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SEALSKINZ®
CHILLBLOCKER™ GLOVES – INITIAL 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: March 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 towards 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 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: Black
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.
I received
the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves Friday night in a small,
unmarked cardboard box. Before continuing,
I feel the need to mention that Danalco sent me an email when the socks
were shipped, which included a link allowing me to track its movement
across the country via UPS. I was
impressed with the fact that the company alerted me as to when the
socks were sent and would be arriving. Hopefully
this is a good indicator of customer service…
In
the cardboard box was a small plastic box containing the SealSkinz®
ChillBlocker™ gloves. The box also
contained a cardboard hang tag describing SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™
products and giving care instructions (hand-wash and drip-dry).
Initial
Impressions
My first impression upon putting on the gloves was that they are a
little big
for me. According to the website
instructions, one should measure around the hand at its fullest part
(excluding
the thumb), then match this number (in either inches or centimeters) to
the
glove size. My hand size was 8 inches
(20.5 cm) – just the right size for a pair of small gloves. Sure enough, when I put them on, they fit
around
my hand perfectly. However, the glove
fingers are a bit longer than my actual fingers, and in order for them
to feel
snug on my hands I need to work to pull them up. In
other words, the gloves don’t ‘fit like a
glove’ (pun intended), although they come fairly close.
First order of business after fitting the gloves was inspecting them
for
quality. I turned both gloves inside out
to check out the seams – in fact, to check for the seams, which
I
couldn’t feel at all when I put them on.
The seams are clearly visible from the inside of the glove but
are all
tightly sealed. The hem on the wristband
of the glove is also reinforced with red stitching on the inside. Great, no problems there…
I wore the gloves around the house for a few minutes to test their
initial
comfort level, then put them on the next morning as I set out for a 10
mile (16
km) hike. The gloves were very
comfortable; however, after walking briskly for about 10 minutes, my
hands were
too hot to wear any kind of gloves at all and I took them off. Several times over the course of the hike I
got colder and put the gloves on again temporarily; each time my hands
quickly
warmed up.
It’s been cold here in New England, and
although it was
a fine day for hiking Saturday, several snow patches were visible along
the
hike. I took advantage of this to form
and throw a couple of snowballs. Not
much of a waterproofness test, but I was pleased by the fact that my
hands did
not feel one iota colder or wetter after I did this.
Because the gloves are a bit big for me, my ability to function with
them on is
impeded somewhat. I’m not at all
surprised by this – in fact, I would have been surprised if the case
were
otherwise, as for the most part my dexterity is impeded significantly
wearing
gloves unless they are very thin liner gloves.
I’m not sure to what extent the gloves cause me to lose
dexterity – this
will be further commented upon in the field and long term reports. For now, I’ll just say that my fingers feel
fatter and less mobile with the gloves on than without.
Testing Plan
I will be using the SealSkinz®
ChillBlocker™ gloves daily and on hikes as long as cold weather
persists. I also plan on using these
throughout the
testing period in the evenings. I
anticipate a wide variety of temperatures over the testing period as
well as
terrain.
I will be testing the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves for warmth,
comfort, and
durability over the course of the next six months, as well as for hand
dexterity while worn. In particular, I
am interested to see what the usable temperature range for these
gloves is,
and if there is a need for liner gloves to be worn underneath them
during
exceptionally cold weather (which, given my location, still may occur). I will also be testing how waterproof these
gloves are, and how (if at all) getting the gloves wet affects their
comfort
level. Finally, I am curious to see how
well the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves hold up.
Will repeated washings detrimentally affect
these socks, even when following SealSkinz’® explicit washing
instructions?
I anticipate using the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves extensively
over the
testing period and hope to have answers to some of my questions in the
field
report.
Read more reviews of SealSkinz gear
Read more gear reviews by Karen Ross
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