Winter Gloves

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dom

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My better half finds cold hands a problem in the winter. I know a few people who have bought the new Sealskinz gloves, but their impressions are somewhat less than glowing. What she's ideally after is a reasonably tough pair of warm, breathable and waterproof gloves.

Any ideas?
 
Sadly i would say nothing exists other than the North Face himalayan mitts or similar for the 'man' the Gill Helmsman gloves are good but you need skin on skin to keep fingers warm according to a Everest climber i spoke to earlier this year.
 
When choosing gloves for boats one problem I have found is the fit. Gloves that slide on easy in a warm shop do not fit on cold damp hands. I found musto mitts OK. I also have some helmsmans gloves -sorry can't remember make - possibly Henry Lloyd - but they had to be a loose fit and I have found none practical for rope work. Of the two the mitts are warmest.

If looking for new gloves I would investigate whether there are any waterproof ski gloves. I have used ski gloves and while warm none of mine are waterproof.

I put gloves or mitts on for cold winter sailing but slip them off for rope work.
 
Jamesuk said:
Sadly i would say nothing exists other than the North Face himalayan mitts or similar for the 'man' the Gill Helmsman gloves are good but you need skin on skin to keep fingers warm according to a Everest climber i spoke to earlier this year.
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+1

Said as an ex winter mountaineer.
 
Aldi occasionally offer winter cycling gloves, warm, waterproof and pretty tough, only problem is that they leave wrist bare which is not ideal. They work for me.
 
I have found nothing that works, speaking as a Raynaulds sufferer. We used to ski in mittens and they were much better than gloves, but sailing in mittens is cumbersome.

The best solution for me is to keep my body as cosy as possible, by wearing at least one more layer than everyone else, and have heat available for regular rewarming. Cold does not do much damage to hands unless it lasts for a while, so thorough rewarming at intervals will prevent problems with sensation or chilblains.
 
I've played this game last winter and found that there are no gloves with all of the desired properties (warm, breathable and waterproof). Even the rather pricey Sealskinz failed eventually (and once they're wet, it's almost impossible to slip them back on, not that you'd want to). The best advice I got was from a Swedish sailor - get 2 or more pairs of warm, breathable gloves and change into a dry pair when they inevitably get wet and cold. So that's what I do now.
 
I use wool fingerless gloves. If I was after water proof I'd wear them inside large rubber fisherman or builders type gloves. The wool is still warmer than nothing when wet and the fingerless part makes rope work possible without taking them off all the time.
 
johnalison said:
I have found nothing that works, speaking as a Raynaulds sufferer. We used to ski in mittens and they were much better than gloves, but sailing in mittens is cumbersome.

The best solution for me is to keep my body as cosy as possible, by wearing at least one more layer than everyone else, and have heat available for regular rewarming. Cold does not do much damage to hands unless it lasts for a while, so thorough rewarming at intervals will prevent problems with sensation or chilblains.
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+1 (also with Raynauds) keeping the whole body warm seems to be the key. I start with Icebreaker thermals and layer from there, breathable boots also make a huge difference. On gloves I've tried all sorts but mostly use just sailing gloves with the thumb/forefinger cut off. The main problem with sailing is that, most of the time, we're not doing anything that generates body heat but we are open to wind chill which sucks the heat away.
 
I have not sailed in really terribly cold conditions, but did do one voyage spending three days at 40degree latitude in winter (near Tasmania).

I had a pair of rigger's gloves with me. Good quality. They were fairly loose, made of thin leather.

They were not waterproof but were breathable, the leather did not hold much water so my hands never felt soggy, they seemed to wick the wet away from my hands. Being loose, the air in them provided insulation, so my hands were never really cold.

Dammit, I lost one, and am still looking for replacements.
 
Many thanks for all the replies - saved a wasted pair of expensive gloves! Climbing, or skiing mittens seem to be the way to go, especially as her fingers are quite thin. Also not letting hands get cold in the first place makes sense, so in addition to getting the right gear I think I'm going to plum an extra Eberspacher vent into the wet room to ensure everything is warm from the off. Should have done that ages ago to be honest.

Thanks again everyone.
 
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I too struggle with cold hands. I wear ladies Sealskinz with small merino wool glove liners from walking shop. Lucky enough to get both in a sale. Also lined thinsulate are good and change when wet as mentioned above.
 
dom said:
Many thanks for all the replies - saved a wasted pair of expensive gloves! Climbing, or skiing mittens seem to be the way to go, especially as her fingers are quite thin. Also not letting hands get cold in the first place makes sense, so in addition to getting the right gear I think I'm going to plum an extra Eberspacher vent into the wet room to ensure everything is warm from the off. Should have done that ages ago to be honest.

Thanks again everyone
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The other thing to consider is the little plastic packets (hand warmers) that you squash to start the chemical reaction to generate heat and then place them in your gloves, mitts, pockets whatever to keep them warm. We use them in winter and they really make the difference between endurance and pleasure. The ones we use last up to 10 hrs.
 
wizard said:
The other thing to consider is the little plastic packets (hand warmers) that you squash to start the chemical reaction to generate heat and then place them in your gloves, mitts, pockets whatever to keep them warm. We use them in winter and they really make the difference between endurance and pleasure. The ones we use last up to 10 hrs.
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It's not that easy- regardless of gloves/mitts. If they remain dry inside - I rate mitts. I used them snowboarding as well. I also have a pair of sealskinz gloves. They are good, but if your hands are even a touch damp- you will have problems getting into -or out of them! They survived most of a 3 night North Sea passage to Stavanger until I couldn't get them back on!
Ski Mitts - perhaps with silk/ merino liners are the way to go I think.
 
Black Diamond - Gore Tex version is you want guaranteed waterproofing. Unfortunately the more you spend the warmer dryer they are - I agree with others that mittens are best but cumbersome on a boat
 
wizard said:
The other thing to consider is the little plastic packets (hand warmers) that you squash to start the chemical reaction to generate heat and then place them in your gloves, mitts, pockets whatever to keep them warm. We use them in winter and they really make the difference between endurance and pleasure. The ones we use last up to 10 hrs.
Click to expand...

+1
 
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