Am I being spun a yarn?

[MiddleEastland]

It is true, to a degree Rusty.

Until I had a few health problems, I used to race yachts at World/European/National level. In fact my log-on is the boat in which I won my last Worlds in 2003.

At that level, you don't wear shorts and teeshirts. You have:

A) a Drysuit, which is a totally waterproof suit, built in feet, sealed at the neck, and wrists. And you don't get wet.

3mm wetsuits, stops wind chill and protects against sharp boat bits. They trap a layer of water between the suit and the skin, which warms up. Requires you to be continuly active though, or the wind chill soon leeches out the heat.

C) a Steamer, a halfway house, 5mm neoprene. I hated them, a Drysuit that was designed to leak seemed stupid to me. Surfers use them though, because of the knock protection and bouyancy they provide.

So, the theory is correct, but in practice you'll feel the cold, unless you go for a jog every 15minutes or so! I'd guess your gloves will 3-5mm Neoprene, which should be a waterproof, to direct contact with water, but probably leaks through the wrists, etc. You could try using thin Lycra gloves inside, we used leggings and teeshirts for this stuff to protect against nappy rash. Try wearing a wetsuit for a week! Added benefit of an extra base layer.

[grumpybum]

I used to use a pair of neoprene fingerless gloves for fly fishing in March. My hands were constantly wet from stripping back the fly line. They still stayed warm.

 

Neoprene is waterproof but its the very thin layer of water it traps next to the skin that is quickly heated by the body that provides the warmth. Thats the principle of a wet suit. A dry suit requires thermal under layers to work.

[Sportsman]

I used to use a pair of neoprene fingerless gloves for fly fishing in March. My hands were constantly wet from stripping back the fly line. They still stayed warm.

 

Neoprene is waterproof but its the very thin layer of water it traps next to the skin that is quickly heated by the body that provides the warmth. Thats the principle of a wet suit. A dry suit requires thermal under layers to work.

 

All a wet suit does by trapping a layer of water is slow down the rate at which you lose heat. It does not slow it down as much as a dry suit.

I wear 5ml neoprene waders when I am float tubing. This means that I am immersed in water at just above freezing, up to my waist for several hours at a time. I could not begin to imagine doing this in a wet suit. I might be able to tolerate 20 or 30 minutes maximum, and only then as long as I didn't move too much (movement displaces the water that I have warmed and replaces it with a new cold layer.

A wet suit may have a use in marginal conditions but when it is cold you need to stay dry to stay warm.

[Tigger]

When I've used my neoprene gloves the coldest part of my hand is my exposed finger tips through folding back the glove to enable me to bait the hook etc as they get wet.

 

When I've been wading in my neoprene chest waders the last thing I would want there to be would be a leak as this would cause me to get wet and cold very fast. There totally different than a wet suit.

If someone is wet in a cold place the first thing to do is get dry otherwise it's Curtains!!!

Ask Ray Mears !

[Anderoo]

I've found the same thing with 'fingerless/folding finger' gloves, the water gets in and the cold spreads. I much prefer to have some good quality warm gloves and quickly take them off and then put them back on again when I need to do anything fiddly.

[jackman]

hey, i am new to this board,

 

why don't you try, thrusting your hands into the freezer untill they are quite cold (bit daft i kno ) and then wet your hands with cold water from the tap and put them on, and see if your hands get any warmer..? maybe?

[poledark]

I wear/use the neophrene ones and find they keep my hands warm. The pair I have are several years old and it doesn't seem to matter whether they are wet or dry! Mine are mostly wet :)

 

I shall be buying a pair of the Aldi ones tomorrow, at £4.99 they look like a bargain.

 

Den

[Rusty]

Thanks for the replies all.

 

I think on balance I'll resist the [small] temptation to try dunking them.

[Tigger]

Thanks for the replies all.

 

I think on balance I'll resist the [small] temptation to try dunking them.

 

 

 

Yeph, save that for your tea and buiscuites lol.