| |
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
|
SEALSKINZ® CHILLBLOCKER™ GLOVES – LONG TERM REPORT
Background Information:
Name: Karen Ross
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Height: 5'0" (1.5 m)
Weight: 103 lb. (47 kg)
Email address: karen DOT ross AT tufts DOT edu
City, State, Country: Metropolitan Boston area, MA
Date: September 2, 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 feels more like Neoprene than wool or cotton.
Long term testing:
My testing of the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™
gloves has been largely dependent on weather conditions.
Although I spent the past three months in the Southern Hemisphere, I
quickly realized that “winter” in Southern Africa is nothing like
“winter” here in the Northeastern United States.
As a result, my need to wear gloves of any sort has been minimized in the
past few months. However,
temperatures in the high plains of South Africa were cold enough at times to
warrant extra layers and gloves.
Temperatures during the past several months ranged from 32 – 75 F (0 – 24
C). I spent most of my time at
about 3000 feet (1000 m), but spent some time down at sea level as well.
I have been wearing the the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™
gloves mostly for warmth on cold nights over the past few months.
As I mentioned in my previous reports, the replacement gloves I received
(like the original pair) are a bit too large for my hand.
This actually wasn’t a problem at all during my tests – since I was
wearing the gloves in cool (but not frigid) temperatures, the extra bit of space
between my fingers and the inner lining material allowed for a little bit of an
air flow that kept my hands from getting really hot.
Also, because most of my hikes with the gloves took place on well-marked,
open trails, it wasn’t necessary for me to grab on to anything, so lack of
dexterity due to fat fingers wasn’t problematic.
As on most of my earlier tests with the gloves, however, their incredible
ability to keep my hands warm actually resulted in me having to remove the
gloves shortly into my hikes, as my hands warmed up very quickly. Nonetheless,
having the gloves handy for breaks or in the evening or early morning was great!
Unfortunately, I’ve had almost no chance to test the gloves for waterproofness
in the past few months – winter is dry season in South Africa, so I couldn’t
even wear the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves in
the rain! I did, however, put the
gloves through a washing cycle and ran a little test on them afterwards:
Approximately two hours after hanging the gloves to dry, I put them on to see
how they felt. Although the gloves
were still wet on the outside, the inner layer was already dry and my hands were
nice and toasty. The
gloves took a few more hours to dry completely, but I was satisfied to know that
they are waterproof enough to keep my hands dry even when the outer layer is
wet.
Conclusions:
Although I have had very little chance to use the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™
gloves for anything more than warming my hands in the past three months,
the impression I received from them over the course of the testing period
has been completely positive. Six
months into the test, the gloves still look nearly brand new and keep my hands
as warm as they did the day I first put them on.
They are comfortable and flexible (although a bit big) and I will
continue to use them as summer turns into fall and another frigid winter.
Although the formal testing period is over, I will be looking out to see
how the SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ gloves are able to
survive the Northeastern climate through the coming months…
Thank you to Danalco and to Backpackgeartest for
giving me the opportunity to use these fabulous gloves!
Read more reviews of SealSkinz gear
Read more gear reviews by Karen Ross
|
