Sun Protection for Hands

[Atif Khan]

We just completed a 2 week desert trek that was so barren in some places–no tree, shrub, or rock–that our packs provided the only shade available during breaks. Loose pants, loose full sleeve shirts, and head cloths provide sun protection. Too windy for umbrellas. Sunscreen runs out after repeated application, so not ultralight. Temperatures were moderate at this time of year, but during the summer we see upwards of 45 C (113 F).

Any suggestions on how to protect hands in hot weather while using trekking poles? Light cotton gloves? My left hand is completely wizened by the afternoon’s westerly sunshine from a continuous north bearing.

[Tim H]

I used Outdoor Research Activeice sun gloves for my PCT section hike in 2022. Very thin breathable polyester that wicked nicely. Completely protected the backs of my hands. Highly recommended.

[PaulW]

Lots of companies make sungloves, including Glacier Outdoor, and they still have the sale going on here –

https://glacierglove.com/collections/sun-protection

[Brad W]

https://glacierglove.com/products/ascension-bay-sun-glove

Can’t speak higher of these gloves. My first pair had multiple thousands of miles, all with hiking poles. If it wasn’t for me leaving them next to a river on accident they would still be going.

[YoPrawn]

Glacier gloves with spf 50 mineral sunscreen on finger tips sticks out of gloves. A couple ounces of that stuff can last a really long time for just fingers. I still have my 3 ounce tube I purchased early in 2022.

I use my glacier gloves for doing manual labor work outdoors, and 1 pair will last at least two years of work and backpacking. The threads come loose easily, but still hold up even when ugly, and are easy to hand repair with thread and needle.

Otherwise, I just wear a long sleeved sun shit that covers my hands all the way to the fingers.

[Marcus]

Outdoor Research gloves, or the Glacier ones on sale for $8 that look about the same.

Or any ultra light weight glove you like will work. Look for quick drying and thin. Im easy on my gear but my OR ones are going strong after 2 years and a few hundred miles.

If you’re in super hot, exposed climate, check out the Rail Riders Bone Flats pants. They are worth their weight in gold for hot and sunny hikes. Same with the Chrome Dome, but your wind kills that as you say.

[Justin W]

For desert/very dry conditions, I find it helps to wear the most hydrophilic, moisture absorbent and holding fabrics possible.  Wearing ultra thin synthetics, your sweat evaporates super, super fast. The former provides a more longer term cooling effect in comparison.

If it were me, I would make slightly oversized mitts out of 55% linen 45% cotton fabric. Slightly over sized solely so one doesn’t have sew a complicated, hard to do thumb (a bit of a PITA).  A cotton high spandex content (or tencel high spandex content) blend would also be good, and it wouldn’t have to be made as oversized since it would stretch and give much better.  Though spandex is a synthetic, it holds A LOT of moisture and doesn’t readily/quickly give it up.

Problem is though, unless it is darker colored and tightly woven, it won’t have much SPF. You could do two layers of lighter/thinner fabric though to boost that though. And furthermore, have the outer layer light tan (for coolness) and the inner layer black.

The only nice thing about polyester in the desert is that it has higher UV absorption than most other materials AND is more inherently more UV resistant than most other synthetics used for clothing (though acrylic is pretty good too).

[Atif Khan]

Thank you all. Follow up questions: Are glacier gloves cool enough for extreme heat (over 45 C (113 F))? Justin, for the mitts, would 100% cotton be more hydrophilic?

[Adrian Griffin]

I’ve been using cotton inspection gloves from AliExpress. Cheap, and last several trips even when I use them as work gloves for trail maintenance.

[YoPrawn]

Thank you all. Follow up questions: Are glacier gloves cool enough for extreme heat (over 45 C (113 F))? Justin, for the mitts, would 100% cotton be more hydrophilic?

No, you probably DO NOT want to be using any gloves at those temps. Wear long sleeves on your sun shirt, by sizing it up several sizes too baggy. Let the fabric cover your hands and then supplement with sun screen.

Any sort of glove is miserable at those temps, or even close to them. Sun screen is really the ticket here. The mineral stuff doesn’t smell like chemical swamp butt. :)

[YoPrawn]

Cotton has a vastly worse UV resistance than polyester or nylon, especially when wet or moist. I tried the UL cotton glove route for years and it just doesn’t work as well as sunscreen or glacier gloves, or just plain long shirt sleeves.

[W I S N E R !]

I hike/camp in Southwestern deserts in 100+ regularly. Lightweight OR sun gloves do fine. I’ll take clothing/layers (as desert peoples traditionally have) over smearing myself with lotions that are greasy, clog pores, and cake with dirt. It was over 110 on this trip in the Mojave; a face covering in the heat of the day helped too. Zero sunblock necessary, no burns. Adapting to full coverage layers in the heat is a mindset.

[Marcus]

Agreed With wisner. Gloves in 100+ temps are fine. Just make sure they are light colored.

Life can only be so comfortable at 113.

[YoPrawn]

I hike/camp in Southwestern deserts in 100+ regularly. Lightweight OR sun gloves do fine. I’ll take clothing/layers (as desert peoples traditionally have) over smearing myself with lotions that are greasy, clog pores, and cake with dirt. It was over 110 on this trip in the Mojave; a face covering in the heat of the day helped too. Zero sunblock necessary, no burns. Adapting to full coverage layers in the heat is a mindset.

You would have to be quite acclimated to the weather!

I would literally die of heat stroke if I ever wore something on my face in 100+ temps. I can’t even handle a hoodie in super hot.

Being acclimated makes such a massive difference in sustained exposure, it’s really remarkable.

With that said, gloves are a lot hotter than mineral sunscreen. If you can wear gloves up to 115* F, then you are special and not indicative of the norm. :)

Elevation and humidity also play a role in how we experience 100+ temps.

When I spend a week near 0* F, I can walk around in short and shirt at 32* F by the end, with no gloves, like a hot summer day. If I spend all summer in the heat and then it gets to 50* F one day, I’m wrapped up like the Michelin man in puffy clothes.

[W I S N E R !]

Being acclimated makes such a massive difference in sustained exposure, it’s really remarkable.

100%.

I’ve done some desert trips with Nick G., an old desert rat (I say this with the utmost endearment) that used to frequent this site. He lives in the Mojave. It was never lost on me that he was able to drink far less than me, far less frequently. Personal biological differences aside, I know some of this was outright adaptation.

I’m sure there is a physical component to this, but in my experience, it feels primarily psychological. I’ve been on trips where I’ve literally had to tell myself to relax, to slow down, and to not fight it, so to speak.

I used to do a lot of ultradistance stuff, and all of it was in tiny shorts and t-shirts. I’d use sunscreen. But at some point it became clear that the sunscreen route combined with having any skin exposed is unsustainable for the long haul.

With sunscreen, however minimal, you have to think about sweating it off, reapplication, etc. And it’s just plain messy over the course of multiple days when you don’t have the luxury of wasting water to wash.

[Justin W]

“Justin, for the mitts, would 100% cotton be more hydrophilic?”

Here is a chart of moisture regain of different materials: https://www.textilecalculations.com/standard-moisture-regain-and-moisture-content-of-fibers/

    As you can see, flax linen has a moisture regain % of 12.4 to cotton’s 8.5%. But the whole story is not yet complete, because the structure of the fiber also matters some as well.  The reason why cotton is said to be so bad in the winter and cold, is only partly because of its hydrophilic and high moisture regain properties, but also because of the structure of the fiber.  If you look at cotton fibers under a microscrope, they look something like twisty, flat’ish ribbons. When they are dry, they are actually decent at insulation. But when they get significantly wet, they tend to lose the twist and start to lay more flat, and with a flatter yarn, you have more surface area of wet and now cool fibers touching your skin.

Flax linen and hemp fibers (very similar in a lot of ways) are more typical round fibers, but with a caveat–they are fairly hollow.  What this translates to, is that they can absorb a lot of moisture, but they feel drier faster than cotton does.  Feel being the key word, because they may still have a good amount of moisture in them. This makes them a bit more comfortable when sweating a lot (but in arid desert conditions, this matters less).

I recommended a flax linen cotton blend because flax linen also has a higher tensile strength than cotton, and again, actually has a higher moisture regain.  But, unless it is high quality fibers and/or aged, they can feel a little stiff for awhile, and cotton tends to feel softer on the skin–hence the about half and half recommendation.  Flax also has a bit better SPF rating if I remember correctly.

[Justin W]

“…Any sort of glove is miserable at those temps, or even close to them. Sun screen is really the ticket here…”

It may seem counter intuitive at first, but at very high temps, some insulation can actually be helpful. This is partly because heat energy always flows from areas of higher energy (heat) to areas of less.  A number of ancient desert dwellers often, for traditional garb, wore somewhat thick woolen robes–sometimes also very dark colors.  This puzzled researchers, because again, it seems counter intuitive.

Researchers found that the insulation of the clothes helped to insulate them from the heat of the sun and surroundings while their sweat and the evaporation next to the skin, created a micro climate keeping them relatively comfortable.  (Water is not only significantly more conductive than air, but water evaporating carries A LOT of heat energy with it. Evaporative, water based coolers in arid conditions can easily get 20 to 30 degrees below ambient temps.)

Or put it this way. Would you prefer to stick your hand in a hot oven bare or with some kind of insulation over it?   And, would  you prefer to stick your bare hand in a regular oven vs a high convective “air fry” type oven (answer, definitely the former! because it will heat up less quickly).  So when hot winds are blowing in an environ that is significantly above your core body temp, some insulation and wind blocking actually helps as long as your sweat is evaporating and creating that micro climate next to your skin. And if the clothes are thick and/or insulated enough, it doesn’t matter too much color it is or isn’t. (It very much does with thin, very breathable, less insulating clothes though).

Note, this does not apply when it is both very hot and humid, and thus sweat doesn’t evaporate efficiently.  In the shade nekked and not moving much is the best you can do there.

[Justin W]

“Cotton has a vastly worse UV resistance than polyester or nylon, especially when wet or moist…”

Correct to the first part and this why I specifically mentioned a two layer system with a light color on top and a specifically black color on the inside. This will provide plenty of UV protection–certainly far more consistent than skin sunblock.

The term above (resistance) is not quite being used correctly btw.  Cotton has higher UV resistance than nylon, but what you meant, I think, is that nylon absorbs more UV and thus is more UV protective for the skin than cotton.  True, but nylon has pretty poor UV resistance.  Meaning that UV breaks it down fairly quickly and significantly. Nylon can be treated/modified to gain more UV resistance though (but doubt it is in your average clothes).  With intense UV exposure, cotton will naturally last significantly longer without degradation than regular/untreated nylon.

[AK Granola]

I haven’t hiked at 100F+ but at 80-90F I really like the fingerless sungloves. Quick drying, not soggy. They’re nice for gripping trekking poles too. I didn’t find them at all uncomfortable, but the white or off white color looks nasty after about one day. Part of the general grubbiness of hiking. They’re cheap and lightweight so if you end up carrying them some, no biggie.

[Chris K]

Wisner – what hoodies are you wearing for heat these days?

[W I S N E R !]

I was a hardcore devotee of the Patagonia Tropic Comfort Hoody II. I have had like 5.

Then it came out that they bungled their UPF testing and were recalled. I have no idea how serious this is as I did fine with them for years, including multiday stuff at higher elevations in the Sierra in summer as well as the Mojave. I still use them, but have retired them to day hiking, fishing, and a baselayer in colder weather. Still my favorite hood shape on earth.

Now I like the REI Sierra Shade Hoodie.

I know the OR Echo is well regarded but it’s only rated at UPF 15-20 vs. the REI UPF 50. I take this seriously as I’ve had two skin cancers cut off of me already. So no go on the Echo for me. Might as well chase the numbers if I can.

Pictured are the 3 Kings of Kings Canyon. Adan L., Mike M., me. Two REI hoodies on left and right. I believe Mike was wearing something by OR, not sure if it was an Echo. All of us did great on the sun protection…despite 9 days of full sun and rock glare at >10,000 feet.

I will add, I’m amazed how long my OR sun gloves have lasted. Trekking pole wear, off trail scrambling…I figured they’d be good for a season or two at best but I’m somehow going on like 5 years and have only resewn a seam on the thumb.

 

[John S.]

If anybody did want a black pair of sun gloves, Sunday Afternoons makes them.

[M B]

I used glacier gloves in the Sierra.  They worked. Palms got a little chewed up on my trekking poles.

I did not use them on the Colorado trail in my hands got pretty sunburned.   By lake city i resorted to sunscreen. I got a picture somewhere of all the little blisters on the back of my hands…. Not to mention the back of my calves.

In the Sierra I wore a long ventilated pants comfortably…. In Colorado I was dying in them and switched to shorts halfway.  You would have thought the conditions would have been similar but I think Colorado had much higher humidity

 

 

 

 

[jscott]

cotton gloves.., “Problem is though, unless it is darker colored and tightly woven, it won’t have much SPF”

Yes cotton feels better to most of us. It’s not very good at sun protection. Here’s a drape hat I like. The picture doesn’t show it, but velcro strips allow one to ‘zip up’ the drape all the way over the nose. This drape hangs very very loose, which is a plus, and it’s super high spf.

https://www.sunprecautions.com/product/48100

 

[jscott]

I forgot to mention, mosquitoes can bite through cotton. Not other synthetic fabrics. For the back of the hands especially, this is a real consideration!

[Author]

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