I am interested in either of the following two gloves, which SOUND great, but after having read some of the negative comments about them in the forum, I would like to ask if anyone out there actually has anything GOOD to say about them. I'm a bit puzzled, since, and as someone else has already mentioned, the socks are made from the same materials, etc, so why are the socks the bees knees but the gloves very poor?
Has anyone tried the latest gloves WITH the merino wool or are all the bad reviews for the older version only?
If the above gloves are totally useless, then any suggestions on something similar would be very much appreciated; thin, warm, TOTALLY windproof and if possible, waterproof (which is what attracted me to them in the first place).
I had just bought my Sealskinz when they were being discussed here a few weeks back and I wondered if I’d made a big mistake. There seemed to be about an equal number of folks who liked and disliked them, those who didn’t gave very negative views.
I have the ‘ultra grip’ and they do have the merino lining. I’ve worn mine on Dartmoor for up to about 6 hours at a time in temperatures of down to about zero and in wind snow and rain. Yes mine are waterproof, windproof and surprisingly breathable. I really like the close fit and I find them very comfortable to wear. As for warmth, I think that’s more subjective and I could understand why some people would find them inadequate in cold conditions. I have found my fingers starting to get cold at times but when that happens I wiggle my fingers (I don’t use poles) and my hands warm up again quickly.
I have the ultra grip gloves, I wore them on the winter skills course last year. And they kept my hands warm for the whole day on the Saturday. But come the Sunday when it was even colder (-20 something with the wind chill) and more exposed I did need to put on my fleece gloves underneath to keep my hands warm (I've now bought a pair of thin glove liners to be worn with them for £7 from The Cotswold).
I do use them all the time, and generally they are very good. However I did find that after a day on the Brecon Beacons in drizzle/rain just before Christmas that my hands did get wet.
I have also found that my seal skinz socks do get my feet wet as well (I'd love some one from the company to talk to me about this sometime if they read this). I've used these in the same conditions as the gloves, and they have kept my feet very warm in winter conditions. I do tend now (unless conditions dictate otherwise) use trail shows and seal skinz socks as my winter footwear (a poor attempt to go light weight).
On the whole I really do like the product and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.
I have the ultra-grip gloves, with the Merino Wool insulation. I think they're very good for moderately cold, wet and windy weather, like you get on the hills on chilly days in spring and autumn. They are good for scrambling in, and give me enough dexterity to fiddle with zips or open a chocolate wrapper. They also keep my hands reasonably dry, though not perfectly dry, which I think is down more to breathability than waterproofness.
Having said that, for me at least, they are not warm enough for the hills in genuine winter weather - on a snowy, windy High Street in December my hands got so cold that I would had to have come down had I not had a spare pair of windstopper gloves at the bottom of the rucksack, which to my surprise were quite a bit warmer. I think that the problem with the Sealskinz is that the tight fit slightly restricts the blood-flow to my fingers, which means that my hands will get cold regardless of how good the insulation is. For that reason I'm suspicious of Sealskinz's suggestion that you wear a pair of liner gloves underneath them in very cold weather - I assume that would just make them tighter. So while I still like my Sealskinz, they'll be staying at sea level until at least March.
yes i would agree with earlier replies.wore them in sub zero temps with liner gloves and they were fine till i stopped for 5 mins then fingers got cold so i wriggled my fingers about and they were ok.they did get wet but i think it was to do with breathability.to be honest all the gloves i have ever used have got wet inside at some point.they are great for scrambling too. i will buy another pair when they give up the ghost.
Thanks for all the extremely helpful and thorough opinions given. They have been greatly appreciated.
I have thin hands and fingers so maybe they might work OK for me.
I've come across some other waterproof gloves, but they are specially for biking and have all sorts of special biking related features, but if they're waterproof and warm enough, then I wouldn't mind the unrequired features. They probably all have pre-curved fingers though; something which I'm not quite sure I want for general use.
I've found these to be very useful. THey're not the warmest of gloves but there is no hint of condensation in them at all. Probably the best gloves I've had.
