Cold Hands

[Josh Sanford]

Thursday I paddled the Snow Creek run on the Middle Fork of the Bayou. The air temperature as 40/41. The water temperature was almost certainly less than that. My hands go really, really cold--enough that I had a hard time gripping the paddle near the end of that short run, and when I took my gloves off to warm my hands up in the car, it hurt very badly.

I assume that I have less-than-super gear, and that if I upgrade I will be better off. I am asking for recommendations for the warmest way I can dress my hands. I am convinced that I can keep them warmer than I did Thursday. I had some bulky NRS gloves, model unknown, that have a little tag that says "titanium."

Thanks, Josh

PS The water was awesome

[Tmuse]

Those are good gloves, If you want warmer hands you need a set of pogies. They are like hand sheilds that wrap around the paddle shaft and your hands go in them. ther are several companies that make them. Talk to the Folks at Ouachita Outdoor outfitters they can hook you up. Tim muse

[RomanLA]

I use the Glacier Gloves Water Sports Gloves. A warmer option would be mittens or pogies though. I've heard good things about Mountain Surf Oven Mitts, but haven't tried them yet.

[okieboater]

mt surf oven mitts are really good.

I have a pair and am extremely satisfied with them.

[A Savage spanke]

I found I was always colder using gloves. Now I kayak without them, maybe if I find some really impressive ones I'll get them

[okieboater]

http://www.coloradokayak.com/Handwear-Gloves-Pogies" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://topkayaker.net/TopKayakerShop/in ... 1f67448246" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well, here are a couple of options that are reasonable priced.

The neoprene pogies with short tops work the best for me.

Also, you can shove them to the center of your paddle and get them out of the way should the need arise

[Josh Sanford]

I appreciate the feedback I have gotten. When you say that something works well, can you give me a temperature minimum that you have in mind? I actually own a pair of pogies, which I sometimes use barehanded or sometimes with regular paddling gloves. Do you think that pogies with regular gloves are definitely warmer than the NRS Navigator Glove that I used Thursday?

[okieboater]

Hard to give a termp range for cold hands. Because every body is different in how they can handle cold.
Every body has a different clothing set up.
For instance me and Dee Tucker paddle together quite a bit. We are close to the same size as well. On the Cossatot at the put in, we can put on the same basic gear even to the dry top and fleece and past the esses Dee is pouring water over his head to cool off and I am putting on my helmet liner to get warm. Every body handles heating and cooling different.

I can say with my dry suit, neoprene skin divers helmet under a oversized paddlers helmet I paddled the Piney one morning a few years ago and it was 18 degrees that night my guess in the mid twenties when we launched and bare handed under my mt surf oven mitts I was comfortable. And, I am usually the cold one in the group.

I can tell you what you have on your head for insulation makes a big time difference in what it takes to keep your hands and feet even the rest of your body warm.

Most folks will layer up their helmet liner and sox in an effort to keep warm. My experience is a person has to be careful and not get to the point the extra layers cut off blood circulation That is why I advise having a size larger or more helmet and neoprene boots for the winter soon as the budget allows.

[Josh Sanford]

In the scenario I described above, I was wearing a small (doesn't cover the ears) helmet liner, a wet suit, and neoprene booties. I was plenty warm everywehere but my hands...

[Gordon Kumpuris]

Dave took the words right out of my mouth. Keep your head warm as well as your feet and your hands will be warmer. Ditto the poggies suggestion. I could not paddle w/o them.

[RomanLA]

Do you think that pogies with regular gloves are definitely warmer than the NRS Navigator Glove that I used Thursday?

My hands froze when I used Navigators last year. The wind penetrates them and your body just can't keep them warm. The Glacier Gloves I mentioned are waterproof with a fleece liner, so wind isn't a problem.

[Tmuse]

Well how is your grip on the paddle with those GGloves on. Tim muse

[JTarver]

I use a pair of Kokatat Pogies ( approx. 50 ish bux ) and I love mine. I use them barehanded, and have no issues getting my hands out, or anything like that. They keep my hands warm enough on any given cold day that I could pull my hand out and fill out a check if I needed to...and be able to do it legibly.

I stopped trying gloves, they never kept my hands warm enough. With the pogies..you shouldn't need anything else with them. Also, get a skull cap. It will help eliminate heat loss from your head.

Joe

[okieboater]

Josh, Man I just do not know the solution to your cold hands.

If you have the right layers on your body, a helmet liner/shoes with layers that add insulation but does not constrict blood flow - a good pair of pogies- I do not know what other advise to give you.

[Fish]

Pogies have always been a lot warmer than gloves for me. On a really cold day, I've thrown in a hand-heater pack in each. With or without that, pogies work best if you're not having to pull your hands out of them a lot. With my glasses fogging, that's not me, so I have struggled with them at times. And, on really cold days, it's great to have a pair of gloves packed away too so that you can put them on if you're having to scout, portage, etc.

The more times I've let my hands get super cold (painfully so) and then thaw out, the more easily they seem to get cold the next time. Circulatory system damage or something. Even if you think (as I thought) that you don't get cold easily and are tough enough to take it, I recommend using pogies, etc. to stay warm - like all things, you may pay for the damage you inflict on your body when you get older.

- Fish