Just curious how others handle the chill.

I was out in 45F (7C) with 48F (9C) water temp today. I was wearing a drysuit with integrated socks (no wet feet), electric socks, and a double ski base layer. I was very comfy save for my hands.

I've experimented with gloves but found them wanting both in terms of warmth and dexterity. Instead of gloves, I bring a thermos of hot (150F/65C) water and trickle it over my hands each time I come back to the beach. Works great for me.

I'd love to hear what other's have tried.

I ride in similar conditions. I do have a lot of cold water training and survival experience so I run thinner gear than I recommend to others.
For hands if it's sunny out I can wear nitrile gloves in the temps you reported. Prone paddling home sucks tho, so try to keep your hands in the air. If it's cloudy and the temp sum (air plus water) is under 90 then I need neoprene gloves and this year I decided to quit when it gets that cold. I think the gloves cause more damage to my body than they are worth.

When i was younger, anything was fine. However, I now have a hard cutoff below 50 degF water temps.
Now matter how good the conditions look, it's just no longer worth the numb feet and ice cream headaches.

I was out a few days ago in. 2-3 celcius water temp and 6 C airtemp and first time ever I tried this setup: thin merino wool gloves covered with dishwasher gloves. I had a session for 2.5 hrs. First hour I didn't feel cold at all. Rest of the session a bit of needles in my right hand. But that was it. I wore them in the car to get a bit of a feel for them before the session.

Four weeks ago I went out with my brand-new mystic gloves and only managed 30 mins. Hands cramped up. Ended the session...took me a few days to get rid of the cramp/strain.

Mind you it takes me 2.5 hr drive to get to the spot. Those dishwasher gloves + thin glove underneath (I saw Taavi and local riders riding with..) I was always skeptical about. But now I find the windsports winter gloves industry a total rip off. Don't waste your money on them.

This dishwasher setup is brilliant. And you have an excellent feel for the wing handles.

How do you keep water from entering the dishwasher gloves?

I use oceania gloves. They do work way better than neoprene gloves, but are very fragile. I use the leopard shark model and it started getting tears after only a few sessions.

Cold weather kit......fortunately it's a 3/2 steamer and booties back in Oz and a 3/2 spring suit here in the UAE

If you want awesome windsport gloves try these:
Solite 4:3 WIND/PADDLE SPLIT-MITT:
soliteboots.com/collections/cold-water-boots/products/4-3-wind-paddle-split-mitt

Also Solite make the best booties. I use 5mm with straps and 8mm without straps.

Wetsuit I use Patagonia R5 6.5/5mm all winter. With 7mm mitts if prone foiling.

I can last about an hour in -20C before completely covered in ice but still warm on the inside hahaha

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kersh said..
Cold weather kit......fortunately it's a 3/2 steamer and booties back in Oz and a 3/2 spring suit here in the UAE

kersh, you are living the next phase of my life. Working on it

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choosywinger said..
Just curious how others handle the chill.

I was out in 45F (7C) with 48F (9C) water temp today. I was wearing a drysuit with integrated socks (no wet feet), electric socks, and a double ski base layer. I was very comfy save for my hands.

I've experimented with gloves but found them wanting both in terms of warmth and dexterity. Instead of gloves, I bring a thermos of hot (150F/65C) water and trickle it over my hands each time I come back to the beach. Works great for me.

I'd love to hear what other's have tried.

At 7c and 9c water you can still use 3/2 gloves or 3/2 mitts. For colder lobster claw style mitts , precurved.5mm like mystic.you however need a harness if you are winging.

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pacoz said..
How do you keep water from entering the dishwasher gloves?

I use oceania gloves. They do work way better than neoprene gloves, but are very fragile. I use the leopard shark model and it started getting tears after only a few sessions.

This was my main question before trying.. haha

So as you suit up before you slip your hands through the wetsuit sleeves, you 1) put on the merino thin whool glove, 2) put on the dishwasher glove 3) slip it into the sleeve and voila its pretty much sealed with about 3-4 cm of yellow glove under the sleeve at the wrist.

After my 2.5hr session i took it all off and the merino glove was dry. I guess a bit of water can always seep in.

I swear my brand-new Mystic Supreme Lobster Precurved 4mm is a complete BS product in comparison. Yes warm, but fun? Absolutely not

Some smart fellows at the beach bring a hillbilly hot tub. A cooler filled with hot water you can stand in or hold your hands submerged. I second the dishwashing gloves. However, I put them over bare hands and then put open palm mitts over the gloves.

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MProject04 said..

pacoz said..
How do you keep water from entering the dishwasher gloves?

I use oceania gloves. They do work way better than neoprene gloves, but are very fragile. I use the leopard shark model and it started getting tears after only a few sessions.

This was my main question before trying.. haha

So as you suit up before you slip your hands through the wetsuit sleeves, you 1) put on the merino thin whool glove, 2) put on the dishwasher glove 3) slip it into the sleeve and voila its pretty much sealed with about 3-4 cm of yellow glove under the sleeve at the wrist.

After my 2.5hr session i took it all off and the merino glove was dry. I guess a bit of water can always seep in.

I swear my brand-new Mystic Supreme Lobster Precurved 4mm is a complete BS product in comparison. Yes warm, but fun? Absolutely not

I'll need to try this. Thanks.

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choosywinger said..

MProject04 said..

pacoz said..
How do you keep water from entering the dishwasher gloves?

I use oceania gloves. They do work way better than neoprene gloves, but are very fragile. I use the leopard shark model and it started getting tears after only a few sessions.

This was my main question before trying.. haha

So as you suit up before you slip your hands through the wetsuit sleeves, you 1) put on the merino thin whool glove, 2) put on the dishwasher glove 3) slip it into the sleeve and voila its pretty much sealed with about 3-4 cm of yellow glove under the sleeve at the wrist.

After my 2.5hr session i took it all off and the merino glove was dry. I guess a bit of water can always seep in.

I swear my brand-new Mystic Supreme Lobster Precurved 4mm is a complete BS product in comparison. Yes warm, but fun? Absolutely not

I'll need to try this. Thanks.

I'll second that, I've been using the nitriles but had not considered the wool. I'd like to try this too.

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Seastudent said..
Some smart fellows at the beach bring a hillbilly hot tub. A cooler filled with hot water you can stand in or hold your hands submerged. I second the dishwashing gloves. However, I put them over bare hands and then put open palm mitts over the gloves.

Oh wow! Good one ! I love riding with open palm mitts. So there you go. Another option.

Air is here around 2-6C water water 7C but it will probably drop a bit to around zero in jan and feb. Due the high humidity of the air we have a rather high chillfactor. People who are used to -20C but inland say around zero C in the netherlands feels colder...Waterwear: I,m fine in a 5/6mm hooded wetsuit with an extra layer neoprene layer with thick fleece under it.I have a several different wetsuits from different brands and to be honest the differences between the cheapest and most expensive ones arent that big imo and I got from most brands there top of the line suits as well some budget internet stuff like Needessentals/Srface.
Some dry a bit quicker but overall they all work quite well for me.
My current favourite is the Gul Viper:

www.wake-style.com/products/gul-viper-6-5-4mm-hooded-steamer?srsltid=AfmBOoqRAA1CO3l3RQTRAx9f0Rka1eJkBAqqzTCk0zhllKG-pjQzR58a

Premium Oneill feel, buildquality and fit but a lot cheaper...
Nice suit but I was last week out in an Ripcurl Dawnpatrol perf hooded with an extra shirt under it and that did the job too. Again, the differences are overated imo.
What does seem to help on the really cold days is a bit of a windbreaker over my suit. an impact fest makes a huge diff but I do have an neopene sweater alike thing that i can wear over my suit and protrcts my upperbody from the cold wind.

Boots and gloves are imo quite personal: I really couldnt get along with the solites that foil the greats loves. I gave them away to a buddy who loves hem. I,m more a fan of the Atan Hot Mistral 6.5mm socks that are dipped in latex. They last only a winter but the feel is really good.As long as I don,t need the Atans : Oneill Ninja,s 5mm. Almost a reef boot feel.Regarding to gloves: I hate open palm mittens. They don,t give me enough protection against the cold while they hinder me in winghandling. I played with Nitrite gloves and under gloves but that didnt work for me either.The least worse glove/almost bearable gloves are for me the Ripcurl 5finger flashbomb 3mm. Still painfull hands after a while when its really cold but once I passed that stage.


When its trully freezing I quit. Its only a few weeks a year really that cold. Great time to go MTB or wait for the wind to drop and go Sup(foil).

If hands get cold, with or without gloves, spin arms vertically for 30 secs like a windmill. Forces blood back into hands, looks silly, but works.
A dinghy spray jacket helps a lot. Kited 4C air, body warm but face numb, should work winging.

Solite boots are magic although expensive.

For gloves I use Ansell Marigolds, which are commonly used for drysuit diving. Last significantly longer than dish gloves with better grip. Thin wool liners will keep your hands happy for hours. When it gets really cold I'll add palmless mitts on top.

8 C is my usual water temperature during the winter. Air is similar to Jeroen with the occasional freezing morning down to -4, or so.

Personally, I find that there is a big difference between a "cheap" wetsuit and an "expensive" one, even from the same brand. This winter I am using an O'Neill Hyperfreak Fire and a Psycho Tech. Both are 4.5/3.5 mm. On warmer and calmer days when both thicker suits are wet I dig out my spring suit - Patagonia Regulator R1 (3/2 mm I think).I can feel the difference between the Psycho and the Hyperfreak Fire, especially on days with wind chillwhenthe Psycho Tech material on the front and back does a much better job.

Having said that, I think protecting your limbs and head is probably more important. I cannot really get on with the Solite split toe thing and the grip wears out too fast, imo. On cold days I am using my 5mm Vans booties, which are warm and comfortable. I also have a pair of 5mm Wetty booties which are far more comfortable and grippy, but I don't think they are as warm as the Vans. On warmer days and shorter sessions I use my 3mm Wetty booties. What's great about the Wetties is that you can easily turn them inside out when taking them off, thus they dry much faster and easier.

Once the air temps go down, I use 5mm mittens. I find that mittens keep my hands much warmer. I assume this is because the fingers are together helping to warming each other up. Yes, the loss of dexterity is a bit of a bummer, but you get used to it. I really enjoyed the Patagonia mittens last season, but they neoprene around the thumbs disintegrated within one season. This year I am trying the top of the range O'Neil 5mm mittens and I hate them. Fit is weird (they have loosened a lot pretty quickly and now store water after paddling) and grip is nearly non existent. Most days I stick to my 3mm Solite gloves. I bought the thicker lobster split Solite gloves a few weeks ago, but they are super tight around the bottom of the palms and hurt my hands more than the cold. They are the same size as the 3mm Solite gloves, so hopefully I can stretch them out.

Finally, don't forget the hood. With a hood you can stay out much longer and feel more comfortable. I am currently using an O'Neill 2mm psycho tech and also a 3mm Prolimit (Dutch brand I think) one when it's properly cold.

As a bigger chap, I do have some bulk and personal insulation, but I am not some polarbear bro. I grew up with around 21 C winter water temps.

I am usually winging till 32 F, then things usually start to ice up and I will surf or do other things. I have been on a search for the best gloves and have tried almost everything. I have found the hyperflex oven mitts to have the best grip and warmth and will produce no forearm cramping, the downside is they don't last long, maybe a season if you continually patch them. I have some Ion mitts that had pretty good grip and no forearm cramping, but they do let water in and usually if it's below 40 F, I will stop after 15 minutes when my hands get cold and shake them out for a couple minutes enduring the pain of unthawing hands, then they are good to go.

I have just tried Ripcurl flashbomb mitts 7mm, which I use for surfing and have had for several years. They kept my hands nice and warm, but I did get the slightest cramping, which I would could get ride of quickly by going in the harness or flagging the wing out. Not sure on the durability for winging since I have only used them once, but they looked decent after the session.

Going to keep trying those flashbombs to see how long they last.

North of Scotland, obviously we get sub zero days but my low temp cut off is one or two degrees Celsius. Water temp dips to about 3 or 4 degrees in the new year at sea. The fresh water Lochs are colder in the winter so I tend to avoid them.
Days with ice and snow on the ground but sunshine are much nicer than overcast wet days as just a little sunshine makes a big difference. Not that we get much sun at this time of year!
Over the years I have tried a lot of different wetsuit types and for sure the quality and warmth get better the more you spend. My current favourite is the ONeill Psycho Tech hooded 6/5/4, 5mm NeedEssentials boots and Ion palm less mitts. The impact vest adds a lot of core insulation. The palm less mitts work fine as I am using the Duotone Slick carbon boom and can keep my hands fairly dry most of the time. I like the Slick wing but you can tell the it was designed by a warm water crew who never had to pull the dump valves in freezing temperatures. The one on the strut is positioned so that you have to stick your hand in the cold air flow from the big inflation valve Brrrrr. And anyway the cold makes them so stiff that honestly I just don't pull the strut dump and in any case never use the tip dump even in the summer.
Helmets with clips that are impossible to operate with cold hands are also a PITA, I am using Neil Pryde helmets which are fine.
And board leashes/wing leashes of any kind with plastic clips are a no as they tend to get brittle and way too hard to operate with cold hands. My board leash is the FBC velcro type which works fine in the cold.
Guess we shouldn't be surprised that most of the kit is designed for warm water use.

I did today a downwinder with the Supfoil on the big lakes we have in the netherlands. a foil to demo means mast in the wrong position and gear that didnr cooperate so lots of swimming Anyway, water 3degrees, air 6+celcius but a cold feeling wind.5/4hooded Ripcurl Dawn patrol on and a 2mm Atan undershirt, the Ripcurl gloves and atan boots on and I was steaming!I had the last 3 KM my gloves of and hood of because it was just too warm.
That was probably the only good thing about this absolute Scheisse-session.

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Jeroensurf said..
I did today a downwinder with the Supfoil on the big lakes we have in the netherlands. a foil to demo means mast in the wrong position and gear that didnr cooperate so lots of swimming Anyway, water 3degrees, air 6+celcius but a cold feeling wind.5/4hooded Ripcurl Dawn patrol on and a 2mm Atan undershirt, the Ripcurl gloves and atan boots on and I was steaming!I had the last 3 KM my gloves of and hood of because it was just too warm.
That was probably the only good thing about this absolute Scheisse-session.

Sounds like a solid mission, that's hardcore. And yeah, I am never cold when I have a SUP paddle in my hands, its just too much like hard work and the heart rate is way over my winging HR which isn't much more than my sitting on the couch HR.