Field Report

SEALSKINZ® CHILLBLOCKER™ GLOVES – FIELD REPORT

Background Information:
Name: Karen Ross
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Height: 5'0" (1.5 m)
Weight: 103 lb. (47 kg)
Email address: karen ross AT tufts DOT edu
City, State, Country: Metropolitan Boston area, MA
Date: May 4, 2004

Backpacking Background
I have been hiking and camping for as long as I can remember. I'm an avid runner and day hiker, ski occasionally, kayak, car camp, and generally like to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I've spent time hiking and orienteering with scout groups, as well as while doing my military service in Israel. I travel frequently and try to use every opportunity to explore. I started backpacking a few years ago and my trips have been mostly limited so far to shorter ones, although I’m slowly working my way up to longer trips (including trail maintenance work). Being small, I tend toward lightweight gear, although I’m not one to hit the digital scales with every item – it’s more of a philosophy than a science for me. I like to think of my style as light, but not without a couple of luxuries.

Product Description:
Manufacturer: Danalco, Inc.
Manufacturer website: www.danalco.com
Year of manufacture: 2004
Listed weight: N/A
Measured weight: 3.1 oz (88g) for the pair
Size: Small
Colors: Camouflage**
MSRP: $49.95

The SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves are expedition weight gloves, measuring 9.75 inches (25 cm) from the tip of the middle finger to the edge of the cuff. They are three-fold in thickness throughout and covered with “unique abrasion resistant dots” on the palm side. The gloves (and dots) are entirely black, except for a small blue triangle with the SealSkinz® logo on the wristband of the right glove The inner layer is made of (according to the website) “expedition-weight double velour Polartec® Power Stretch™ fleece (7.3 oz. [207 g] per square yard).” According to the website, the outside layer is “nylon/lycra® spandex offering a durable, flexible, stretch covering. In between the two fabric layers is our waterproof MVT membrane.” Together, SealSkinz® touts these three layers as creating “very soft, comfy, warm, stretch-to-fit glove suitable for a whole host of cold, wet, nasty outdoor conditions.”
Although at first glance these look not unlike typical knit gloves, the outer fabric feel more like Neoprene than wool or cotton.

**NOTE: Approximately three weeks after receiving the first pair of gloves, SealSkinz sent another pair to replace the first pair I received, which had a small leak in the right hand glove. The new gloves are not black, but camouflage-colored (tan/brown), and do not leak (I tested them in my bathtub promptly upon arrival). Otherwise they are the same as the original black pair I received.

Field Testing:

Due to the splendid New England winters (ha!), I've been able to use the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves regularly up until the past few weeks. I wore the gloves regularly throughout March and April, daily on my walks to and from school, as well as on a number of day hikes and one weekend backpacking trip in New York. Temperatures ranged from 20-50 degrees F (-7 to 10 degrees C) and weather ran the whole gamut: from clear and sunny skies to a snow storm and torrential downpours. Elevation gains during the day hikes and on the backpacking trip were about 2500 feet (762 meters).

The backpacking trip took place the last weekend of March in Harriman State Park, part of the Palisades Park System in New York/New Jersey. Temperatures during the trip averaged around 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) all three days of the hike (I'm not quite sure what the temperatures were at night, but I imagine somewhere in the high 20s F [-6 to -1 C]), at elevations from 800-3500 feet (244-1067 meters). Each morning I woke up cold and started hiking with the gloves on, but needed to remove them within 5-10 minutes of hiking - in other words, as soon as my blood began to circulate a bit. I was happy to have the gloves with me during breaks and in the evenings and early mornings, but found that their expedition weight made them much too warm for actually hiking with.

This was the feeling I had during the two long day hikes I took as well: one in the Middlesex Fells Reservation here in the Boston area, and one again in the Palisades Park System in New York. Temperatures both days were around 55 degrees F (13 C), and elevation gains were minimal during my New York hike (about 800 feet [244 meters]), and in the 1500 foot range (457 meters) in the Fells. Although I started both days with my gloves on - and wore them during rest breaks, particularly later in the day - I needed to remove them almost as soon as I began hiking.   This didn't really surprise me, as my hands tend to be the first part of my body to warm up (although initially they are usually the coldest part of me).

On the other hand, I've been absolutely thrilled to have these gloves in my daily life here in the frigid Boston area.   What a winter we had! I wore the gloves nearly every day on my way to and from school, work, and assorted jaunts about town all through the final few months of winter (I hope I didn't just jinx myself by saying that - if you can't tell, I'm a transplant to this part of the world!) My hands were definitely warm: in fact, several times I thought to myself, "These are the warmest gloves I've ever worn!" I get cold hands very easily so the fact that I felt these gloves were warm enough for my freezing digits says quite a lot...

However, we had a pretty large snow-storm in mid-March. I was wearing my SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves while shoveling and after only 5 minutes or so out in the snow my hands were FREEZING! The temperatures were in the mid-30's F (just above 0 C) - no colder than on previous occasions when I was wearing the gloves. I was quite surprised that the gloves didn't keep my hands warmer in the snow, and thought it might be because my hands might have been getting wet, but when I took the gloves off, my hands were completely dry (which is good, since the gloves are supposed to be waterproof!)

Other than the fact that my hands were cold, I was quite pleased at how my SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves performed during the snowstorm. As stated, my hands were completely dry despite heavily falling snow. I had no problems gripping the shovel and although the gloves are a little bit too big (that is, they're not snug on my hands), I didn't feel like this had a significant effect on my ability to shovel while wearing them. However, as stated in my Initial Report, because the gloves are too big, my dexterity when handling smaller objects is impeded. This was something I noticed much more when using the gloves on my hiking trips (for example, when stirring food in my cook pot when wearing them) than in any typical winter-ish activities.

Continued Testing:

All in all I'm quite happy with the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves. It's no longer winter weather here (knock on wood), so I haven't been wearing them for the past few weeks. However, I'm going to be spending the summer in the Southern Hemisphere, which means that instead of summer, I get to experience winter twice this year! Unfortunate for my poor sun-craved body, but good for gear testing. I also have one, possibly two or even three trips planned for the few weeks before and after I leave on my journeys. I'll continue to use the gloves (if the temperatures warrant it) and will report back on their performance in the long-term report...

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Reviews > Clothing > Gloves > SealSkinz ChillBlocker Gloves > Karen Ross > Field Report

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