The Weak Link, Cold Hands
Mon, 02/22/2010 - 07:44
Any Ideas, recomendations on keeping your hands warm while riding. To date I have tried 3MM O'Neill and Ocean Rodeo gloves as well as 5MM Excel gloves. In terms of the rest of my cold weather wardrobe I have been able to keep my feet (7mm Ripcurl F-bomb Boots or 5mm OR boots), head (Ripcurl F-Bomb hood) and body (OR drysuit) warm without any difficulty. Given that the rest of me is very warm, I do not think my hands are getting cold because my core is not warm enough.
I have found the 5 MM gloves to be very stiff and as I grab the bar they seem to cut circulation. The 3 MM gloves have just not been thick enough.
Any ideas.
Mon, 02/22/2010 - 07:51
#1
I dont know if your gloves
I dont know if your gloves have a seal skin but if they dont then thats probably the problem. You can be toasty in 2 mils as long as they have the seal skin. The seal skin is basically this rubbery coating on the outside that keeps the wind from ripping through rather than gloves that are all neoprene. I recomend oneils as they have the most dexterity.
Mon, 02/22/2010 - 15:01
#2
I'm ready to buy some gloves.
I'm ready to buy some gloves. Which O'neils do you recommend? I saw they have a DL and a SL version. The website does not clearly decribe the difference.
Mon, 02/22/2010 - 15:18
#3
I know the xcels were knocked
I know the xcels were knocked in the first post but i have been wearing 3mm xcel drylocks all winter and enjoy them. Water does not get in hardly at all unless bad crash. Took a couple sessions to stretch them and get used to thicker glove on my hand but enjoy them now. I was told that the o'neils would not last as long but maybe wrong. More sensitive to bar wear etc
Mon, 02/22/2010 - 18:20
#4
If you get the Oneil's, I
If you get the Oneil's, I have the Phsycho SL's. They work pretty well. Water Idt can splash up them either cuz they have this inner wrist cuff that you don't even feel.
Mon, 02/22/2010 - 16:28
#5
Glacier gloves.....hands down!
As the crazed winter kiter with most hours logged....
I had 3mm Excels last year and the beginning of this season and 5mm's but NOTHING beats the Glacier Gloves.
I have been rocking the 2mm all winter long! 2mm!!
Peter T another winter crazy man also rocks them.
http://www.glacieroutdoor.com/products_water.php
First listed models. They are waterproof for the most part. if water does seep in a bit, your hand heats up the water and keeps it steamy warm.
I have a hole in the thumb from one handed surf riding and am still toasty warm..Tommy and Paul can attest to the hole since they saw it yesterday at Doggy B.
Tip: with any gloves you have to ride one handed initally if your hand gets cold and keep shaking the cold hand down near your knee.
You can also come in after riding 10 mins,leave your kite at the end of the window and shake your hands a bunch, once they get warm that 2nd time, you're all set.
I also think that a nice wetsuit, like the hooded WEST 6/5 I have really keeps me warm, maybe more so than a drysuit. A dry suit keeps you dry and warm but there's something to be said about the built in hood of a wetsuit and the fact that your body is steaming water between you and the outside world. Would be cool to do a study on core temps between wetsuits and drysuits.
The warmer your core temp the warmer the extremities, so invest in a excellent hooded wetsuit or a drysuit and go with the glacier gloves and you should be all set.
Mon, 02/22/2010 - 20:37
#6
for the sake of brevity I
for the sake of brevity I will say only this, Glacier gloves rock tits. sir skyrocket is spot on.
Mon, 02/22/2010 - 22:23
#7
Hand circualtion can vary a
Hand circualtion can vary a lot from person to person. Mine clearly isn't as good as skyrocks. I use the 2mm Glacier Glove (fleece lined version) in spring and fall but there is no way I can do that in 32 degree temps. I've found O'Neill 5MM surf gloves to be pretty good. They're very soft so I still have grip. They do need frequent repair and they fall aprt after 1 season. I still need to use SkyR's hand shake method sometimes but the 5mm works most of the time. After that I have neoprene mittens and claws which I only use under duress because they are pretty stiff.
I've also got 2 new pairs of gloves to try thanks to skyR. The Henderson 5MM feel nice but I've only worn them once, 50 degree day. They aren't as thick as O'Neill 5mm so I guess they won't be quite as warm on the sub freezing days.
There is definitely no need to let cold hands limit your sessions! You just need the right gloves for the temp and use the hand shake method when you need it.
Tue, 02/23/2010 - 09:32
#9
Winter time
This is my first winter doing water sports and has been hard to stay warm.. But recently Jay let me borrow a pair of boots that really made the difference and will allow me to ride all YEAR ROUND which was my goal and I'm almost there.. May will be one year that I'm riding every month 
After buying so many different gloves and boots I realized that you need to spend little xtra for something that will do the work. I've learned the hard way to ask around because what you see on the net is not really what you are getting...
Tue, 02/23/2010 - 09:50
#10
try bringing a thermos or
try bringing a thermos or small cooler full of super hot water with you, pour some in your gloves and boots before you put them on.
I used to do this surfing in the winter works great. if you get cold after awile come in and repeat, leave it on the beach out of the wind somewhere. you can even pour some down your suit, warms you right up even better than pee!
Tue, 02/23/2010 - 11:23
#11
The hot water is the best
The hot water is the best thing you can do for neoprene. I know divers use it all the time if they arnt using a dry suit. Bring a thermos or two full of boiling water. If you are in a wet suit dump some down once your in the suit but before you zip up. Otherwise you can douse your boots and gloves. FYI remember your feet have a higher tolerance for hot and cold than your hands. So you will want to dump the water out of your gloves and let them steam for a few seconds and then work your hands in or you might find them hotter than you wanted.
If you use hot water though remember your feet will be fine however your hands will get cold from the wind before your hands take over and steam the gloves out. So work your hands around and keep them moving. Once they bring the gloves back up to a comfortable temperature you will be good for the rest of the day.
Also I usually bring a pair of fleece gloves with hand warmers in them. This way when you come to the beach if your really cold you can dry your hands and shove them into the dry warm gloves. Another great option for sure.
Tue, 02/23/2010 - 11:28
#12
Warm water suggestions
Thanks for this suggestion. I was thinking of trying the warm water priming. Hearing that it works for others is encouraging. Basically the equivalent of using some body temperature fluid in your wetsuit.
I agree entirely on the value of getting the "comfort gear" right. I have a pair of boots ( ripcurl 7mm F-bomb's) that are awesome. For thick warm boots they have a very thin profile which is key to getting them to work well with the straps on the board.
Tue, 02/23/2010 - 23:49
#13
I use ski boot dryers to dry
I use ski boot dryers to dry out my booties and gloves after each session. It kills the stink that women find irristable but I think it's worth it for dry booties and gloves for my next session. Of course, if your booties have already developed a good head of stink, the boot dryers will blow that smell all over the house, nice.
Also, I take a cooler of hot water, as mentioned, on the sub freezing days. Occasionaly, on the coldest days, a foot or hand will get cold and not warm up. I find that the hot water is the quickest way to revive it and get me back on the water without wasting a lot of time sitting in my truck with the heater blasting.
Wed, 02/24/2010 - 01:59
#14
one thing i have been i have
one thing i have been i have doing more recently is stopping for a few minutes when my hands start getting cold. Just a few minutes with hands off the bar, don't even need to land the kite, just rest it on wingtip till they warm up a bit. I try not to let them get to the numb stage cause once there it is hard to warm them up agian
Wed, 02/24/2010 - 20:08
#15
ocean rodeo 5mm
I love these gloves, sticky padding on the palm for good grip. Just like my 5mm oneill boots, they work best wet. If I am kiting really conservatively and my gloves don't dip in the water for ten minutes or more, my hands start to get chill but then I dip my hands into the water and within a minute or so they are warm again.
Thu, 02/25/2010 - 13:19
#16
I have one thing to add Fore
I have one thing to add Fore arm fatigue, I think its easy to keep hands warm but if you are fighting the elasticity in the glove to keep your hands curled your fore arms will never last long. I have used Stohlquist kayak gloves from REI that worked really well, they finally ripped the other weekend. They were pre curved to fit a kayak paddle and worked very well. I also just bought a pair of the Glacier gloves and used them last weekend and they also worked very well. IMO when you get too thick of gloves, fore arm fatigue sets in before the cold.
Thu, 02/25/2010 - 15:29
#17
Fore arm fatique
I do have rather girly forearms and this may be contributing to the issue. The 5mm xcel infiniti gloves I was using are pretty stiff and are not pre-curved.
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 10:26
#18
Words of wisdom....
I have kited all winter with Glacier Gloves, 2mm.
They are the best IMHO. They have a bunch of holes in them from use and they are still super freaking warm!
See pic from Highway to Hull session.
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 16:24
#19
Mittens Mittens Mittens!!
I have probably some of the worst finger circulation of anyone around, and there are no gloves that would work for me.
But I do have a pair of Dakine mittens that are quite toasty. The thickness, IMO, doesn't matter as much as long as it's more than 2mm.
Yes I know, you can't tie a knot while wearing mittens. But that's the price I pay for having no circulation.
Mittens, yea!
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 17:27
#20
Spring is on its way
I think I would like to design my own gloves. I would make them a hybrid of 5 and 3 mm sharkskin neoprene, sealed, blind stitched and glued with tape at the key stress points. 3 MM on the inside, 5 around the wrist and backside. I would add a water lock seal like the excel drylock or mystic drygloves and give them an extreme curve like that of paddling gloves.
Based on the forecast, it looks like I won't have to worry about this for a few months. The water may still be a bit cold but the air is definitely getting warmer.
Pete
Tue, 01/17/2012 - 07:12
#21
OC, those 5/3 precurved
OC, those 5/3 precurved gloves sound perfect! When can we start placing orders? 
I have terrible circulation in my hands -- my fingers are freezing as I type this in my family room -- and while my 7mm Xcel mittens kept my fingers toasty warm on Saturday in the cold, after about 40 minutes, my forearms were totally fried. Anybody aware of any precurved mittens (besides the Dakine mitts that are paper-thin on palm)?
Tue, 01/17/2012 - 14:48
#22
Still voting for Glacier Gloves..
if your hands get cold which they always do at the beginning of the session then come in, put the kite at the edge of the window and let it bounce there. Leave gloves on but loosen the strap, then ball your fingers up into a fist in the palm of the glove, you'll probably have to wait 5 mins and it might hurt a bit till they thaw out but once they do and they are warm, you should be good for hours!
The thick gloves IMHO are a bunch of bull crap, your hands may be a bit warmer initially but your forearms will cramp up.
I have the cold water credentials to back it up , just sayin.
Tue, 01/17/2012 - 23:46
#23
the gauntlet has been thrown
OK Skyrocket I'm gonna put your advice to the test. i have your $10 glacier gloves and soon i will have my new cold weather destroyer, the NRS 3.5. I'll let you know which one reigns. Bring on the next northeaster!
Wed, 01/18/2012 - 17:29
#24
I take my glacier gloves with
I take my glacier gloves with my drysuit and put skiing handwarmers inside them on my pakm side and it works soooooo sweet. You can do it with wet gloves too by putting the handwarmers in a ziplock bag but the wetness from the cold water still makes them a little cold but its better than without....
Fri, 01/20/2012 - 22:07
#25
I don't know how you make the
I don't know how you make the hand warmers work. I tried it last year and found that either the warmers got wet and stopped working, or if I kept the gloves sealed too tight, no air got in and they stopped working.
I've also used waterproof reusable hand warmers with mixed results. Water and lack of air doesn't affect them but they only stay warm for about an hour or less, and they harden up when activated, becoming uncomfortable in my 3mm mittens.
Lately I've been using 6mm Hyperflex mittens.
I wish my hand circulation was as good as SkyRock's.
It looks like I just need to try a few different pairs of gloves. I have a pair of the Mystic Dry Glove, Oneill Dry Lock and Glaciers on order. Of course I can only test them inside. I may set up a tub of ice water to see how they do. I will return what does not fit in.
Also, I did not set myself up well for my last session as I started with damp gloves that had been out in the wind and cool temps for about 30 min while I set up my kite with ski gloves on. Next time, I will make sure my gloves start out warm and dry and I will wear them for a while before I hit the water. That way they will be warmed up nicely before I end up dunking them.
Any advice on drying out gloves would be helpful.
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