Backpacking Background:

Along with my two sons – ages eleven and thirteen, I am very active with our local Boy Scout troop. I’ve been involved with Scouting as an adult for the past ten years. Besides being the Committee Chairman, I’m also the High Adventure Leader. As such, one of my responsibilities is to teach the young people about the "Great Outdoors". I especially love to teach them about hiking, backpacking and canoeing.

Description:

The Sealskinz ChillBlocker Gloves by Danalco are designed for all sorts of outdoor pursuits where warm, dry hands are a priority.  Each glove is comprised of an inner fleece layer, a black exterior made of a nylon/spandex mix, along with a waterproof membrane sandwiched between the two.

Name:	ChillBlocker Gloves
Manufacturer:	Sealskinz
Web Site:	www.danalco.com
Date of Manufacture:	2004
Published Weight:	None
Measured Weight:	3.3 oz (108 g) pair
Published Dimensions:	Size Medium
Measured Dimensions:	All measurements are with the glove laying flat on a table. Palm width - 4.375 in (11.1 cm) Palm length (base of fingers to wrist) - 4.0 in (10.2 cm) Wrist length (from palm to end of glove) - 2.75 in (7.0 cm) Wrist width 3.75 in (9.5 cm) Thumb length - 2.5 in (6.4 cm) Index finger length - 3.25 in (8.3 cm) Middle finger length - 3.25 in (8.3 cm) Ring finger length - 3.125 in (8.0 cm) Pinky finger length - 2.0 in (5.0 cm)
Color:	Black
Warranty:	If ever a pair leak, by normal means, Danalco will replace the product or give a full refund.
MSRP:	$49.95 - US currency

Specifications:

Glove Sizing

From the Danalco website:

"Measure around the hand at the fullest part (excluding thumb).  Convert inches or centimeters to glove size.  A general rule of thumb (no pun intended): Your glove size may be the same as your Sealskinz sock size."

"ChillBlocker Gloves are designed to be slightly larger than regular SealSkinz gloves to help promote warmth within the glove.  If you prefer a snug fit, we suggest selecting on glove size smaller."

Sealskinz Glove Sizing Chart
Size	inches	cm
Small	8	20.5
Medium	8.5	21.5
Large	9 to 9.5	23 & larger
X-Large	10 to 10.5	25

• Sealskinz utilizes a proprietary technology called MVT (Moisture Vapor Transpiration), which consists of a three-layer system: an inner fleece layer, followed by the MVT membrane, and an outer layer of nylon/spandex mix.
• According to the manufacturer, hand washing and allowing to drip-dry will result in greatest longevity.  Do not twist or wring the gloves.  Machine washing and drying is permissible on low temperature settings.  It is also recommended to reverse gloves halfway through the drying cycle.

Field Information:

The weather was typical for the latter half of winter.  Daily temperatures for the field tests ranged between 10 - 55 F (-12 - 13 C).  Much of the snow base melted early this year with an unexpected thaw, yet a couple of late season storms insured continued testing in winter conditions.  We are now in spring conditions, which spell high creeks, wet trails and plenty of rain.

Test Results:

I've had plenty of opportunity to test the ChillBlocker Gloves thus far.  Weather conditions have been terrific for testing the unique properties of the ChillBlockers.  In other words, it's been cold and wet!  I've worn them three times a week on average.  I've found them to be quite comfortable.  They retain their form well.  The inner fleece lining is very warm and pleasant against my skin.  I still experience some pilling from the inner lining, although not like in the beginning of the test.  The nylon/spandex outer layer has held up beautifully, and looks brand new. 

When wet, either from nature, testing or the washing machine, the gloves have been air-dried or tossed in the clothes dryer.  They appear to have suffered no ill effects from my test washings.  They are simple to clean, like any other durable backpacking apparel.  The most surprising thing to me is the incredible amount of water they seem to hold, and how long they take to dry.  I find this surprising since the inner fleece layer is known for its water shedding properties as are the nylon and spandex materials used on the outer layer.  I can only deduce that this is a property of the moisture transport layer, resident in the inner layer of the glove.  Whether they are air-drying on the back of my pack, hanging from a clothes line, or tumbling in the dryer, they take a long time to dry relative to other similar items - such as ragg wool or fleece gloves.  Air-drying has taken longer than 12 hours at times.

The waterproof properties have been a lot of fun to test, but with mixed results.  In the Initial Report, I reported that Danalco sent me both the size medium and large gloves for testing.  Since I was interested in maintaining as much dexterity as possible, I began testing with the size medium gloves.  Although dexterity was greatly improved over the larger sized gloves, it was not without sacrifice.  I found my hands felt the cold more in the snugger fitting medium gloves.  I found this time and time again during the field tests.  Also, at the onset of the test series, I made sure all of the gloves were waterproof via some "bathtub testing" at home.  What I found after about a month of field-testing was that this was no longer true.  The medium sized gloves, especially the right-hand one, leaked like a sieve between the thumb and pointer finger.  I suspect this was due to the stress of the tight fit of the gloves over my hands.  Throughout the testing, I never used the gloves in a way that could have punctured, torn or otherwise compromise the waterproof membrane.  In fact, the gloves look virtually brand new.  I decided to switch back to the large sized gloves for the remainder of the test series.  They do not leak now, nor have they ever.  My hands are much warmer in the larger gloves also.  I believe this is due to the insulative effect of the increased dead air space around my hand found in the larger sized glove. 

The ChillBlocker Gloves extend approximately halfway up my forearm.  With all the rain that has accompanied much of the field-testing, this has been a welcome ally at keeping the cold rain at bay.  It also enabled me to stick my hand in much deeper water when necessary.  Plus, it protected me from runoff water.  I've gone out of my way to find puddles, creeks, snow and rain to stick my hands in when wearing the ChillBlockers.  Speaking of snow, yes, the ChillBlocker Gloves do work wonderfully for making a snowman, throwing a snowball and operating a shovel!

A word of warning: once the gloves did get wet, they took a long time to completely dry out.  The good news is that even wet; they provided plenty of protection and warmth.  

On most of the hikes, I used a pair of hiking poles.  I was able to use the gloves very easily along with the poles.  I also tried the gloves under some overmittens.  Again, the ChillBlockers performed very well.  They were exceptionally warm.  Please note: the ChillBlocker Gloves run thicker than standard liner gloves.  Fortunately, they fit under my overmittens, but this could be a problem with closer fitting mittens. 

The breathability of the membrane works very well as well.  There were times I expected to find my hands wet and the inside of the glove damp, yet this only occurred with the leaky medium sized gloves, never in the larger sized gloves.

The fleece lining does an exceptional job of providing a wonderful environment for my hands.  They really do a great job of keeping them warm.  Most of my testing conditions so far have been classified as late winter/early spring, which spells a lot of slush and moisture.  The gloves have handled it all wonderfully, once I went back to the large sized gloves.   The gloves did a great job of keeping my hands warm at night too  - both in a tent and a hammock, in a sleeping bag and under a quilt.

So far, I'm conditionally pleased with the ChillBlocker Gloves.  The bottom line is when they work, I love them.  The big question now is will they continue to work?  It's going to take more testing to answer that question.  I have serious doubts right now regarding the durability of the waterproof membrane, based on my experiences with the smaller, medium sized gloves.  I will report on this further, along with any other issues that pop up, in the Long-Term Report in four months.

Tim