NRS Natural Gloves
Sun, 01/29/2012 - 21:25
Just gave my new gloves a try and I thought I'd share my first impressions. Today wasn't a threshold day, and that's why I bought them, but it was still pretty cold. The air temp was 40 F and the water temp was probably 45 F. Actually for Horseneck in late January, it's downright balmy.
The gloves have an awesome pre-curved shape, which makes closing your hand around the bar effortless. Also they have a very short, narrow cuff, which helps it close around the wrist. I've found that with the glacier gloves the long, wide cuff leads to flushing. Another thing I like about the glove is that the inside of the cuff has a little bit of grippy material that grips the latex of my drysuit nicely. Overall the lack of flush, especially while body dragging was great.
The 3.5 mm neoprene kept my fingers warm...not toasty...but warm. Comparatively I noticed the glacier glover wearers had to come to shore and shake their hands today, but I was able to kite 2 hrs straight without a problem. I do suspect that if it were a colder day, there might be an issue.
The biggest issue was that the palm offered very little tack when gripping the Cabrinha bar. This caused some fatigue at the end of the session. I'm hoping that I can find some kind of tacky material that I can put on my gloves and/or bar. I was thinking surfboard wax might work. I also know kayakers use paddle wax. I'm definitely open to suggestions.
I'll follow up after the next true cold water sesh.
Sun, 01/29/2012 - 23:46
#1
Nice detailed review! Thanks
Nice detailed review! Thanks for the info.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 08:36
#2
Second That
I bought these same gloves at REI a couple of months ago, and found that the lack of tackiness on the palm and fingers led to quite a bit of fatigue, despite the pre-curved shape. After using them for a couple of sessions, I bought glacier gloves, which I used for the first time yesterday. The glacier gloves were very warm, but water did get flushed in one of my gloves during a wipe out, despite the velcro band. I also noticed that my hands tended to slip out of them, and I found myself constantly having to push my hand back in, using my thigh for support while holding on to the bar with the other hand, though this may well be due to poor sizing (probably should've bought M instead of L).
As far as the long cuffs of the glacier gloves, some people just cut it off.
Christophe
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 08:49
#3
Yeah big thing to remember
Yeah big thing to remember with glacier gloves is always go a size smaller than you normally would. When they fit right they are great but if they are too big it ruins your session and doesnt keep you as warm...Too bad they rip up within one season...
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 11:00
#4
Glacier gloves...Team Rider Skyrocket:-)
Shake em out and get back on the water 
I think the issue is the gasket on the drysuit is cutting off your circulation. LOL
We have to get you into a WEST 5/4 drysuit.
In all seriousness, let me know how it goes. Every pair of gloves I tried, my hands always get cold initially and then I have to come in, shake, and go back out.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 11:18
#5
I have never used a dry suit
I have never used a dry suit but I find it necessary to tuck my gloves under my wetsuit cuts to keep water from flashing. I think my hands even stayed dry until my 1st big crash. I have the cheap Glaser gloves. Only paid $10. From what others are saying I can not believe I have not ripped them yet.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 11:41
#6
where are people paying $10
where are people paying $10 for new glacier gloves? Mine are due to be replaced and i have not seen them that cheap.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 15:41
#7
Google is your friend John!
Google is your friend John! https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ix=heb&ie=UTF-8&ion...
bottom of the page I see them for $6 - but you should call that shop to confirm they're actually glaciers before ordering
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 17:21
#8
those don't look like any
those don't look like any Glacier Glove I've ever seen for water use. so be careful!
the $9.95 deal many of us found last year is not around any more. expect to pay $20. if you do find them for cheaper, but 5 pairs and then post it. cause they get sucked up quick at cheap prices 
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 01:44
#10
the cheaper glacier gloves on
the cheaper glacier gloves on amazon on the link above are the non fleece lined ones. they are not as nice as the more expensive fleece lined ones for watersports
http://www.amazon.com/Glacier-Glove-Premium-Waterproof/dp/B002T1G7M8/ref...
but the non-fleece are fine for spring/fall or just use fleece lines ones with holes from last season..unfortunately they only last a season unless you are very careful...not me
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 17:26
#11
looks tight around the wrist
looks tight around the wrist to me... a contributor to forearm fatigue. Other contributors: having to grip harder, and having a larger grip on the bar cause they are thicker.
thanks for the write-up!
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 18:20
#12
Thanks for the review. Back
Thanks for the review. Back in my dinghy sailing days I used to sail with dish washing gloves and thin capeline liners. Glacier gloves would be worn out in a day. The dish washing gloves generally lasted a few days or more. I sailed in a dry top and tucked the gloves in to my wrist seals. This kept my hands warm enough in below freezing temps. For those of you that wear dry suits it might be worth a try. It is super cheap and sailing was much harder on your hands.
Note that these gloves did require you to endure the pain of thawing your hands after a few minutes.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 23:33
#13
Sounds promising. Warmth
Sounds promising. Warmth while submerged might be an issue though. If something goes wrong and you end up swimming for a bit, you could be in trouble.
Sun, 02/05/2012 - 10:51
#14
Cold Weather and Grip
In the cold…I went out the other day, air temp was low 30s and water temp was low 40s. The NRS gloves let me down…sadly my fingers went cold. I actually followed Skyrocket's advice and did the hand shake thing. Sure enough, after about 5-7 minutes, the warmth came back. And my fingers stayed warm for the rest of the sesh. I should have trusted you Skyrocket.
Grip…The grip issue was improved by rubbing the gloves with surfboard wax…Sticky Bumps wax to be specific. It gave me a much better grip on the bar. The session wasn't very long, but I'm guessing this trick will eliminate the forearm fatigue in those longer, 2-hr sessions.
Best Grip Ever… Yesterday I went with the glacier 802bk gloves and the grip was awesome. I was unhooking…which means there was a lot of riding with the bar over my head, wobbling and face planting. I was able to hold on to the bar just fine. Those gloves are normally very grippy, but they felt particulary good. I think it was because there was some wax residue on the bar from the previous session. If you're having grip issues, give the wax a try.
Verdict… The NRS Natural will be my cold weather glove. The short, tight cuff practically eliminates flushing when paired with the drysuit…a huge plus over the glaciers. Plus the extra 1.5 mm of neoprene offers more a little more warmth (unfortunately not enough to avoid cold fingers and the hassle of doing the hand shake). The grip is good, as long as they are treated with something tacky. Also they seem to be built really well, my guess is they'll last for a couple seasons. But if the temps aren't in the 30s, i'm going with the glaciers. They're just super comfy.
Sun, 02/05/2012 - 13:23
#15
Glacier, glacier,
Glacier, glacier, glacier.......
Just make sure to get ones with the velcro strap, cinch that shit down tight, you will get a little water in but your hands will heat it up, sort of like a hand rubber! Lol
Enjoy...and when in doubt, come in and shake it out!
I bought mine from tackle direct last year but they seem to be out of them, but I found them on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Glacier-Glove-016BK-Waterproof/dp/B002T1G7MS
If you're a large, I'll send you a pair. All I ask for is some beer in return. I bought 4 pairs at the end of last season thinking they were the solution.