I live on a lake in Upstate NY. In the winter when there is open water and no wind I like to go out for a couple miles.
I have some thin paddling gloves that are fine to about 35*, but my fingers get pretty cold below that. I got thicker mittens that are warm enough, but are a tiring to hold onto the paddle with. I tried pogies with the gloves. Seems like it should work, but there is no way to get the second hand in without a third hand to pull on the pogie. Finally I tried the gloves with nylon overmits that I use XC skiing. That is warm enough, but way to slippery to hold onto the paddle.
Any suggestions for something that is warmer than the gloves but work better than the mittens or overmits?
thick neoprene pogies with wide bottoms-
usually that’s all I need, but depending on your hand size and how easily you can pull your hand out you could wear paddling or dish washing gloves on the inside of the pogie but you lose the feel of the paddle in your hand.
I was slow to come around to liking pogies, but once I got the neoprene ones I’ve never looked back.
Atlas 460
For about 12 bucks you can get a pair of Atlas 460 PVC cold resistant gloves. These are lined and waterproof (unless you go over the open cuff) and have good gripping ability on the paddle shaft - not too sticky and not to slippery. I used to use special waterproof diving gloves and other paddling specific gloves, but found these work well. Still, my favorite hand warmers are bare hands with open cuff neoprene pogies, but that doesn’t always cut it in winter.
Same problem
Cold hands. I had to stop paddling in November because of that. All the paddling gear in the stores had been put away, so there was nothing to try on for sizing. Didn’t want to start buying gloves online and wind up with gear that didn’t work for me.
I may look into pogies when the local outfitters restock, but I want to try them on first. Would be nice if there’s an inside pocket to house a hand warmer. In the interim, I daydream about a paddling glove that would keep my fingers warm, hands dry, and allow direct contact with the paddle.
Chota
Did Chota just stop making their full-finger gloves? All I can find is 3/4 fingers. Can’t find the full-finger anywhere anymore.
Glacier glove perfect curve.
second the Glacier Gloves
The curved finger Glacier Gloves are inexpensive, simple, comfortable, warm, durable and dry. Very good value.
Better yet, turn them into dry gloves
– Last Updated: Dec-21-14 8:16 AM EST –
It's a pretty simple matter to glue wrist seals onto Atlas gloves and turn them into dry gloves. That's what several dry glove companies have done. The orange (double dipped) Atlas gloves are more flexible than the blue (triple dipped) gloves and better for paddling in my experience. I also prefer wool liners to the ones that come in Atlas gloves.
Too cold for these?
I went through quite a range of glove and mitten types before I finally found some black (and the color is important) gloves that are insulated with Thinsulate. The outer shell and inner lining material is polyester–the outer obviously treated to be water resistant. I don’t think that means you can soak them in the water for very long–maybe a split second, but they are fine with splashes, etc. If these don’t keep my hands nice and warm–then it’s just too cold to be out there.
I said the black color is important and the reason is that even in cold weather if the sun is shining, black absorbs the sun’s heat. I have even noticed that having a black paddle shaft makes a difference on sunny days.
Anyway, I don’t know the brand name of these gloves, but they are very commonly found in sporting goods stores, or stores that specialize in outdoor clothing. I paid the whopping price of $5.95, but they were on sale.
Waterproof gloves
I got some cheap waterproof gloves out of a bargain box at a big box store. They are lined and start out warm, and they really are waterproof. But then the moisture builds up inside the gloves. We humans extrude a lot of water! So, the longer I would wear them, the wetter they got, and they would not be as warm. Then it is very difficult to get the gloves to dry, because they are waterproof! Don’t divers run into that?
~~Chip
I have two pair older Glacier Glove
that are fine down to zero ( when I quit paddling! My hands were warm)
Have no idea what they were made of. You could drag your hand in the water and they were waterproof. They are durable. Now in their tenth year or so.
I don’t know if GG still makes a comparable product. They retailed for some $40.
Layer
I layer - Smart Wool liners, Rag wool mittens, and water resistant shells - currently ORs I think. As long as I’m paddling these are good down to zero or so. I’ll mix layers as needed. For upper 20’s the liners & shells are good once I’m moving. I do have some neoprene gloves but I don’t use them much as they are impossible to re-warm once you take them off. They are probably best for when you are going to be wet anyway & temps are in the 30’s
I use removable liners…
…so I can change them or allow them to dry during breaks onshore. It’s also handy to have something to cover your hands when you need to take the shells off.
As you surmised, any truly waterproof glove will get damp inside from perspiration. It’s less of an issue when diving because you’re not typically exerting yourself very hard (at least once you’re in the water), so you don’t perspire as much.
SKINZ are pretty good
You get good grip and good insulation. They do lose some insulation when the outer surface gets wet, though.
Insulate arms, body, legs to the point
that you are almost too warm. This will cause your hands to be warmer, even if not as insulated as the rest of you.
If your hands are cold, but your body is comfortable, that is a sign that you need more insulation on your body. Try to insulate with polyester or polypropylene, and avoid nylon.
If you mean SealSkinz
…they are not even close to warm at 35 degrees or below, which the OP stated was his paddling temperature.
I used to wear them and they weren’t even warm at 50 if the water was cold. They also leaked very early on.
Then there was that fetid, sour stink they developed even though I washed with hot soapy water after literally every paddle. They couldn’t be dried quickly enough to prevent whatever microorganisms caused the smell. I tried turning them inside out, which was extremely difficult to do.
My vote goes to Glacier Gloves, the old “ice climbing” style with precurved fingers. But I think they still would not be warm enough for temps in the 30s.
Keeping you hands warm
– Last Updated: Dec-26-14 6:35 PM EST –
I face the same situation: love to paddle in the colder months, hate to have either cold hands or mitts or gloves that are too clumsy or slick. Here are the three solutions I'm currently using. The first two come from my late son-in-law, who was an Ojibwe icefishing guide: 1) their traditional handcovering on the water in winter was (and often still is) boiled wool mittens, covered by deerskin overmitts, which are surprisingly flexible. You can use them separately or together. 2) Much more modern, though not necessarily more effective, are the Ice Tech waterproof gloves from Ice Armor. They really are waterproof and have good grip. Finally, this year I've been trying some new mitts from Level Six, meant specifically for paddling. Kudzu mentions these above. They have a nice fuzzy lining, an insert to wipe your nose on and fit tightly but not too tight. I like them so far, but I've only used them 3-4 times. Finally, this suggestion: I use the "Little Hotties" heat-pack hand warmers in my mittens. Use them when you begin and get your hands good and warm, because it is easier to keep your hands warm than warming them up after they get cold. If your hands get too warm, take the heat packs out, put them in your pocket to use if you get cold hands again later in the paddle. And by the way, use the heat packs on top of your hand and fingers, not on the bottom where you grip. Stay warm and keep paddling!
Snap Dragon Hot Hands Pogies
These have a bigger opening than the NRS Pogies. I learned the hard way as I bought the NRS version first and had trouble getting my hands in also. I use these for paddling but use a pair of 5mm dive gloves for cold weather rolling (G1 w/zipper). They’ve been great so far - coldest temps so far have been 31 degrees F air temp and 42 degrees F water temp. Check out the dive shops for lots of great options.
Cheers!
Tony
Level 6?
I have a pair of these:
http://www.rei.com/product/802452/nrs-toaster-paddling-mitts
and hate them. They resist being bent, so you have to maintain pressure just to hold the paddle and your forearms burn out. Are the Level 6 better in that respect?