Recently reedited after further testing down to very low windchill temps..... Dec 31st
First of all, I am not a journalist and don't aspire to be. This is just a quickly typed review that I can send people to. However, there is alot of homework and genius in this review.
It kinda started like this, "Hey, want to go do that January adventure race."
"Hmmm, I suppose so."
Eventually, "Hey, what kind of gloves should we wear, as it may fridge our coolies out there?"
Well, I may be in AR retirement (yea, if ya ever believe that none sense), but any race that requires alot of gear, I am game for. Well, I suppose I am game for anything on the weekend which gets me outside.
The reality is, I did my own glove review 4-5 yrs ago since I used to paddle alot before work. Winter was always my favorite time to paddle as there is no traffic to contend with except for the numerous waterfowl that migrate thru in the winter. As most folks know, the one thing that gets cold while paddling are the hands. I went thru a few frigid outings and went thru several gloves till I found my favorites. I also had a bin full of gloves from winter frostbite sailing. Luckily, in our town, we have Annapolis Performance Sailing, which come winter time, has a whole wall dedicated to winter gloves and booties. Back when I sailed alot, that was better than a candy store. I am not a paddle glove rep, but imagine I may have more experience than most of them. In case ya don't believe me, here are just a few in my bin:
You may notice the new Pearl Izumi biking glove which has a flip up mitten feature. That's probably another review. Yes, I sometimes use biking gloves when paddling.
Here are the paddling gloves I am currently most interested in.
These three are all wonderful gloves!! If ya have a Chanukah bush or Xmas tree, they might go well under there.
Yea, maybe I am an obsessive wacko, but the fact is, I spent too many winter days outside as a kid playing ice hockey and have had frostbite so many times that I can't remember. My ice climbing and frostbite sailing days taught me the importance of gloves.
However, it's more difficult to find the perfect paddling glove. Most importantly, this isn't a review of general recreational paddling gloves. Also, paddling is one sport that one glove won't work perfectly for every weather condition. My only interest has been gloves for paddle races and adventure racing. I suppose that is one reason I won't put pogies on the list. However, Pogies are a worthwhile option in cold weather. I just don't personally recommend them for AR. Sure, they work for a winter paddling training day and can be used in AR. I probably place them in the bottom of this pack, with alot of gloves worse than them for my intended use. Also, the fact is, as of this date, I have only tried two types of pogies. (NRS neoprene mamba and kokatat nylon). However, for fast fitness and marathon paddling, there are better options.
What I am specifically looking for is something that is warm but still provides dexterity and feel. So, alot of this review will focus on dexterity and feel. Honestly, it's not an easy combination to find. My bin of gloves attests to that. Luckily, paddling gloves don't cost much on a relative scale. Expect to spend $22-39 for a good glove and no more, unless things change next year. For 2008/9, there have been some nice additions, as the 2nd picture attests to that.
It's difficult to do a fair comparison, as activity level, wind strength/windchill, degree of wetness, and air/water temp all come into play. In fact, it's sometimes a crap shoot. So, what I usually do is take a pile of gloves with me and test them all at once back to back then in reverse and make notes for later with windchill, water temp, and air temp included at the top. Then I do it again in the next few days when the gloves are still damp and cold. Then, I take the gloves on a long outing and a few interval days, and see how they stack up. Things high on my list are a high activity level type of glove that has excellent grip on a paddle, but also allows me to open up a pocket, open up some food, flip thru a map, or answer my cell phone. For me, the feel of the paddle is so important that I would rather have a slightly cold hand than having to deal with something bulky with no dexterity. If your doing a long marathon training workout or winter race, it's easy to find a glove that will keep ya warm. The problem will become finding a glove that won't leave your hands or forearms exhausted because you can't grip the paddle well.
For reference, I use a 70-75 degree feather in my paddle, like nearly everyone, so need to be able to use wrist rotation, which also requires a good grip on the paddle and a flexible glove. I typically paddle with a wing paddle, not that it really matters for the glove, but I do like to retain some feel of the paddle as that gives me feedback about my speed and technique. Marathon paddling is alot about technique, and a glove with poor feel won't help you be fast. This is not just my opinion. Just do one simple long session with a pair of bulky goretex waterproof mittens versus a good paddle glove, and you will see the difference. I doubt your forearms will last beyond 10 minutes of intervals with a bulky glove as your forearms will be so fried.
I know alot of folks who like to use pogies. If you can tolerate bare hands underneath them, they allow the dexterity and feel we all seek, although they add some bulk and lack of flexibility if they are good for the cold. Another problem with pogies is lack of waterproofness and sometimes difficulty getting them on and off your hands and the paddle. They usually attach to the paddle shaft with velcro or a snap. It just adds another element of complexity to the system in a multisport race situation. That being said, alot of recreational paddlers and some New England surfski racers, do use pogies for winter training. Anyhow, the pogie versus glove debate goes on. When you need full use of your hands, probably leave the pogies at home. What I do, is just avoid pogies in the first place. If your a recreational paddler, definitely purchase a pair and given them a run, as they can be paired up with another glove to get you into the temp ranges approaching zero degrees F.
When choosing a glove, just remember that sometimes you just have to accept being a little cold in the hands to retain some dexterity. Part of the problem is the hands are having to deal with water running down the paddle and also they are more exposed to windchill. Each paddle stroke accelerates the hand into the wind at nearly double hull speed. Also, when fast paddling, the hands are elevated and gripped tightly around the paddle shaft, causing faster venous return but receiving less stroke volume of warm blood than the rest of your body. If you really grip that shaft hard, your fingers will always get cold. One note, when paddling, alot of folks recommend relaxing your fingers at the top hand of the stroke. This is even more important in the winter. When it gets really cold, damp, and windy, then sometimes you just have to deal with bad dexterity and go with a warmer glove.
So, no more blah blah!
Right off the bat, here is my favorite all purpose glove during the winter:
1) Sealskinz Chillblockers $30-50 (difference in price since they occasionally are onsale online)
Important note: this is not the standard sealskinz, as it has an extra liner layer which makes it significantly warmer. It's a dramatically different glove than the standard sealskinz and feels very different when wearing it in your living room. The chillblocker is not as well known as the standard, which may be the most important note of this review. One note about all sealskinz: they are a multilayer membrane glove, which means they are not truly waterproof most of the time. They do some wicking of perspiration and wetness and also are very flexible. The chillblockers are more bulky than the standard ones and feel a little strange when on, like alot of paddle gloves. However, add a little dampness while gripping the paddle, and you have a combination that is pretty hard to beat. These morph very well to a paddle. Also, the grip is just bomber. So,with a wing paddle or using any paddle with good torso rotation, I can lightly finger grip the shaft and paddle for hours with very little hand or forearm fatigue.
Over time, layered multiple membrane fabrics will degrade and become less waterproof. In the past, Sealskinz did have some issues with reliability. The current models are apparently more dependable. I have had my current pair for 2 years, with maybe 100+ hrs of paddling on them, so they have held up surprisingly well. Summing this all up: They are warm, have excellent grip material on the palm, are fairly waterproof, stay reasonable warm when wet, and have among the best dexterity of the warmer gloves. They also keep me less fatigued after 60 minutes.
The only downside is that they take awhile to dry out, so they will get mildewy over the course of multiple paddle sessions/week. The chillblockers specifically will end up smelling a dead raccoon with repeated sessions. I personally love to driving around with them in my car when I happen to meet someone who I don't like. If ya flip the gloves inside out and bring them inside, they will dry out in a few days.
On a long outing, they stay comfortable and the grip only gets better. However, the damper they get, the colder they will become. They can handle down to the low 20's temperature wise on a calm day, but windchill can be a problem with these gloves. However, they are the one warmer glove that doesn't leave my hand and forearm feeling fatigued. During the winter on a really cold day, this is the one glove that I can get thru a hard interval workout and not feel like my forearms and hands are gonna full off because of toxic levels of hydrogen ions/lactic acid. Of note, the Chota and Atlas gloves are warmer when the windchill gets into the single digits.
The rest of the gloves:
2) Chota neo/fleece and NRS reactor or navigator glove $30-39. These both come in a very close 2nd place. They both happen to be a tad lighter, so are easier to carry around. We happen to carry both at Annapolis Canoe and Kayak. Both gloves are fairly similar, but the Chota brand is slightly more recommended, and it is warmer. Officially, Chota would be in 2nd, with the NRS reactor in 3rd place, however they are fairly similar. The Atlas glove is probably nearly tied for 3rd place. You can find the Reactor on sale right now, as NRS often does that at the end of the year. One note, the Chota and NRS are similar, but the Chota is clearly better.
They have 3mm neoprene with a thin fleece inside, which helps make them warmer. They have ample amount of dexterity. Both of these are among the most popular paddling gloves in the recreational paddle market. Since they are neoprene, they are not waterproof, but instead neoprene works to warm the water around the body part. I found the Chota gloves to be warmer and more waterproof. The stitching is very tight and is backed up underneath. In fact, after multiple dunkings, I didn't feel any water come thru the glove, meaning, the Chota may be the first waterproof neoprene glove I have seen. The Chota does have slightly more padding on the fingers. Since this side faces in the wind, this is a very nice feature. Another nice feature is they have a prebuilt in angle to the fingers, which helps decrease fatigue in the hand and forearm. A very nice paddling glove, all of them. Adding a pogie to this setup is very popular, when the conditions are miserable. Most kayak stores recommend that. My only issue bringing these down from first place, is the fact that they seemingly cause more fatigue in my hand when doing intervals or paddling longer distances. That is likely because of the extra bulk. The fatigue is not as bad as the forearm fatigue I experienced with the Atlas thermafit with a liner in them. The fatigue is more in my hand with these gloves. Again, the sealskinz chillblockers have none of that fatigue problem. In fact, the sealskinz cause less fatigue than when paddling with bare hands. I think the amazing grip on the sealskinz palm helps in that regard. However, the Atlas and Chota/NRS neoprene gloves are slightly warmer, especially in very wet conditions with a low wind chill.
3) Atlas 451 thermafit glove (liner included) $30 www.seamar.com/atlasgloves or thru annapolis performance sailing Honestly, I have the least amount of experience with this glove. You need to call and get the latest model and remember to pick a size smaller than you are used to. They run a size or two larger than ordinary gloves. Atlas happens to make tons of models. Make sure you specificy 451 or similar when ordering. I tried this glove after some suggestion from Joe Short, as he saw them being worn on the "Deadliest Catch" TV show. I think Joe still has flashbacks about sitting in front of the boat on the infamous 2008 cp0 adventure race, while trying to deal with very low windchill temps. Of course, I was toasty in the back of the boat, as I was protected by the wind.... Joe is now semisponsored by them for a trial in AR, and is planning on using them for snowblowing and paddling. I imagine he may be wearing them to bed, just in case. He may become the Atlas glove poster child. What I did find, is that Annapolis Performance Sailing and the US Sailing Team have started using these gloves, which means alot. The Sealskinz have been a long time favorite of frostbite sailors, but Atlas has entered that market.
What I found, is that the Atlas is warmer than the Sealskinz, seemingly on the order of a few degrees. With the right liner, they can go very deep toward that zero degree number. There greatest asset is prevention of windchill driven conductive heat loss. I have not had the Atlas long enough to find it's bottom end temperature and wind chill range, but it is warmer than most gloves I have tried. More importantly, it stays warm, as it is an absolutely watertight glove. The downside, is that the thick rubber like material removes some of the feel and dexterity in comparison to the sealskinz and some of the other gloves. They do have good grip however, so my hands don't get so fatigued, although my forearms do. The largest downside of this glove is the standard polycotton/acrylic liner that comes with the glove. First of all, it does not wick well, and also adds considerable bulk to the glove. I would actually put the liner in your recycle bin or burn them. Or maybe use them as a bike rag. I think they put them in to save money, and for fishermen, I suppose the loss of dexterity isn't such a big issue. Thankfully I tried a different liner, as I nearly took the gloves back to APS when I tried them with the liner. With a good liner, the glove does have an acceptable level of dexterity. Your forearms will be more fatigued than the Sealskinz, but for that, you will get more warmth. Somehow, these two gloves mate together very well with a NRS or Gill neoprene. Sort of like pizza and beer. One final note, they work surprisingly well without a liner, as they are still warm and then retain better feel of the paddle. I did find, that after 90 minutes of paddling without a liner, that the inside of the glove started to rub my hands raw. As I often carry my Gill or NRS gloves around on a AR race, these might come in handy to throw on over them if the paddle if the wind is up.
(edited note: I recently had the Chota's out in windchill down in the single digits, with ice covering my paddle and boat with wind in the 25-38 mph range. The kind of stuff you shouldn't be out in, but I was. Amazingly, the Chota's stayed warm. I happened to have the Atlas gloves with me (and a few others), but the Chota's ended up being the warmest. My hands were clearly cold with the Atlas gloves on and a neoprene liner underneath.)
4) Neoprene/fleece dishwashing glove $11.99-17.99 One note, there are many varieties of dishwashing gloves out there. Dishwashing gloves without neoprene or a liner are very cheap, but very cold. They usually cost just a few bucks. However, Lowe's and Home Depot sometimes carry a more robust variety that has a thin liner and neoprene. That is what I am referring to here. Of all the paddling gloves, these hardy dishwashing gloves have the best grip and dexterity. The only downside is that they are sometimes hard to remove quickly (like in a TA in adventure racing) and they get comparatively cold compared to the gloves at the top of this list. Rubber very close to the skin seems to increase cooling. However, a few of these have a thin line beneath the neoprene, and they work pretty darn well as a winter paddling glove. Dishwashing gloves are a favorite of the ghetto adventure race paddler. One trick is to add a pogie or add a winter skiing glove over the dishwashing glove to increase the warmth.
5) Regular sealskinz $20-30 The standard sealskinz do get cold below a temperature of 33 degrees. They have excellent grip and dexterity. Above 33 deg, a very nice glove. They have all the positives of the other sealskinz, but are comparatively warmer temp gloves.
6) Gill sailing glove and NRS paddlers glove $29-35 West Marine also makes their own version for a few dollar savings. This is my favorite sailing and paddling glove. One a warmer day, these go to the absolute top of the list. The newer NRS glove takes the cake as the most versatile glove in the review. It's just an absolute gem. Good grip, dexterity, feel, and has a thin neoprene back for colder temps. Which happens to have excellent abrasion resistance for winter mtbing. I actually wear these gloves in the heat of summer for very long paddle races as they help prevent blister formation and provide better grip than my bare hands. These gloves have a bottom temp range near 35 degree, depending on the windchill. These are also my favorite adventure racing glove. The Gill glove is designed for sailing, so happen to work very well for rappelling. They are dexterous enough to use when flipping maps and shifting gears while biking, while providing full finger protection. So, I use these gloves for nearly everything. I have wear these gloves for entire 24hr races and on long mtbing days. They happen to be as good as any biking specific glove, but are more versatile for multisporters. For very cold bike days, you will need something warmer. When they get wet, they don't get soggy, as they are mostly neoprene with a leather palm. They happen to fit well inside the Atlas shell and my goretex mittens.
7) NRS Hydroskin $25 Our store carries these also. They are a thinner neoprene glove with excellent grip and dexterity. This glove has excellent reviews on the internet and by paddlers who use them. They make it to about 37-38 degrees, so they are a nice transition temperature glove. They have a very sticky grip, somewhat like the sealskinz. These are great paddling gloves in the spring time, when the air is warm, but the water trickling down the paddle is still fridging your coolies. If I lived and paddled in San Francisco, these would be my go to gloves.
8) NRS Mitten $35 These happen to be warm gloves, as most mittens are. However, they fall down the list because they lose dexterity points. I also happen to not like wearing them. However, if you need more hand warmth, they do the trick. Since they have fewer seams than a fingered gloved, they are also more waterproof. Doing a nice winter recreational paddle is fine with these and they keep me happy. On a long outing with some hard pulls on the paddle shaft, these drop down the list.
Goretex Mittens or Goretex gloves (pretty expensive) Only mentionable as some people own goretex gloves/mittens for other outdoor activities. On a very cold day, they happen to work fine when biking. As for paddling, they are very warm until water permeates thru the membranes, which can be 10 minutes to 2 hrs depending on how new they are. Not really designed for paddling and they have awful grip and dexterity when holding a paddle. However, they can work and work very well on a really cold day by decreasing conductive cooling. One trick is to buy an inexpensive nonlined dishwashing glove and place that inside as a liner. At least that will keep the hands dry.
There are several more gloves that were reviewed, including the popular Musto sailing glove and a few nearly waterproof biking gloves. The best of that punch happens to be the Specialized Submerge. It was intended as a winter bike glove with water resistance for wet/damp winter slogs. They happen to have good dexterity and reasonable grip. Since I often keep a pair in my car for bike outings, they work well for shorter winter paddling outings.
Here is the Chota neo fleece glove being reviewed.
I kept placing the Chota glove in this 38 degree water again and again, as I couldn't believe how warm and waterproof they were. Under water, they are the warmest glove in this review. However, when paddling, we often don't keep our hands in the water.
This is one reason I even bother with studying paddling gloves. In the winter, paddling can be a great workout. However, nothing compares to the isolation of a winter paddle.
