer still.
I was thinking that you could get the Sealskinz one size large (they are supposed to fit tight) and insert an ultrathin wool liner glove, similar to the very thin Merino wool used in Smartwool’s lightest underwear. I bet that would still keep good paddle feel and add a bit of warmth to the waterproofness.
Anyone tried the NRS rapid gloves?
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2417&deptid=944
I’m looking for thin gloves too, for use with a GP. These are 1.5 mm. Not really that thick. Felt good in the store. Anyone use and like these?
Paul S.
Fit GREAT, but grip not so well …
The Rapids are the most comfy and nicely fitting gloves I’ve ever used, but I only used them once because they just don’t have enough sticky gripping material on them.
I tried them on a fairly action-packed Class II+ river, and by the end of the 5-mile run my forearms were aching some due to having to hold on verytightly to prevent slippage. Took them off as soon as we merged into a much bigger, deeper (and warmer) river where I would never need the skin/knuckle protection.
Perhaps they would work quite well for mellow sea kayaking or rec use, but for whitewater or surf, no way.
I’m going to try to wax my Werner carbon shaft for the first time so I can use these otherwise great gloves, but NRS should improve them!
NOTE: All the blue 2006 NRS Rapid gloves I’ve seen do NOT have the “Spider-web grip pattern” surface pictured on their website! They have less sticky stuff, looks like the Hydroskin palms (which I’ve heard grip better but I don’t want to try after this experience).
Not much grip
The NRS gloves I got, which I think are their 2mm model, have some kind of painted-on black stripes that are supposed to help grip.
They do not grip well. The little sticky rubber half-spheres that Sealskinz and Wells Lamont (garden and work gloves) use DO grip extremely well.
NRS gloves grip
Was that on a non-wood paddle?
The NRS rapid gloves have the little black squiggle stripes also. They gripped really well in the store on a wood canoe paddle. I have a GP with a teak oil finish, which has a bit of a semi gloss finish. Don’t know how they would grip on wet wood finish though. Thanks for the heads up on the grip.
BTW, the 2006 rapid gloves have a separate piece of material sewn in along the sides of the fingers. The light grey material in the photo on the url in my reply above. The 2005 just have a top and a bottom sewn together. I think the 2005 is a little better fitting around the fingers. Again, just from trying on in the store, not from use.
Paul S.
Not a wood paddle shaft
– Last Updated: Nov-04-06 10:21 PM EST –
The paddle had a glass shaft.
Even with sticky grippers on them, I don't think I'd like neoprene gloves. They squish too much for my tastes (ref. comment about forearms above)--and that's even for flatwater paddling.
You might want to consider pogies instead of gloves, or perhaps in addition to them.
***Later...
I just looked at the photos in the link above. My Rapid gloves are the older-model blue ones in 1.5mm neo with the black squiggles. I don't even like using them for driving. Too much squish. It may be that I just detest squirmy materials; when gel bike saddles came out, I thought they felt nasty.
Playtex living gloves
$2.99 at any supermarket
I like the NRS Reactor Gloves
They are thick but “pre-curved”. I’ve been in ice water with them without a problem. Velcro straps around the wrists.
More info on NRS Rapid Gloves …
“I spoke to the person in charge of glove production and learned that we will not be using the “sprider-web” pattern on the palm of our gloves due to the difficulty of producing it in large quantities. The glove pictured online was a sample and never produced in large quantities so we apologize for the misleading picture, our web team has updated the picture as of today. Another glove that I would recommend is the NRS Fusion Glove with the Rawhide palm for maximum surface area coverage to ensure a good grip. To get the best grip, try Mr. Zogs Paddle Wax in conjunction with either the Rapid Glove or the Fusion Glove … NRS Customer Service”
NRS is great and very responsive!
Boss gloves and polypro liners
The idea of playtex living gloves got me thinking.
I had bought a pair of Boss neoprene on latex gloves for 3 or 4$ at Bimart.
Tried them last weekend in approx. 55 F water, 45F air. Grip was very good. Water tight when pulling the cuffs of the glove over the latex gasket and velcroing the dry top fabric over the glove cuffs.
Finger tips were cold for awhile. Back of hand was cold some. Just ordered thin polypro glove liners from NRS. Looking forward to trying the combo.
These may be tougher than PLGs and may have a little more room for a glove liner. I don’t know. Haven’t looked at the PLGs yet.
These look like the gloves I bought.
http://www.bossgloves.com/htm/gloves/coated/1UN0055.htm
Paul S.
polypro liners so so, latex gloves good!
– Last Updated: Nov-28-06 8:16 AM EST –
The polypro glove liners didn't work that great. The weave is too loose so spreads at the tips of the fingers. Finger tips still cold sometimes. Rest of the hand was warm.
The Boss gloves were just right with the glove liners though. There's enough room in the fingers for just a snug fit with the liners on.
I'm gonna stick with the basic system. Great grip on the paddle! Now I'm gonna look for thin wool glove liners.
Thanks to the original poster(s) about latex gloves/platex living gloves, which is what pointed me in the latex glove direction.
I checked PLGs out at the grocery store. Very similar texture as the Boss. The boss just has a thin extra layer of white rubber; I assume that's the neoprene; inside. It's so thin, I don't know that it matters. The large PLGs were too small for me though. I think the decission Boss/PLG is a matter of hand size.
The gloves were still water tight for rolling, when tucked under the fabric cuffs of the dry top. At the end of the trip though when I took a swim for fun, on breast storke the gloves did fill with water. I'm sure the stroke pushed water into the DT cuffs and up into the gloves. Low volume of water though if the gloves are snug; sort of like a wet suit effect.
Paul S.
what about 1mm neoprene with latex palm
Shaunotter, sounds like you work for NRS. Is that right? Great company. I was thinking that a 1mm neoprene glove for warmth, with solid latex on the grip area; palm and inside of fingers; for grip, would be ideal.
Has that been considered? If so, what are the reasons it’s not on the market? Manufaturability, market demand?
Paul S.