SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ Gloves
Field Report
5/6/2004

SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ Gloves in action

Tester	Coy Starnes
Gender	Male
Age	42
Weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Height	6 ft (1.8 m)
E-Mail	cstarnes@nehp.net
Location	Grant, Alabama

Tester Bio
I live outside a small town in northeast Alabama.  I have access to a good hiking area right out my front door, a large tract of woods called Pall-Mill Hollow (pronounced holler).  It has a creek flowing through it with several good swimming holes.  Caves abound in the area.  I spent my youth climbing around the bluffs, swimming in the creek and exploring the caves.  I also enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities.

Backpacking is my favorite pastime. I consider myself a knowledgeable backpacker but I am not an expert.  I enjoy hiking with my friends and family or solo.  I limit my hiking to areas fairly close to home, usually within a day’s drive of home.  I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer.  My style is slow and steady and my gear is light.  However I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability.  A typical 3 season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water.  I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove.  My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length.

Product Information

Test item	SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ Gloves
Manufacturer	Danalco, Inc.
Manufacturer URL	http://www.danalco.com/
Year of Manufacture	2004
Size	Large (replaced with size XL)
Weight	not listed
Weight Verified	Large = 3.7 oz (105 g)
Weight of Replacement XL Gloves	XL = 4.4 oz (125 g)
Color	Black
MSRP	$49.95 US

Product Description
The SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves look much like cotton work gloves, only quite a bit thicker and waterproof.  They are black inside and out except for the gripper dots which are a brownish color, the SealSkinz® logo on the right hand glove, and a yellow stitch line inside the cuff area up at the glove opening. The gloves are constructed of three layers with the outside layer made of knit of nylon/Lycra® spandex.  The next layer is the waterproof layer.  The inner layer is expedition-weight fleece.  I included more of the technical details in my Initial Report.

Testing Locations and Conditions
Testing was conducted in the northeast Alabama and briefly in North Carolina on a short section of the Appalachian Trail. Elevations ranged from around 1000 ft (300 m)  to around 4000 ft (1200 m).  Temperatures were mostly mild but cool on occasion ranging from 25 (-4 C) to 80 F (27 C).  The ChillBlocker™ Glove also saw quite a bit of creek duty.

Field Test Results
As I documented in my Initial Report, the left hand glove had a leak and the right hand glove had a slightly deformed pinkie finger.  After notifying Danalco, Inc., I was sent a replacement pair to test.  The replacement ChillBlocker™ Gloves did not have any leaks, nor were there any deformed finger sections.  The only real problem was, the replacement gloves were a size XL.  These gloves are just a little big on me.  However, they are made of a stretchy material and fit well enough that I decided I could test them.  I theorized that a loose pair of gloves would actually be a little warmer than a snug fitting pair.  The worst part of the fit is the finger length.  Each finger pocket is too long.  The middle and ring finger are just a tad long.  The pinkie and index fingers are quite a bit too long.  This has effected my use of the gloves when dexterity is required.  One other slight grip is the fact that the gloves tend to curl in the wrong direction.  The fingers curl toward the smooth side instead of toward the gripper dot side. Even after extensive wearing they look like they are meant for the opposite hand they fit.  I even rolled them in the right direction and put them back in the display container for several days to see if this would help.  I don’t think it helped any.       

I was only able to test the ChillBlocker™ Gloves for warmth on a few occasions.  On a 25 F (-4 C) morning I awoke to a light snow.  I was headed to work, so, I didn’t have time to play in the snow.  I did wear the gloves while wiping the snow off my windows.  The steering wheel of my truck was rather cold and the gloves did a great job of keeping my fingers and palms warm until the cab had time to warm up.  Another thing I liked was the control of the steering wheel and gear shift knob afforded by the gripper dots on the gloves.

I found another superb application for wearing the ChillBlocker™ Gloves.  I love to drag out my guns and do a little plinking during the off season.  I used the gloves on several shooting forays.  I found the extra material at the end of my fingers was a bit distracting and made it hard to load certain guns like my Ruger single action 22 revolver.  My double action 44 was much easier to load.  I was surprised to find it easiest to handle my 9 mm Ruger P95 auto.  With the gloves on, I could fill the clip, insert it, rake the slide, fire or decock, and finally  release the clip.  The trigger guard is larger on this pistol than on my revolvers.  I also found it easy to load, pump, shoot and  unload a 12 gauge pump shotgun.  The ChillBlocker™ Gloves were outstanding at firmly grasping and controlling my firearms, from the wood on my 22 rifle, the Hogue rubber grips on my 44, to the Isoplast™ polymer frame on the 9 mm auto.  I actually found the auto easier to shoot with the ChillBlocker™ Gloves on.  The gripper dots really firm up my grip on this sometimes slick surface.

I was careful not to damage the gloves by using them in place of work gloves for such chores as dragging limbs.  I did use them on a few occasions doing some yard work.  The gloves are great for running my chain saw.  I also used them while chopping some small limbs with an ax to add to a burn pile.  The gloves were too warm for this strenuous activity in the 40 F (4 C) to 80 F (27 C)  weather I encountered while performing these chores but the gripper dots made the ax feel like an extension of my arm.

I used the gloves sparingly while hiking.  They worked great with my hiking poles but it was just too warm most of the time to need them.  I did wear them at camp on a few cool evenings and mornings.  Smaller gloves would have made most chores a bit easier but I could manage most things I could not manage with bulkier gloves, like zipping my pants, zipping the zipper on my sleeping bag, striking a match etc.  I could handle a hot pot briefly but avoided long contact, afraid it might damage the inner membrane or melt the gripper dots.  I found the gloves were great for keeping my hands warm in my sleeping bag on especially cool nights.

I also wore the gloves while exploring around a creek.  If I was careful not to get the gloves in  deep water, they kept my hands completely dry.  The cuff area of the glove is not designed to keep out water so I did get the insides of both gloves wet on several occasion.  Drying the gloves is fairly easy but turning the finger sections inside out is a chore.  The gloves would dry fast on warm sunny days but took around 24 hours to dry on cool, damp sunless days.

Durability
As I mentioned earlier, I was careful not to damage the gloves by using them in place of work gloves for real heavy duty work.  I have found one spot on the right hand glove which is worn on the inside.  The seam around the thumb, index finger is separating.  Here is a picture of the separation.  However, the gloves are still waterproof and the outside of the gloves are still in good shape.


worn spot in thumb web area of glove lining

Future Testing Plan
It may be difficult to find excuses to wear the ChillBlocker™ Gloves during the next several months.  I will continue to use them as I play in the cold creek water.  I will dig them out when I take a notion to do some shooting.  I will keep an eye on the worn area and see if any other trouble spots develop.  I heard that camouflage may be available even though I don’t see the option listed on the website yet.  I would love a pair of camouflage ChillBlocker™ Gloves for next hunting season, though black gloves offer fair concealment.