Neoprene gloves for cold, rainy weather?

[Justin Baker]

I have some light 0.5mm neoprene gloves made by nrs that I bought for packrafting. I was wondering how these would work for hiking in cold rainy weather? I feel like neoprene has weird insulating properties, sometimes it keeps me warm and sometimes when its not getting repeatedly soaked it seems to get really cold.

[Robb Watts]

I used to use a pair of NRS neoprene gloves and also had mixed results. Now I use MLD rain mitts or ones made by North Face (runners mittens – got them at Dick’s) that are a lot smaller. Either work fine without gloves underneath down to 40 degrees or so; just add thin liner gloves for colder temperatures. They suck for wiping your nose though.

[Lester Moore]

Bloody software glitch – have to copy and paste what you’re typing every few seconds…

It depends on the type of Neoprene. If it’s regular and the outside wets out when exposed to water, then it will be cold when wet and windy due to evaporative heat loss. If it’s rubbery on the outside and water beads up, then it will be warmer, but a heavy option compared to things like the MLD or BG Event mitts. When kayaking in the 40’s F or warmer with a breeze, my hand feel warmer without gloves than wearing the standard neoprene gloves. NRS makes gloves using both kinds of neoprene and some with a mix of both.

[David Thomas]

I’ve got a lot of neoprene gloves that I use while fishing in the winter, clamming (for warmth and protection from sharp rocks and clam shells) and kayaking.

The only kind I would consider on an inland hike are the newer, thinner, more flexible ones.  But I’d reach for a pair of fleece gloves first.

Neoprene excels if you need to stop a bulk flow of water past your skin.  Like on a day with 80 stream crossings.  When I had one of those days, my very wet wool socks in my trail runners would warm up nicely when I was out of the water for 20 minutes, but most of the day was crossing the same stream every 5 minutes and neoprene socks would have been better.

Neoprene gloves?  Great if you’re gold panning in snow melt or otherwise immersing your hands in cold water.  But otherwise, fleece gloves would be as warm, lighter, and more comfortable.

The neoprene gloves would work, and if you bring them anyway for pack rafting, yeah, hike with them, too.

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