how to keep the hands warm?

[sollo]

I'm surely not the only one struggling to keep the hands warm during cold autumns and mild winter sessions in the water. It seems that 5 degrees minus a windchill factor, with 3mm gloves, just dont help to enjoy the session. On top of that as I have new lines, they slip badly through my hands (gloves) when i am landing the kite in the water and want to pack up...

 

5mm gloves are no answer, but I am wondering if anyone else has found a good method here - such as fingerless mittens on top of 3mm neoprene with leather on inside palm or whatever... I just can't quite picture what would help here.

 

 

Any good hints much appreciated

[Kite Killa]

I just got a pair of mystic dry gloves, which kept my hands toasty. They're 3mm and keep the cold water out, your hands still get wet from sweating tho.

[sollo]

Hmm, thanks... I'm gonna look them up.

 

Anyone: Just seen piccies of 3mm and 4mm GUL flexor glove. Is that one any good or is it just the marketing making it look good ?

[SHU]

Run a bead of wetsuit glue around the seam of the glove to reduce flush and wind penertration, and when its really cold, tape your glove to your suit. (not so tight you reduce blood flow!)

[youngrider]

PI55 in your gloves to warm your hands up

LMAO

[npeac]

i cant get along with gloves even when theres ice around but when its really nippy i wear industrial marigolds (bright yellow) as they cut the wind chill down so you could try wearing them over the top. i always found in my climbing days that i only got chilblanes once so i would let my hands get cold and rewarm them, then they would be ok for the rest of the day.

i hhave in the past worn cycling gloves and boating gloves, they dont add any thickness on the palm but cut the windchill.

if you really suffer, get yourself 2 of those clicky handwarmers that you boil. ram them in the back of your gloves, where all the veins are, and before your fingers go numb click em. warm blood equals warm fingers.

also beware of tight wrist cuffs as they will restrict the circulation enough to let your fingers get cold.

[gazxtreme]

Don't knock this until you've tried it. Got this tip from a guy who has been windsurfing for 25 years. Marigolds, stop laughing, you can get heavy duty ones in black. They are latex so getting the right size makes them water tight, the main reason your hands get so cold is wind chill and these are windproof so stop windchill. It'll only cost you a couple of quid to try it. It does work and might become this years must have. Might even make the missus think you're gonna start helping with the housework.

[jamesthebat]

I found gloves to restrictive/tiring and marigolds to cold so i do this.

 

Black Marigolds from Asda, tucked into wetsuit forearms, with GUL open palm mitt over the top.

 

The marigolds generaly reduce windchill and heat lost when your hands are in the water. The mitts cover your thumb and tuck over your fingers so keep the windchill off the backs off your hands.

 

As the mitt is open palm when you need to use your fingers you just pull them out of the mitt also the only material between your hand and the bar is the marigold so it isnt tiring on the forearms.

[KiteItRight]

i dont wear gloves or boots.

 

i just swing my arms around a few times, soon warms your hands up.

sounds silly but try it

[carlos_climber]

I've got raynauds - which is like an extreme form of chilblains.....best I have found so far is surgical latex under neoprene with heavy duty marigolds on the outside - mainly it stops the water from flushing through the gloves so cooling your hands down. Hands still get cold but it really reduces the pain.

 

am waering latex socks under my booties next session to see if it works for my feet as well

[sollo]

i dont wear gloves or boots.

 

Brrrrrrrrr!

Then you must be very far south or infact maybe you are somewhere really warm or you are just really hard core .

[Cahliss]

i dont wear gloves or boots.

 

Brrrrrrrrr!

Then you must be very far south or infact maybe you are somewhere really warm or you are just really hard core .

 

He's probably in a place like me, loverly and warm, no socks, gloves, or wetty :D

 

Mind you no kites as well:mad:

[GORILLA]

i dont wear gloves or boots.

 

i just swing my arms around a few times, soon warms your hands up.

sounds silly but try it

 

 

I agree - but unsure how you can swing your feet around whilst riding !

[morleyman200]

i just got my self some goves quite cheep, check out http://www.wetsuitoutlet.co.uk

[andy kite king]

is it worth geting a dry suit at all???

[Jofski]

dry suit keeps your body toasty which in turn def keeps the hands that lil bit warmer - Ive had no probs this winter whatsoever and am only wearing very thin (1mm) gloves to take the bite out of the wind

[Steiner]

Drysuits are the canine's orbs, specially up here in Sunny Scotland, I wear the Mystic Mesh gloves and they work a treat.

[sidmaniac]

Not being warm enough can turn into a really serious problem. If your hands and feet are feeling it then your core body temperature is temp is dropping and you are slowly becoming hypothermic, thats going to affect the ability to react if there is a problem. Doing a extreme sport in the ocean in winter is serious stuff and I understand why many people in the uk give up kitsurfing during the coldest months.

[sollo]

Not being warm enough can turn into a really serious problem. If your hands and feet are feeling it then your core body temperature is temp is dropping and you are slowly becoming hypothermic, thats going to affect the ability to react if there is a problem. Doing a extreme sport in the ocean in winter is serious stuff and I understand why many people in the uk give up kitsurfing during the coldest months.

 

To be honest we'd only go for the odd hour and not for a long session on the cold days, and we're not talking about the depth of winter, but just a chilly autumn/spring or mild winter days. I've been out once early Feb in 12 degrees (minus windchill maybe about 4-5 degrees), and my pre-windchill threshold - for windchill reasons - is about 10-8 degrees, depending on wind strength.

 

[sidmaniac]

For sure.

 

I am not feeling the cold too much myself- drysuit, gath helmet, boots, gloves. But, the last time out (last weekend), I had to body drag for a while to recover my board and became aware of how cold things got when your body was immersed in water and waves were breaking over my head.

 

I felt 'whoa' I'm glad my kite is in the air I can get myself back on dry land in an minute or so if I need to. I would'nt fancy having to deal with a kitemare in deep water.

[npeac]

i helped pull a bodyboarder back in a couple of weeks ago. i heard him screaming behind me, a couple of surfers had got to him as well, it was easy to get him in and the energy he wasted wailing would have easily got him in. his leash had snapped and he had lost his board. he had gloves and boots on but no hood and was in early stages of hypothermia. there was no point in asking why he hadnt done things differently as he was incoherent and had lost motor skills. got the impression that he was never going in the sea again.

the point is you dont feel it sneaking up on you and the bad things always happen on the efge of your furthest out tack. a hood clipped onto the back of your harness with a carabiner could save your life. just try swimming in cold water without one and see how far you get.

[doc]

yeh, dry suit everytime for me in the winter. Warm as toast and if your core is warm tehn your extremities will be able to cope in our climate. i use 3mm gloves but am so warm in my core that my hands and feet are never too cold.

 

I keep my bonce arm with a helmet in winter too. Also, if u ride the waves then you are never far out to sea in the first place. So i say, minimise the risks out there, things can and do go wrong.

[scillonian]

Over past cold snaps during winter months i've used marigolds to reasonable effect as they keep some of the wind chill off......but a month ago during bitter easterlies i went out and as it was cold i thought i'd be clever and put two pairs of marigolds on...bloo** hell after 45 min my finger tips were absolutely agony and i had to land with no feeling left in my fingers.

 

Now i wonder whether having two pairs on actually cut off the circulation to my fingers so no blood got in there to warm them...all i can vouch for it really really hurt.

Went out same conditions the next day with o'neil 2mm flx gloves and lasted 2 hours before i felt cold.

I now also have a 0.5mm hooded rashie which makes me really toastie (remember that most heat is lost through the head.)

Tryed the mystic dry gloves 3mm and they gave me cramp in the forearms.

 

got the flx2mm and hoodie rash from good old e bay.

[Dominich]

Not being warm enough can turn into a really serious problem. If your hands and feet are feeling it then your core body temperature is temp is dropping and you are slowly becoming hypothermic, thats going to affect the ability to react if there is a problem. Doing a extreme sport in the ocean in winter is serious stuff and I understand why many people in the uk give up kitsurfing during the coldest months.

 

To be honest we'd only go for the odd hour and not for a long session on the cold days, and we're not talking about the depth of winter, but just a chilly autumn/spring or mild winter days. I've been out once early Feb in 12 degrees (minus windchill maybe about 4-5 degrees), and my pre-windchill threshold - for windchill reasons - is about 10-8 degrees, depending on wind strength.

 

 

What's the world coming to? We were out at Portland week before last 2 degrees C plus 25 knot windchill.

 

Had my shortie on underneath my winter wetsuit and was toasty, apart from my hands!

 

Anyho, if you're after a dry suit I have one for sale here:-

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230210140003&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=013

[Jofski]

Not being warm enough can turn into a really serious problem. If your hands and feet are feeling it then your core body temperature is temp is dropping and you are slowly becoming hypothermic, thats going to affect the ability to react if there is a problem. Doing a extreme sport in the ocean in winter is serious stuff and I understand why many people in the uk give up kitsurfing during the coldest months.

 

well all i got to say is HTFU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!