On an intermittently rainy 6˚C (42˚F) fall day with a chilly northwest wind, John and I were dismantling the frame for our Fairclough winter cover—it’s a long story, which I’m sure you’ll be hearing about—handling cold wet metal framing, wet wood slatting, box cutters, and 1/2″ filament tape. But guess what? Our hands were warm. Why? Because we were wearing our Sealskinz Ultra Grip Gloves. (If this sounds like an advertisement, it is, except that we are not getting paid. We love these gloves!)
A while ago I wrote about the range of gloves we use to deal with the wet, the cold, and the need for dexterity and good grip that sailing in cold climes requires. In the comments to that post, a number of readers spoke highly of Sealskinz gloves. So we duly purchased a pair of Sealskinz Chillblockers and found that they worked very well for wet tasks that required at least some dexterity—a niche that was previously filled by neoprene gloves, though without the dexterity.
When we tried to purchase a second pair of Chillblockers, however, we found out that Sealskinz and Chillblocker (now by Hanz) are two separate companies. So we stuck with Sealskinz (they ship to Canada without complaint) and ordered a pair of their ultra grip gloves.
In our opinion, the Sealskinz are even better than the Chillblockers—more dexterous, warmer when wet, and, as their name implies, they have a fabulous non-slip grip. And they don’t look like the designer used Frankenstein as a hand model like the Chillblockers do.
These days we use Sealskinz gloves for somewhat cold days (whether dry or wet); Gill Helmsman gloves for moderately cold dry days (moderately cold wet days mean alternating between the Gills and the Sealskinz); and outdoor mitts for really cold days, with a quick change in and out of Sealskinz to deal with wet tasks requiring dexterity and good grip.
That means we now have a lot of empty space in the glove locker. Hmmm, I’d better find something to put there before John fills it with camera gear!
Disclosure
We have not received any discount or free product from Sealskinz, though we’d take any number of their gloves if they wanted to hand them out. I personally really like the bright yellow ones.
