Crazy enough for NE wind

[AdrienGrelon]

Thanks, fellas! Definitely would not have hacked this one in Furry Creek: having the luxury of suiting up in the warmth and heading straight for a warm shower post-session made it feasible. I got a recommendation for a good hand/glove solution that might make longer sessions in those temps possible... TBC. Everything else was fine (just had an extra neoprene/fuzzy top under my suit).

[grantmac]

Dish gloves tucked into wetsuit then open face mitts on top works like a charm for me. Mystic mitts are the least restrictive but not very durable or super warm. Dakine are a lot warmer but more rigid.

[LeopardSkin]

Getting on a plane and sailing somewhere warm is also recommended!

[Slappy]

a good hand/glove solution that might make longer sessions in those temps possible... TBC.

I've been using NP Surf 5mm lobster claw mitts for several years now and nothing compares to them for cold water.

https://www.silentsports.com/Wetsuits-a ... /NPW143M1/

I have a brand new pair size Medium still in the plastic bag that I'll sell you for $75 if you are interested.

[AdrienGrelon]

Dish gloves tucked into wetsuit then open face mitts on top works like a charm for me. Mystic mitts are the least restrictive but not very durable or super warm. Dakine are a lot warmer but more rigid.

Going with a rubberized dish glove (instead of my current nitril) could probably be a perfect upgrade to my setup. The longer length would keep water out when tucked up high into the sleeve of the suit, without needing to be taped up, like what I currently do with the nitril gloves (over top a thin ski liner glove). Thanks for the idea, Grant, that could be killer!

a good hand/glove solution that might make longer sessions in those temps possible... TBC.

I've been using NP Surf 5mm lobster claw mitts for several years now and nothing compares to them for cold water.

https://www.silentsports.com/Wetsuits-a ... /NPW143M1/

I have a brand new pair size Medium still in the plastic bag that I'll sell you for $75 if you are interested.

Pretty sure full neoprenes aren't an option... Even heavily precurled ones I've tried in the past pump the forearms out it seems. Windsurfing grip demands are a bit higher than kiting, I'm told by dualists. I could be wrong about this particular model not being adequate though. If you still have them this spring, I'd be keen to check them out in Squamish! Cheers.

Getting on a plane and sailing somewhere warm is also recommended!

I'd recommend WA.

[grantmac]

Anything thicker than rubber/nitrile will have my arms dead in 30 minutes. All my mitts are palmless and I prefer to size them loose just to make sure I'm not fighting against them.

[tweegster]

The Mec prebent paddling mits are working good for me even below zero. Cheap, warm and comfy, some arm pump after 3+ hours on the water....

Lasted over a year.

[AdrienGrelon]

The Mec prebent paddling mits are working good for me even below zero. Cheap, warm and comfy, some arm pump after 3+ hours on the water....

Lasted over a year.

Those are the ones I'm rocking as my outer "shell" right now! Agreed, they're pretty good, but once my hands get wet it's hard for them to warm up again if I just have those on.

[Slappy]

I use the MEC paddling mitts when it's above 8 degrees but I have cut the palms out. They are great as even with the palms cut out if you make a fist hardly any water gets to your hands.

OpenPalm_IMG_5145.JPG (1.13 MiB) Viewed 17782 times

I couldn't imagine wearing them with the closed palms though, they are so restrictive.

With the open palms you can also make a fist and exhale in to it to warm up your hands.

Another trick I use regardless of glove type is swinging my arms in a big circle one at a time to force blood flow in to my hands.

Below 8 degrees the NP Surf mitts do the trick for kiting. I can imagine WS puts a lot more stress on your grip as I don't think you guys use your harness half the time. I can say though if you can stand the MEC mitts with the palms left in then you'd be able to handle the NP Surf ones even better. For me kiting I get arm pump for the first 20 minutes but I just take it easy and stretch out one forearm at a time for 10-15 seconds several times and then after 20 minutes I'm good for 4 hours on the water.

With my NP Surf mitts on I can completely rig and de-rig which makes life a lot more enjoyable not having freezing fingers before/after the session.

[AdrienGrelon]

Yeah, my MECs are open palm. Wouldn't last long with closed palms.

Yep, you're unhooked all the time windsurfing except when blasting in a straight line. Gonna try Grant's idea and if I think those NPs could still be worth a shot, I'll give ya a shout during Squam season. Cheers.