warmest wet gloves

[creamofwheat]

So by the time I finish a dive, my hands are so cold i cant even move them and often require my buddy to help me out of my gear because my fingers just dont move. my hands are just so cold, it's actually painful. time for some new, better gloves.

i know dry gloves would be warmest, but i dont own my own dry suit yet (just use rental neoprene ones). as soon as i rack up the funds for a dry suit, i'll be getting dry gloves. but until then, i need a solution.

which is warmer...3 finger gloves or 5 finger gloves? i like the dexterity of 5 fingers (mind you, i dont have dexterity by the end of the dive anyway, thanks to cold fingers), but if 3 fingers are warmer...also, can anyone recommend me a really good pair (brand) of nice warm wet gloves? thanks!

 

[Hoosier]

Henderson Gold Core 6.5mm .....

 

[Diver0001]

3 finger gloves are warmer.

I can't recommend a brand. Shop around. fit is important. Most of them will probably be 5mm.

R..

 

[Jake]

I have a pair of Body Glove "Exo" model gloves (5-fingered) that I really like. They have welded or taped seams (I think that's the right term), so they do an excellent job with heat retention. You're diving in BC, so I don't know what temperatures you're in, but I've used mine on 45-minute dives in 53 degree water. You get a little cold if you keep your hands away from your body (e.g. holding a light), but it's pretty bearable IMO.

If it's really cold, I would try the 3-fingered models.

 

[spectrum]

Common experieince says the 3 finger mits would be the best.

I have been very pleased with my 5mm 5 finger Bare Guntlet gloves. Saturday we were in 40F water for over 90 minutes and I came out comfortable. It's been a mild winter with the water barely dipping below 40 so I have not had the acid test.

Think limb....
In my case I don't think it's kust the gloves per se, but more of a system.
*My drysuit (7mm neoprene) and garment keep my arms comfortable.
*My neoprene wrist seals keep my wrists (where the blood flows near the urface) warm.
*The long cuff gauntlet is not a dry seal but it does take a while for water to slowly infiltrate and exchange is minimal.
*The gloves could be considered 1/2 a size big for me as wet wear goes. Fit and dexterity are fine but there is some looseness in the palm area.
*My palm warms the water in the glove and it can circulate to my fingers.
*If I start to feel the cold I just flex my hands and voila, running warm water.
*Naturaly the water is not an insulator but a means of moving heat to the fingers and it seems to be working for me.
*I was considering dry gloves at one point but I've set it asside for now.

Best of all Divetank threw them in for $10 with my Arctic westsuit. They work great there too.

Pete

 

[mahjong]

Just a follow up...3-finger mitts of course will work better, but if you are like me and prefer 5-finger gloves, you should make sure they are technically one size too big--or one size bigger than might appear to be a nice snug fit--in short, they should be a bit loose or even slightly floppy...my fingers used to freeze until I went up one size in my 5mm gloves...since then my hands and fingers have been comfortable in the 40s...as for brand, not sure it matters too much, but I have found the Scubapro Everflex 5mm glove very nice (it is strapless, with shark-skin inside the wrist cuff, so it works nicely with my latex drysuit wrist seals)...I have also found the Poiseidon Proglove to be nice...and one of the finest I have worn is the Parkway Shark Skin-in glove, which has a slightly longer gauntlet, so it is no good with my drysuit (but would work great with a wetsuit or with a neoprene drysuit and perhaps a drysuit with neoprene wrist seals).

 

[m3830431]

Mits would be the warmest but you don't need them. Any suited mm glove for the water temperature your diving will work just fine.

 

[espenskogen]

Mits would be the warmest but you don't need them. Any suited mm glove for the water temperature your diving will work just fine.

You say that - But try 4 degrees water, even with 5 mm gloves, and I can guarantee it will not work just fine.

There is a point where only drygloves will suffice. Now, in really cold water, I use the 2.5mm Ralphtec gloves inside of my drygloves - So that if the gloves flood, I've still got some thermal protection... It's really quite comfortable

E

 

[MarkH]

I try to get mine at thrift stores (Value Village is a good one). The reason is that they used to make them alot thicker (warmer), but then underwater neurosurgeons complained that there wasn't much dexterity with them. The neurosurgeons had a pretty powerful lobby, so most manufacturers make thin (5-7mm) gloves now. When I find the older used ones (sometimes 10mm), I snatch them up.

 

[wardric]

3 fingers mits are much warmer as long as they fit well (not too loose and not too tight). I can recommend mine which are Oceaner 7 mm Titanium dry mitts. They also have a kinda seal around the opening that is very efficient with a drysuit and will reduce water flow. Even when I do ice diving or dive 1h00 + in 40F water, I never have cold hands since I use those. After those dives, the water trapped in them is still warm.

You will get use to them and increase your dexterity with time. I can even use my Canon camera and all the little buttons on the casing with mits. It's better than frozen hands with gloves

here's a link. http://www.oceaner.com/accessories.htm

Love mine but other brands may be fine too. 3 fingers I do recommend though if you do mostly very cold water.