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

SealSkinz® ChillBLOCKER™ Gloves
Initial Report by Rick Allnutt
 

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Danalco, Inc.
Year Manufactured: 2004
Manufacturer's Link: Danalco
MSRP: $49.95
Size: Medium

Color: Black
Listed Weight: NA
Measured Weight:  3.2 oz (91 gm)
Review Date: 2 March 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 18 months, I have gone from being a heavy-weight (2 Duluth Pack) canoe camper to a three-season base pack weight of about 9 lb (4 kg) and skin out weight of 20 lb (9 kg). I have completed 5 ultralight section hikes on the AT with a total mileage of over 200 miles (322 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. 

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 a pair of gloves 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 surface 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 first test of waterproof gloves is to put my hands under running water.  When I did this with these gloves, it was immediately apparent that there is a pinhole leak along the inside seam of my left little finger.  It seems to be along the weld between the top half and the bottom half of the glove. The lining and my finger became cold with the cold water leaking into the glove at this point.  I have contacted our test moderator about the problem to determine how to further handle the problem.  I normally would contact the company to arrange returning the glove for replacement.  The right glove is 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. 

TEST PLAN

The gloves will become my standard outdoor glove for the waning winter. Though most of my report will deal with backpacking issues for the gloves, I also have the opportunity to use the gloves for bike riding in cold wet conditions and kayaking in very low water temperatures.

The items important to me for evaluation of the gloves include:
- overall comfort - feels good to my skin
- 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
- do they keep me warm?
- do they keep me dry?
- do they breathe and let moisture escape?
- do the gloves work best with a thin under-glove or without?
 

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