So I bought a pair of Holmes Workwear goatskin gloves over christmas on a whim to try out for cold-weather use. Costco had them for $19.99 for a 2-Pair, so I figured it would be hard to go too wrong.

I had them out yesterday for a few hours in temps that didn't get above 3 deg F, and my fingers felt great. I also own a pair of $90 North Face Powdercloud gloves, and frankly these seem to work just as well. Probably not as waterproof, but very comfortable and I feel like I have better dexterity with the Holmes gloves.

Anyhow, if anyone has a Costco Membership, it might be worth checking out; otherwise, you can also find them on Amazon for a bit more.

What other gloves have you guys found that work really well for kiting? The problem I find is that most gloves don't have enough padding/insulation on the underside and all your heat initially gets sucked out to the bar until your blood gets pumping and re-heats your fingers again.

I'd be curious to know if anyone has found a pair of gloves that they really like for 0 deg F and below.

I use the standard mecanix glove and modify it by cutting off the Velcro wrist cinch so I can pull them off easy,
also the Velcro tab hooks the line sometimes. then I keep a pair of Outdoor research goretex mitten shells in my pocket
in case hands get cold. same setup I use for skiing.

Black Diamond Guide Glove for hard ice or crusty surface conditions. Warm and leather holds up well to skimming. Lizard skins Blizzard for soft snow sub zero. Both allow for good tactile mobility and keep your digits warm.

In very cold weather I wear mittens on top of gloves. The gloves are great for short tasks where you need dexterity (lines, knots, zippers etc). Once you are all set and ready to ride it's time to put on the mittens.

I use "ice armor" brand gloves. They're specifically made for ice fishing. They're longer than your standard glove. Has a gator that covers your jacket sleeve. Keeps out any snow that may try to get in. Comes in sizes up to 2XL for people like me with giant hands:D Is it just me that gets sweaty hands no matter how cold it's outside when kiting?

Start with well padded (and therefore insulated) bar or handles...

I got homemade pipe foam padded handles for FB flying. This seems to help.

Lofty fills -like a Primaloft polyfill- will compress(wicked thin) when and where you grip. A denser material may be better-just in those grip surface areas- like shelled fleece or felt, even neoprene layer.

A hard bar or handle increases pressure points and less padding ALSO means less insulation in contact with palm and fingers grip areas... a double whammy for heat retention goals it seems.

There is always battery heated gloves.....

.... but then there's the idea of battery heated bars and handles ...:D...wired to solar backpack...

Keep your core warm and hands become less an issue.

Quote: Originally posted by skimtwashington

There is always battery heated gloves..... .... but then there's the idea of battery heated bars and handles ...:D...wired to solar backpack...

Which also powers your heated ice buggy seat and boots? Might as well go all out.

Which begs the question, if you heated the blades on an ice buggy, would it go even faster?

Quote: Originally posted by Feyd

Keep your core warm and hands become less an issue.

This is true.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've actually wondered about neoprene gloves as well since it doesn't rely on loft for warmth.

And Cheddar, don't worry - I'm a sweater too. Its just that 1st 30 minutes before the body oil warms up that my fingers can feel like they are stinging. Generally I'll take a quick break after the 1st 30 mins, curl my fingers back into my palms for a minute or two. Between that and just moving around and getting the blood flowing, typically I'm good to go for the rest of the day. And yes, sweaty palms as well.

http://www.nrs.com/product/25031.02/nrs-mamba-pogies

might not be needed but these are what I use paddling could hook it on the bar and not wear any gloves- I like to be able to feel the paddle and yes my hands sweat in them even after a few dunks in the water- very warm and ooh so comfy. Paddled last week- it was 25 degrees and wind was blowing in the high teens- was very comfy- hands got so hot actually took my hand out and dunked them in the water a few times

as for neoprene gloves- my favorite for mtn biking and also use them sometimes when cross country skiing

Got a couple pair of gloves. Tips of my middle and index fingers still get real cold. Still looking for good gloves.

I've always had some problems with my hands in the cold so I got the Hestra army leather heli ski -gloves. Not cheap but they are very well made and do seem to work well. However, when it gets cold enough mittens are really the only way to go for me. I wear the thickest, warmest leather mittens I can find. Actually the only reason I want to kite with gloves at all is that you can't grab the center of the bar with mittens, which can sometimes be annoying...

If you're flying FB and you need to have that power line between the index and middle finger for control balance, regular mittens don't work. The Lobster glove/mittens would allow that.

But I like the dexterity of gloves to do anything from handling kite power handles(see above) to pulling open/close zipper pocket of jacket and anything else.

I have had some cold hand issues in past. I searched like you for solutions.

What I have added to gloves that has helped a lot is to use a vapor barrier. I had used it with great success over many years on my feet in ski boots.

Try wearing a Nitrite surgical glove on hand(kind hospitals and Dr's offices use) before slipping your hands in to gloves. Slows heat loss thru stopping evaporation. If you take off gloves briefly to do a finely dexterous procedure like operate camera or tie kite line the surgical gloves stop both evaporative and convective(wind) heat loss. But the key word is briefly.

Besides the Surgical gloves stopping evaporative heat loss(perspiration)..they stop the perspirative moisture from building in the gloves insulation, as your gloves -depending on waterproof shell- may not expel out moisture at same rate your hands are expelling into them, and thus moisture builds and you lose insulation effectiveness. Wet insulation still insulates but at a value less than dry.

*Note: Your hand will be a bit moist in vapor barrier system. The colder it is, the less you may notice and the less evaporative moisture you body will put out(to shed heat). Some may not like the 'clamminess you might feel... but warm and clammy is better than wet and cold gloves.

Hand heath- keeping warm:

As Feyd said previously.... dress warm to keep extremities warm. If you not just a bit short of sweating.. you might not be warm enough for warm hands.

Fuel your body and hydrate throughout day.

Before hands get cold- or if they do get cold, take a break put down the kite and do 'wind mills' hand swings for a good couple minutes to get warm blood flow to hands. This has helped me 'recover' numerous times.

Good gloves can be hard to find
:bigok: