I do not paddle any serious whitewater, especially not in winter. When tripping I am usually not out in bitter sub-freezing conditions, even if I can find open water. My “cold” may be near freezing, but with the accompaniment of rain or wind. Or both.
Yet I remain ungloved in all but the most extreme cold/windy weather. The loss of any amount of tactile feel on the paddle is too disconcerting. Thick neoprene gloves were the worst in that regard, nice and warm, with all the tactile feel of paddling with my hands stuffed inside a fresh from the oven Calzone (or is that a Stromboli?)
I keep gloves handy/dry in the boat off-season, put them on and take them off as needed. Mostly off, so some ease of glove donning and disengagement is important to me. If I have to wiggle, stretch and teeth pull my hands into them between paddle strokes that isn’t gonna work; I’ll be sideways before I get one glove back on. If I pull a glove inside out while taking it off I might as well stop and make camp.
I tried pogies, and even though I most often use a double blade, didn’t like them, despite providing a good bare-handed grasp on an indexed shaft.
My second favorite pair of winter paddling gloves are Sealskinz. Part of that is serendipity; they fit my hands well. Kinda like clothing or PFD’s, gloves
have to fit correctly, and one hand size does not fit all.
The Sealskins are warm and waterproof and “breathable”, and not too hard to get on or off. If it is really cold/windy I will use them. But even “breathable” my hands are moist when I take the gloves off, which I know I will do as soon as the sun come out or the wind dies down, for a more natural feel on the paddle. That is finger chilling in the boat until my hands dry out, but I wear those around camp a lot where the breathable windproofiness is appreciated while not making paddle stokes.
https://www.sealskinz.com/US/why-sealskinz-waterproof-gloves?gclid=CJyZ8YXL1tICFZRXDQodbG0NDA
What has worked for best paddling-wise, for my peculiar anti-glove criteria, is a pair of (fairly thin) wool hunting gloves. Camo patterned, with some rubbery grip “pebbles” on the palms/fingers/thumbs. Not the warmest, and not windproof, but breathable, sweat free and easy on/off. I could hit a winter wingshot while wearing them, so the tactile feel on the paddle is as good any anything I have ever tried.
They were not crazy expensive and have held up well. Some hunting and fishing gear, especially boots and gloves and clothing, translate well to paddling applications, and there are a lot more hunters and fishermen than paddlers, so a lot more choices and opportunities for brick and mortar store test fit & sizing.
Beyond gloved hands the paddle itself makes a real difference. For my money, and there is some money involved, carbon shafts, especially those with some kind of weave texture grip, seem warmer. Or at least quicker to hand warm and are easier to control grasp when my fingers are gloved (or ungloved cold).
Completely unsupported by experimental evidence fiberglass shafts seem colder than carbon fiber. Wood shafts feel colder still, and stay colder in hand longer. And I doubledog dare you to stick your tongue to an aluminum shaft.
