In message
"muzz" wrote:

I was out in the wind agian today which was great fun the other day. After
only 20 minutes my hands were numb with the cold. Need advice on what gloves
to buy so that I can keep coastal paddling during the winter.

I'd say you have two choices.

Pogies are the usual ones. If you haven't seen them, they are fixed to the
paddle shaft, and you slide your hand in through the wrist tube. Most fix
with Velcro, so you can also attach them while you are wearing them. They
keep the wind off, and there are also fleece lined ones, which provide
insulation.

True gloves are more of a problem, as most are made, in this fashion
conscious world, of brightly coloured double lined neoprene. The
disadvantage is that the material isn't wind or waterproof, and worse, it
increases the surface area several-fold, increasing evaporative cooling.

I got some jet-ski gloves from a mail-order shop in Brighton which are
smooth-skin neoprene, thus windproof, and low surface area. You just need to
make sure they are large enough, or they'll restrict circulation. Not cheap
either, but I like them.


--
Alan Adams

http://www.nckc.org.uk/