Ever try neoprene gloves for…
…ice climbing? They’ve got to be one of the worst ideas in history! Your tools squirm around in your hands as the neoprene flexes, making precise placement difficult and requiring a death grip on the tools. If you like having “Popeye forearms”, you’ll love climbing in neoprene gloves!
Fortunately, that’s not an issue for paddling.
Don’t know about ice climbing…
…but those that Pikabike specifically mentions are great for climbing an aluminum canoe pole - so long as you wax the pole or apply some kind of rubber coating to the grip area of the gloves.
NRS
Has three gloves. I really like the Maverick. There is also the Rogue with a sticky palm and a new glove called the Natural, which is thick. I like the Maverick because it’s thick enough, fully taped and has a push through wrist gasket which accounts for hand-too-deep water-proofness.
I don’t care for the sloppy cut of Glacier Gloves through the hand and wrist.
Don’t know ice climbing, either
I am just saying that the gloves that Glacier labeled for ice climbing are not squishy like every other neoprene (or neoprene-like) glove I’ve tried. They may or may not be good for ice climbing; I consider them very good for paddling. No need for a death grip and the resulting problems.
For all I know, they might not even be neoprene.
My girlfriend likes them, too
She says they’re much warmer than one would think based on their thickness. I haven’t tried them myself. Neoprene obviously works great for paddling, as you don’t need to grip the paddle tightly for any length of time and you don’t need to plant the paddle with any real degree of precision.
never worked for me.
I never found a pair that was not constrictive and didn’t let my hands get cold. What I’ve used most winters is wool gloves and a single blade paddle to keep dry.
This year I’ve gotten water proof mittens. We’ll see how that goes.
thanks everyone…
my guy is loaning me his Stearn’s. They are waterproof, just to sloppy on me. I agree…these waterproof gloves are outrageously expensive. They really get ya!
does wind go through glacier gloves?!
Not in my experience. They’re made out of the same material as many pogies.
Fives days?! Yikes!
May I suggest you’re doing something wrong? I’ve had mine for YEARS (five years at least)–the same pair–and they’re still going strong. I wonder about your grip. Is it possible you’re gripping too hard?
I always think everything is
outrageously expensive until I use it. Glacier gloves: expensive. Until you use them. Then you see they fill a super niche. Dry suits: expensive. Light paddles: the same. Everything nice is expensive, but then you try it, appreciate it, and never look back.
You got that right
Some expensive things are a rip-off. But some are well worth the price. Glacier gloves belong in the latter category.
Which Glacier glove?
If it’s the ice-climbing version, the outer face is rubber or similar, not cloth like most neoprene. It cuts the wind.
Same thing for my smooth-outside wetsuit: huge diff in warmth when the wind blows. Unfortunately, this type of wetsuit is not good for paddling due to sticking to seat and minicell.
have poggies…
will be using them for sure.
yep…i hear ya
i can’t believe that i spent nearly a grand on 2 paddles in a years time. And would like 2 more.Yowza!!! i know the gloves will be worth it just like all the other gear.I love my gear!
I dunno
I have a hard time with stuff that wears out in a single season. Expensive and good is easier to take when it lasts forever (kokatat drysuit, foam core paddle), and more difficult to swallow when it has holes in the thumb after about 2 dozen uses (neoprene gloves).
A friend of mine has decided that just getting the $17 neoprene gloves from our local fishing supply store is more economical. I’m still chasing that holy grail of a good-fitting glove that has a nice paddle feel, but won’t wear out so quick. Glacier glove fits the first two criteria nicely.
wear or seam split?
My glacier gloves are in fine shape material wear wise, but occassionally i have to re-glue the glued seams which can pull apart after a while. A little seam grip and they’re good to go. Price on the glacier gloves has gone up recently but really i don’t think that the 40 bucks or so is very expensive relative to your average ski glove.