martinpa Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Hi, Does anybody fly with neoprene gloves in the winter? I was wondering if they would be any warmer than normal winter gloves. Anybody go experience flying with them, They are great when wet, but are they good for flying???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curiosity Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 I've got some neoprene shooting gloves. Never worn them for flying (never flown), but they are IMO no good at all. Colder than my paper-thin leather gloves (which are actually quite good). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganers Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 To get the warmth without the thin layer of water you will need to get thick neoprene gloves and as a result you lose dexterity. Anything more than 3 mm I find a pain in the arse for using your hand. Lee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildemt Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Seal skinz several styles of excellent water proof gloves. Bit pricy though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hann__ Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Funny you should mention these gloves - i suffer from cold hands and have been thinking on what to wear during winter flights and thought of neoprene gloves as they might be warm,snug but give adequate feeling with which to fiddle about with paramotor stuff.. Went to a dive shop and tried some on - yep, 3mm is about as thick as you`d want to go but the ones i was going to buy were not in stock at my size... Sounds like they might not be suitable anyway, going by the replies here.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Avoid Neoprene My tips based on a couple of very cold Bosnia winter tours and a good few years of winter flying are: 1. Warm up your hands BEFORE you put your gloves on. (the quickest way to do this is to swing your arms around in full circles as fast as you can without popping your arms out! lol) this draws blood from your core into your hands very quickly. Most people will get the motor out, put it together and get cold hands before they have even started flying. Get there 5 mins early, put your motor together, and then warm your hands up again before take off. 1.1 Use the time to drink a hot brew. 2. Slightly more obviously, warm up your gloves also. Even just not leaving them in the car overnight makes a massive difference to comfortable air time in the winter months. 3. get to a safe height, get the trimmers out, and put your hands below your heart at least once every 5 mins for 30 secs. In the proper cold winter months this can extend your comfortable flying time by a good 30 mins. Just think warm, run about, warm your body up, eat hot food, get your blood flowing, do the above or at least close.... :-) Its all good! Winter flying is awesome! SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 I stick a hand warmer in each glove ages before I need them, the gloves are toasty when you put them on and it makes a big difference (especially if you have great gloves like the Gin Alpines). I'm also a diver so have loads of different types and thicknesses of neoprene gloves. I tried experimenting a few years ago and couldn't even get any of them to keep hands warm on my mountain bike in winter, let alone at altitude (the neoprene mitten seemed the least cold but that would be useless for flying). I think having a layer of air around your hands makes a big difference and neoprene doesn't give you that plus I don't think it really helps with circulation as they are supposed to be a snug fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hann__ Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Right - thanks for that Stevie. That`s the neoprene glove issue solved for me.. On a related note, are flying / air conditions in winter generally smoother - less thermals for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonmarshall Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I get really cold hands (bad circulation), and have tried many many glove combinations. I recently got Black Diamond Soloist Lobster Gloves (3+1), they are a bit bulky but the single finger means I've got enough dexterity for flying, they've been good so far but I haven't subjected them to Scottish winter flying yet. I plan to use disposible hand warmers and fleece glove liners when it gets cold. Simon M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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