What are your favorite paddle gloves

[Dagger]

Just a quick update: I received my Outdoor Research Upsurge paddle gloves yesterday, and I took them out this morning. It wasn't really cold but 37 degrees isn't warm anymore either. First expression: Warm enough for temps above freezing. Thumb and index finger material is touch screen compatible. The leather enforcement is in the right place and allows for easy rotation of paddle shaft. I'll see how they hold up over time, but for now, $29.25 seems to have been a good investment.

 

[gumpus]

Thx for the feedback, I may get a pair. I have lots of cold weather gloves but hate most of them. My favorite thin gloves were Thunderwear but like most of my favorite gear they are no longer made.

 

[Sdrew22]

Filson leather gloves with merino lining. I have tried just about every glove out there for cold weather and have never been happy. This is my first season with the Filson gloves and they are fantastic.

 

[Dagger]

Filson stuff looks super nice but out of my price range.

 

[Chip]

I posted above about fleece gloves. My old Bean fleece gloves were wearing out, and I posted a link (see above) to what Bean now sells that is close to the old gloves. My daughter gifted me a pair of the new gloves and now that I have had a chance to try them out, I am posting a follow up.

I paddled recently on a 33 degree day, water temp 37. The gloves were perfect. At one point I dropped my paddle in the water while doing extreme limbo maneuver under a log, and reached in to retrieve the blade, soaking the glove. After wringing out the glove, I put it back on and was surprised how well it worked. My hand wasn't really warm, but didn't get painfully cold like you might expect with a soaked glove.

I have a question for Bean, though. The old glove had a grippy coating on the front of the hand. The new glove only has the coating on the palm, and I see similar on a lot of gloves. I don't know about you, but my gloves tend to wear out on the fingers or thumb, not the palm. Why just coat the palm? I'll let you know if Bean answers my question.

Grey, old glove, no longer available. Blue glove is what Bean now sells.

 

[TrailBlaser]

Patagonia has these on sale.

 

[Chip]

What’s a poor customer service rep to do? Here’s what Bean’s rep wrote explaining why the palm coating doesn’t run up the fingers of their glove:

“Thank you for your question and feedback regarding the design of the Mountain Classic Fleece gloves.

In reviewing our glove selection, most gloves have only the palm overlay like the Mountain Classic. This allows for dexterity. The Ultralight 850 Down Gloves, TA507857, does have the overlay over the palm and fingers for grip as an alternative glove to consider. I have forwarded your feedback to the Product Development Team for their review and consideration.

Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance. We are always happy to help. Thank you for shopping with us at L.L.Bean.”

I never noticed the older gloves lacked dexterity. And apparently dexterity is not a problem on their 850 gloves. But good of the Bean rep to reply, even if the answer is guesswork.

 

[Dagger]

Things just aren't what they used to be. My guess is that neither dexterity nor any practical reason applies. I suppose the few pennies saved for the patch fabric must add up at the end of the day. Practical use or actual application of many products these days is neglected in favor of a quick sale and underwhelming quality. Those things used to matter, if nothing else then for building customer loyalty to a brand or store (like Bean). And it is getting worse it seems. Just this week I had to return some items that flat out did not work (backup camera for my car) or were unbelievably poor in quality (cross bar roof rack came fully assembled but the vinyl coating on the bars was split in a few areas. Best of all, the locked feet (towers) were shoved together on the bars, and there were no keys included with the locks !) In both cases I tried to find better (U.S or CAN made) products and either could not find any at all, or, in the case of two simple cross bars, the US sold (but probably also China made) versions from Thule or Yakima were more than 3x the cost. Anyone else think that $500 for two, vinyl dip coated tube-steel bars with 4 feet and locks is a bit steep? Simple (or what I thought was simple) rubber boots is another example. Asia made crappy quality PVC boots for $20 or US/CAN/EU made actual rubber boots for $200. That is if you can find them in your size . For many items there does not seem to be a middle ground anymore. Either crap or sell a kidney to buy the alternative product.

...just realizing I might still be a bit bitter about this subject and better get off my soap box now.

 

[dschult2]

I use NRS hydroskins for spring and fall and Outdoor Research Extravert for winter. Love them. Plenty warm and waterproof. Only issue is they are not touch screen compatible. I also love and use Sealskinz DragonEye gloves which are warm, waterproof and touchscreen compatible. Can't have enough gear I say.

 

[gumpus]

The thing about Thule that makes me want to scream are the plastic end caps for the rectangular bars. There's a good chance that you'll split one when you first shove them on and then you'll need to buy 4 more for $20 since they don't give you an extra one. They also leave razor sharp burrs on the bar ends that can draw blood. I think they may leave the burrs to help make sure you damage the plastic end caps.