I must have more types of paddling gloves than Emelda has shoes! I keep buying them in my never-ending search for some gloves that don't leak. In the picture above- I know, it's a lousy pic, just like the gloves - the only pair that don't leak are the mitts. Granted they are easier to make - even I have made a pair - the good news about them is they don't leak. The bad news is I don't really like the feel of mitts while paddling. There's something about having separate fingers gripping that paddle...
So here's what I want. I want someone to make a pair of neoprene gloves with thin rubber on the palms and thicker stuff on the backs. Glue them, sew them, whatever it takes to hold them together. THEN - and this is the secret step I reveal to one and all this morning - dunk them in some kind of flexible sealant like the non-paddling glove manufacturers do! To test this amazing break-thru, I'm going out today to look for some of that liquid-plastic-in-a-can stuff people dip their tool handles in. If I can find some, I'll try dipping a pair of gloves and see how they last.
Update! After reading Richard Hayes comment below, I realised I'd seen a pair of the gloves he writes about some place and so I began looking. Sure enough the Lee Valley tool catalogue had them. I've posted a picture of them below. I think Richard is right about their suitability for staying warm and dry. I believe the greenlanders made a similar mitt for summer use with their mini-sprayskirts, called aqulitsak. I'm still going to try salvaging my present gloves with that plastic dip if I can find some.
71/100
4 comments:
These are the best I've found to date. I've yet to have cold fingers with them.
http://chotooutdoorgear.net/shop/product_info.php?cPath=34_38&products_id=56
Hey, Michael:
Hi-tech, low-tech, shmo-tech - here's what VOLKSKAYAKers do to keep our paws warm and dry.
Get a nice pair of fuzzy-wuzzy glove liners from MEC. Then get a large pair of heavyish rubber gloves with long sleeves, preferably near elbow length - fish plant workers wear 'em here, don't know about Hatley QC. Pull 'em on over the fuzzies, and roll back the upper cuff about 2 inches - acts like a drip ring.
Nah, can't work, can it - too simple, too quick, too easy, too cheap...just like the VK :->))
Sounds good. I'll move my stuff into a bigger drawer... ;-)
Hey, Michael,
Those gloves would do the trick, but the ones I'm thinking of end just below the elbow - and aren't quite as 'fancy' as the Lee Valley model. The industrial green colour blends in with the VKs workboat genetic heritage, too ;>-))
We're off to Eastport to close it up for the year this weekend - I'll get a shot of the 'real deal' gloves if I can and email it to you.
Regards,
Rick
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