TimothyH

Do seam sealed, fully waterproof shell gloves actually exist?

No furry liner. No insulation. Just a shell.

Gore-Tex or similar with sealed seams. Not Gore Windblocker - it isn't waterproof.

I own two "Waterproof" shell gloves. The material is fine but water gets into the seams and after an hour in the rain my hands are soaked. I may try some Gear Aid urethane seam sealer.

Not interested in rubber gloves for several reasons including the need to run chemical hand warmers in the warmer pocket of the insulating liner glove.

Does anyone know of a thin, waterproof, sealed shell glove?


-Tim-

Tourist in MSN

I do not know of any. But, if you consider a mitten type shell, I looked at some a few weeks ago.
https://www.rei.com/product/136770/r...st-gtx-mittens

I do not recall looking at the seams, but the website says taped, so I assume the seams are sealed.

I did not buy them, they did not fit over my extra large thick wool mittens.

fietsbob

seamless, Dipped rubber

Bering straights Crab trap handlers on the Deck wear several pairs ... off Alaska ...


I ride wearing a rain cape and so my gloves don't have to be waterproof..

tyrion

A friend of mine in Portland Oregon says dishwasher gloves are the most reliably waterproof gloves for riding.

djb

Ive tried some supposedly waterproof rain gloves years ago, so long ago that Im sure that the technology is much better. Mine didnt work, as after an hour or whatever, my hands go wet anyway.
I do have some goretex overmitts that certainly are not waterproof, but are fantastic in fitting over various gloves and diff inner mitts and allow me to ride comfortably at -20c.

but as for rain, I've come to the conclusion that a pair of dishwashing gloves are the best answer.
Sure, one can probably find and spend 200, 300 bucks on fancy schmancy waterproof gloves that breath, and they probably work (for how many years, thats another thing....), but I am happy enough to spend that money on many days budget of a bike trip somewhere, and just put on my dumbass looking yellow dish gloves, and its ok, I'll live with clammy hands.
I have a pair of medium thin wool gloves that can fit under dish gloves, and if warmer, a thin pair of polypro gloves, so that helps with the cold, and at least not having the gross wet feeling right against my skin, and frankly, if conditions are so crappy and cold at that point, at least my damp hands are warm with the wet wool from sweating-but hey, its all about compromises, and Im fine with spending 2 bucks on dishwashing gloves or whatever, and not throwing away umpteen hundred dollars on something that takes up more space, and frankly from my experience with "wonder" fabrics, will stop working at some point---so I'll happily put the moolah towards a flight or hotels or whatever, and look like Madge from the commercials, well not Madge actually, cuz her dishsoap was so smooth and hydrating, she didnt need the damn gloves on, so I guess I look like the loser housewife who didnt use Palmolive....

hey look at that goofy looking biker honey, he's soaking in it!

djb

djb

a little more serious answer, or at least helpful.
as you say, if with the gloves you already have, the issue is at the seams, I would think you would have some success with seam sealers, although unlike a tent, the seams in a glove have to deal with the finger curling/bending, so it might be hard to get a long lasting solution, just because the sealer is getting moved a lot, and the seams can be pulled here and there a lot.

while I was goofing around with my answer before, thin wool or polypro inner gloves can go a long way with helping with greatly reducing the "clamminess" feeling that will invariably happen.

what temps are you talking about?
I ride a lot in the fall and winter, and as you mention chemical warmers, you must be dealing with near freezing temps and rain--a particularly yucky combo for comfort, hands or anything, in my experience, and a tough one with long exposure in rain and cold.

I wasnt kidding though about the cost of high end advanced rain and cold gloves, some really are pretty darn expensive.

DrIsotope

I have some ice fishing gloves that are 100% waterproof-- they're just seam-sealed 2mm neoprene shaped like hands. I can't say you'll have dry hands after wearing them though, because unless it's really very cold, your hands are gonna sweat pretty good. Great for making snowballs, though.

Happy Feet

+2 on neoprene gloves. You can find them in outdoor stores for kayaking: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5051-298/Skin-Gloves

Also dish washing gloves. For diving drygloves we use marigolds: 459B Marigold | Watson Gloves

3speed

Unfortunately I don't know of any personally, but just wanted suggest bar mitts as something to look into if you're unaware of them. Or maybe heated handlebar/grips and then you could just use thinner waterproof gloves and have the warmth come from a rechargeable grip? I use some lined rubber gloves that have been good for me down to mid-30s in rain all evening.They say Chilly Grip H20 on them and came from the gardening/hardware section of the local store. If you have fully waterproof gloves, your hands are gonna get wet from sweat anyway, so if you're riding regularly in cold rain, I'd think bar mitts(pogies) might be good since you can wear regular breathable gloves under them and rely on the bar mitts to keep the rain out(as much as one can actually keep rain out when riding an hour+ in the rain...).

djb

TimH, what sort of riding conditions and duration of riding are you talking about? Is this for a commute type ride, or for possible touring in winter/spring or fall periods where you may be out for extended periods of time in cruddy weather?

TimothyH

Thanks for this.

Use case is 40°f to 60°f and rain. Colder than that and I'm not riding in the wet.

I have several inner/liner gloves, one with a pocket for chemical warmers at the lower end of that temperature range. The chemical warmers loose effectiveness when wet.

Several companies make seam sealed mitten shells but seam sealed glove shells are unicorns. I prefer gloves and am slightly shocked at the lack of real waterproof solutions.

Experimenting with some Gear Aid Seam Grip...

TimothyH

Thank you for the suggestion about kayaking gloves.

Still, I'm skeptical and would prefer something like Gore-Tex but your suggestion is appreciated and has me thinking. Thank you.


-Tim-

boomhauer

You should visit your local Fastenal.
I go there quite a bit for my job around the country.
They have more types of gloves than can be imagined for every possible situation.
Lots of waterproof options in various sizes.
I only suggest this because it is an easy try.

BlarneyHammer

Anyone know where to get dishwashing lobster claws or mittens? In a large enough size to wear gloves underneath?

TimothyH

I have no idea why I put this in the touring forum.


There is one near me. I will stop in and look. Thanks!


-Tim-

djb

ya, thats a particularly yucky riding temp range with rain isnt it? Generally I'll ride in the 10c 50f range if wet, but prefer , or rather, dont mind , if Im riding home in it, so at least arriving home in the rain--I'm talking commuting here, so not much more than 30mins to an hour riding.

so for me, if warm enough, I just put on the dishgloves if I feel Im getting cold hands, and that helps immensely.
At a certain temp, or with wind, using the polypro gloves inside the dg helps a lot

the one time I really appreciated the thin to med thickness woolgloves was riding in the 10c 50f, and maybe 7c 45f? with constant rain on a trip where I had no choice but to continue raining in consistent rain for about 4, 5 hours to get back to my car.
Was pretty darn miserable, and the wool gloves and dish gloves saved me, so even though my hands did end up getting damp inside, the wool meant they kept warm, even after hours of being in that miserable day.
I would not have been able to finish that ride if I had not had both those gloves, my hands would have been frozen, and so I keep dishgloves in the old ziplock that I keep my rainjacket in, so that they are always there in case I get caught in a cold rain.

another example, my wife and I have done the same supported week long trip numerous times, always takes place in early aug. On one trip, the first day ended up with heavy rain, and the day cooled down, to probably around 15c, 60f, and windy, windy windy. Folks with just a little rain jacket, but no rain pants, rain booties, gloves and a shower cap for the helmet, had a really rough time of it, and got frozen pretty soon.
I had thrown in the thin polypro gloves with my jacket and stuff, and so again was very very glad of not having icicle hands, even in August!

overall when I look at my riding history, these miserable riding conditions don't occur very often, but even if your gloves aren't perfect, some thin gloves inside that will keep your hands warm at least, will go a long way to making it manageable, and not getting too cold.

everyone is different, I hate being cold, and am a thin guy, other people dont get fazed by cold.

ps, added bonus with dishgloves is that they grip sti paddle shifters very well, so no slipping at all on my shimano sti levers.

fietsbob

shell glove , (Cant be water proof if sewn of breathable water resistant fabric , So.. separable allows polar fleece liner to dry separately ..

My Rain Jacket was an Anorak, so it had a big front kangaroo, and a hand warmer place, behind it,



to put my gloves , to not loose them..

veganbikes

Look for OutDry, that stuff is the Bee's Knee's and the Cat's Pajama's. I have some Capo gloves that are shell like but are a tiny touch thicker and a similar pair from Mountain Hardwear that I got a long time ago when Outdry had come out and sadly the gloves are just a touch small for me for colder weather.

fietsbob

carve the form out of wood , wax coat it for mold release and dip it in a gallon can of liquid rubber ...

that's what the factory does, but automated, by the thousands..

CliffordK

Interesting concept. Perhaps look for a 100% waterproof outer shell, and a removable liner (wool?).

XXL sizes?



With commuting, there is always the issue with morning commutes, then putting on wet gear for the return home.

Touring might have different needs. How to dry one's equipment for day 2. Or, if one has spares, getting it dry for day 3.

I'll have to think of the liner/shell concept. Pull out the liner and put int in one's sleeping bag to dry at night.

A liner could also be easier to dry mid-day. And, certainly easier to wash.

One question that comes up from time to time is how waterproof the joint is between the coat sleeve and the glove. Perhaps one should look for long gloves (which the dishwasher or chemical utility gloves might also solve).

I've been looking at some bicycle specific "touch screen" gloves. No need to pull the glove off just to work one's bike computer.

Spoonrobot 

Do those who wear dishwasher gloves just not sweat through their hands?

I've tried them in a few different temperature ranges and even down to 25 degrees (f) my hands were soaking wet within a few minutes of hard riding due to sweating.

fietsbob

It is the nature of being Water Proof water neither goes in nor can perspiration escape.

Wet suit gloves I had pools of water at my fingertips....







..

djb

it depends. Im not a big sweater (but I am a small cardigan ;-) and so while some sweating is going to happen, its all about compromises.

and yes, the liners I use dry out reasonably well, poly pro is great for that. The wool ones are so so, but I havent had to ride with either all day and then continue riding the next day in rain. And the poly pro ones were dry anyway next day.

re dishgloves are longer, so no issues with rain getting in, as my jacket goes over them.
the o.p heres gloves have a very short length, so might get rain in depending on his jacket arm length

CliffordK

How fast does the coating dry?

Perhaps try glove liners + disposable latex. Dip in, and one would get a perfect mold of one's own hands.