Reviews > Clothing > Gloves > SealSkinz ChillBlocker Gloves > Rick Allnutt III > Field Report

SealSkinz® ChillBlocker™ Gloves
Field Report by Rick Allnutt

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Danalco, Inc.
Year Manufactured: 2004
Manufacturer's Link: Danalco
MSRP: $49.95
Size: Large
Color: Black
Listed Weight: NA
Measured Weight: 3.2 oz (91 gm)
Review Date: 11 May 2004

PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
50 Year old male
6' 0'' (183 cm) in height
198 lb (90 kg) in weight
Glove size: 7 1/2 US
Email address: ra1 (at) imrisk (dot) com
I live in Dayton, Ohio

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
Over the last 20 months, I have gone from being a heavy-weight (2 Duluth Pack) canoe camper to a three-season base pack weight of about 10 lb (4.5 kg) and skin out weight of 20 lb (9 kg). I have completed 7 ultralight section hikes on the AT with a total mileage of over 250 miles (403 km). I am an ultralight hiker, a gearhead, a hammock camper, and make much of my own equipment.

REVIEW
The gloves arrived in a small, clear package. The size of the gloves is clearly marked on a piece of card inside the package. The size of the gloves is also marked with the sticky dots on the palm of each glove.  Since the initial report, I have received a replacement set of gloves, size Large.  These gloves fit my hands better than the medium gloves did.  

The Danalco web site includes clever JAVA programming, and is easy to navigate. The gloves, as received, were much like I had expected. However, the fleece lining was thinner than I had expected, and the glove does not seem to be much thicker than other, non-lined SealSkinz products I have bought in the past. The information on sizing on the Danalco site worked well to give me large gloves which are just the right size.

The outside surface of the glove consists of a knit fabric. Under this, in bright light, a shiny membrane can be seen through the knit. On the palm surface of the glove, a pattern of sticky plastic dots is applied to the fabric. Off my hand, the glove seems to bend away from the palm. It intuitively seems natural to put the gloves on the opposite hands because of this bending. However, it immediately became clear that the sticky dots are meant to increase grip and belong on the palm. The dots cover the surface of the palm and the palmar surface of all five fingers. 

The inside layer of the gloves is covered with a thin layer of fleece. The welded seam between the glove front and back is much more obvious on the inside surface than the outside surface. 

The gloves fit my hands well and seem very comfortable. 

My replacement gloves were tested in a bucket of cold water.  Both gloves were completely waterproof. 

The outside, knit surface of the gloves absorbs a fair amount of water. It took overnight to completely air dry the outside of the gloves. I then turned the palms inside out to dry the water that had leaked into the left glove. I did not turn each finger inside out, as it seems this would cause too much stress of the glove material. Even though I did not turn the little finger inside out, the moisture in that finger dried quickly (less than 2 hours) with the palm inside out. 

I find that if I take the gloves off with the outside wet, the moisture will migrate through the glove overnight.  I believe this is because my warm hand is no longer in the glove supplying heat energy to keep the inside of the glove dry.  

TEST RESULTS and PLAN

In my hiking system, gloves have two essential purposes: keeping my hands warm and dry. ChillBlockers meet both needs very well.

I have carried and used the gloves while backpacking on the Appalachian Trail on a cool March hike. I have used them for a long hike in cold rain, in near freezing temperatures. I have used them while working around camp in the cold morning mist, with frost on my tarp, and while getting ready to hike in the cold of the morning, before I have warmed up.

The gloves have remained waterproof and comfortable the entire two month period set aside for field testing. These gloves are warm. The fleece lining is surprisingly good at keeping my hands from developing cold fingers. They keep my fingers warm even when involved in a long snow ball fight with my children.  

They are also very dry. Though I know my hands sweat, I have not been conscious of any wetness inside the glove. This is the opposite of my experience with rubber gloves, inside which my hands feel very wet. Likewise, though the outside surface of the glove was continually soaking wet during my field test in the rain, my hands stayed dry inside the glove. 

When I started the test, there were several items I knew would be important to me.  Below are those items, and my answers (in red) at the two month point.

- overall comfort - feels good to my skin - 
These gloves feel good and look good too.
- use of my fingers in the gloves - how stiff are they, and how tired might my fingers get trying to overcome the shape of the glove -
 I have had no fatigue of my hands while using the gloves.  They work very well when holding hiking poles in the rain.  
- do they keep me warm?- do they keep me dry?  
Yes, and yes.
- do they breathe and let moisture escape? - 
Very well.
- do the gloves work best with a thin under-glove or without? - 
I find no need to use a liner glove with the fleece lining.  This fleece acts as a dry liner by itself.

I can not think of any feature I would alter in the glove's performance or function.

My plan is to continue testing the gloves when it cools off again next fall. 

Reviews > Clothing > Gloves > SealSkinz ChillBlocker Gloves > Rick Allnutt III > Field Report