Cold water gloves

[cmburch]

For our cold waters down to 44F, I found it has more to do with how the glove is made. A poor fitting 7mm closed cell with the stitches not sealed properly is useless and cumbersome. A good 5mm formed open cell with sealed finger tips glove works better for me. Some say the titanium lining also works well with open cell.

I think it has more to do with how well the finger tips are sealed and if the glove fits properly.

 

[AfterDark]

dj10022 and elan are correct. I found the same thing when I started diving dry. I was able to use 3mm gloves instead of the 7mm 3 finger mitts I'd been using diving wet. Difference, warm core.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Most people don't realize that cold hands still drain heat from your core, and much more than most would expect. A good warm hood and gloves that keep your hands warm will help to keep you core warmer, everything works together as a team.

Before I went to dry gloves I had the best luck with thick gloves that fit well on my hands and especially at the wrist. The more water getting into your glove the less warm your hands will feel, regardless of who made them. I finally ended up with a 5mm glove that allowed more movement and felt warmer than the 7mm I tried. Unfortunately I made several dives in 39* water wearing what others said was the "warmest" gloves they had ever used before I figured out that good fit makes the biggest difference.

 

[AfterDark]

Most people don't realize that cold hands still drain heat from your core, and much more than most would expect. A good warm hood and gloves that keep your hands warm will help to keep you core warmer, everything works together as a team.

Before I went to dry gloves I had the best luck with thick gloves that fit well on my hands and especially at the wrist. The more water getting into your glove the less warm your hands will feel, regardless of who made them. I finally ended up with a 5mm glove that allowed more movement and felt warmer than the 7mm I tried. Unfortunately I made several dives in 39* water wearing what others said was the "warmest" gloves they had ever used before I figured out that good fit makes the biggest difference.

Our bodies sacrifice the blood flow to the fingers, toes and ears to keep our core warm. Less blood is delivered to our fingers etc... which is why they usually get cold 1st. No amount of insulation on our hands or feet is going to keep them warm if our core is cold. Keeping the core warm requires insulating the core not the appendages.
The team is sacrificed a little at a time to keep the vitals warm. The hood is another very important item as a large amount of heat escapes via the head as the brain needs to stay warm too.

 

[Doc Harry]

What's the matter with dry gloves? I stay 10 times warmer with dry gloves than I do without.

 

[spectrum]

Significant cold water dives in a wetsuit, albeit a real good one are pushing the envelope.

Henderson stretchy does not give me a warm fuzzy. I have had real dood luck with wet gloves while diving wet and dry. Having had gloves that did great and others that were awful I can offer a few thoughts.

You do not want a tight fit. this is contrary to wetsuit fitting. I like to have some water volume being warmed in my palms. An occasional finger flex will distribute this heat.

They must not leak. An perforations or poorly glued seams are sudden death

You want a long gauntlet to give you an extra layer over the wrist blood vessels and to limit flushing.

I really like the Bare gauntlet. It's a 5 finger long cuff 5mm glove. Get the version without Kevlar for dexterity.

The other inescapabale fact is that in a wetsuit your blood from your core and running down the arms is loosing heat more than you may realize.

If a drysuit is not in the cards then I think the above remoendation is your best shot.

Pete

 

[CattMollins]

I appreciate all the insight here. My body temp was quite warm when I left the water. While these temps are basically as cold as I'm going to get, I'm still only diving at 35-40 feet in lakes so compression is not a big deal with the neoprene. The Henderson Gloves are not the greatest seal between the neoprene of the glove and the neoprene on the suit. I may try a few different options. It's not a huge issue as I don't plan on making too many of these dives at this temp and it was still more than bareable. I'm using a dry hood with the suit and my head never got cold during the dive. I was just seeing if there was something to keep the hands warm so the core didn't have to exert so much circulation to heat the hands sooner during the dive. Both guys I was diving with were wearing drysuits and their hands were getting cold toward the end of the dive as well.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Our bodies sacrifice the blood flow to the fingers, toes and ears to keep our core warm. Less blood is delivered to our fingers etc... which is why they usually get cold 1st. No amount of insulation on our hands or feet is going to keep them warm if our core is cold. Keeping the core warm requires insulating the core not the appendages.
The team is sacrificed a little at a time to keep the vitals warm. The hood is another very important item as a large amount of heat escapes via the head as the brain needs to stay warm too.

Yes the vitals are very important, however the body loses heat from more places than just the core itself. Having ones entire body, including the head, core, and appendages insulated properly in the first place helps to keep heat in the body so that it doesn't have to start reducing flow to extremities to protect itself. No amount of insulation at the core is going to keep your hands warm in 39* water when your gloves are not keeping the water out.

 

[AfterDark]

Yes the vitals are very important, however the body loses heat from more places than just the core itself. Having ones entire body, including the head, core, and appendages insulated properly in the first place helps to keep heat in the body so that it doesn't have to start reducing flow to extremities to protect itself. No amount of insulation at the core is going to keep your hands warm in 39* water when your gloves are not keeping the water out.

Well that hasn't been my experience on land or underwater. As I stated I'm able to use 3mm wet gloves when I dive dry and be very comfortable. Diving wet suit, 7mm mitts didn't do the job as well. So how would you explain that? I agree you can't dive bare handed and be comfortable in cold water regardless of wet or dry suit, however most people can't dive a 3mm wet suit with dry gloves and keep your hands warm in 35DF water (example only). I'm glad what you do works for you. I know by experience that it does not work for me.

 

[cmburch]

I SCUBA dive a wetsuit down to 44F. I freedive down to 46F for hours in the water.

I have several pairs of gloves over the years. The ones that work for me is form fitted to my had, not too tight and the fingertips are well sealed. Ill-fitting gloves or improperly sealed seams make for an uncomfortable day on the water.