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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Ah yes, the eternal search for the ulitmate gloves
Posted By: Brian Nystrom In Response To: Glove gripes (Jay Doorly)
Date: Thursday, 23 October 2003, at 12:36 p.m.
: I tried some Seal Skinz waterproof/breathable gloves and found them both
: leaking badly after 2 hours of paddling. When I returned them to the store
: I was told I was the only one to have a problem with them. I felt that the
: action of hard paddling simply wore out the goretex-like membrane.I haven't heard anything good about these, though people do seem to like the socks.
: I switched to some Warmers TS Titanium neoprene gloves with precurved fingers
: when my hands got too cold for the 1/2 finger gloves I was wearing. 30
: minutes later I found my hands were so sweaty and pruny and COLD that it
: was much more comfortable to use the 1/2 finger gloves again. I can't
: really explain this since neoprene is supposed to fit tight, but I know
: from winter mountain biking that tight gloves are cold and you have to
: have an air gap so you wear gloves a size or two larger than you need.Wetsuits need to fit tight, but I've found that gloves need to be a bit loose in order to avoid inhibiting blood circulation.
: Now, about grip. If the glove to paddle shaft interface is slipery you will
: have to hold the paddle tighter. This means more flexed muscles and effort
: expended. The two pairs of aformentioned gloves looked like they would
: afford a good grip, and are promoted as paddling specific. However, in the
: arena of grip they do in fact suck.Except for difficult/strenuous maneuvers, you shouldn't be gripping the paddle anyway. The only problem I ever have with gloves is an occasional stroke where my upper hand slides down the paddle. As Pamela pointed out paddle wax is a simple solution. If you can't find it, surfboard wax is the same thing. Even the harder grades of X/C ski wax will work, as will bee's wax.
: So, are my efforts to paddle throught the winter to be thwarted? Have I
: mortgaged the house to buy a genu-ine gore-tex dry suit with contrasting
: colored horizontal zippered fly and booties in vain? Will I ever climb
: through the elastic neck of my fuzzy fleece union suit?I don't see why not.
: Maybe. After buying gloves for $30 and up, and being thoroughly dissatified.
: Things are looking up. I just bought some South Bend Cold Weather
: Fishermans gloves. I got a pair just a little too big, and they have a
: fleece lining, a nylon outer layer laminated to 3mm neoprene except the
: palm area which is a grippy raw neoprene, the fingers have a bit of
: pre-curve, and you can choose black or camo, and they cost $12. Now, if
: the water will just remain in a liquid state, and I don't chicken out when
: I feel how God awfull fridgid...The best gloves I've found for moderate cold are the one's Sea Kayaker recommended after their last glove test: Stearns $15 gloves. They have a grippy palm (really) and will last a season or two. Like any 3mm neoprene glove, they will begin to leak after a few paddes, but that's just par for the course. Stearns also makes an elbow length neoprene glove that runs ~$20. They're quite dry as long as you're not rolling around. Eventually, they will leak, too.
When the water gets seriously cold, I switch to Nordic Blue Dry gloves. As Sing noted, the stock liners are crap. IIRC, the gloves are now availble with the liners not sewn in, which makes switching them much easier. On warm weather days, I use mid-weight Thermax liners. On cold days, I use thicker Smartwool liners with the cuffs cut off so they fit the shells better. As for sizing, I have a size 10 hand and find that the large size is just a bit too snug. Eventually, I'll get a pair of XLs.
BTW, don't let the fact that these have to be ordered for Sweden dissuade you. The shipping is cheaper and faster than from coast to coast in the US via UPS. Go figure. Also, NB's service is outstanding. One of the seals on one of my gloves tore when I put them on for the second time, so I emailed them early one morning to inquire about getting a replacement seal. Within an hour, I received a phone call from the owner of the company in Sweden, inquiring as to how it happened (apparently, it's a very rare occurance). He sent me a new pair of gloves and didn't even ask for the original ones back. That's serious customer service!
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