If you like to keep on paddling through the winter, your hands don’t need to be cold, painful or numb. Palm make a range of handwear designed to keep your paws warm and working as they should even in icy conditions, and improve your comfort and enjoyment in cold paddling.
Palm offer several different types of cold weather handwear, all of which have advantages and disadvantages, so here’s a quick guide to what’s available.
Gloves:
Most insulating gloves are made from Neoprene – it’s warm, stretchy and allowing for good flexibility and dexterity. Among the features on our gloves you’ll find rubberized patterns to improve grip and durability, and a ‘pre-bent’ shape to make holding a paddle easier. Our Pro and Throttle gloves are also reinforced with durable materials across the palm to protect your hands when handling ropes and other safety gear.
The Hook glove – pre bent, with plenty of grip.
Great – for keeping hands sealed up and warm whilst giving dexterity.
Not so good – don’t allow direct contact with your paddle.
Top Tip – Glued and Blind stitched models are fully dry!
Gloves offer dexterity for fiddly tasks.
Mitts (sometimes called ‘pogies’)
For kayaking a great option is the mitt, which envelops both hand and paddle, removing spray and wind chill altoghether whilst allowing you to grip your paddle directly. These offer full contact and control of your paddle shaft. Palm mitts are available in neoprene versions for whitewater, and nylon for touring.
Mitts will only keep you warm whilst paddling along
Great – for long days paddling – excellent warmth with full uncompromised grip of your paddle.
Not so good – there’s a knack to getting them on, they only keep your hands warm when they’re holding your paddle, only suited to kayak paddles.
Top Tip – The RiverTec Mitt has a super cozy fleece liner …
River Tec – fleecy on the inside
Open palm
A third option is an open palm glove such as the Palm Talon, which is designed to give the windproofness and insulation of a neoprene glove, with an open palm to allow good contact with a paddle.
The Talon leaves your palm open to grip
Great – for keeping the ends of fingers warm but still getting paddle control.
Not so good – Holding onto ropes or other items.
Top Tip – Ideal for protecting against the wind when SUP paddling or canoeing.
The Palm range
