Gloves for knuckle protection that can get wet but not necessarily waterproof

Question

I am looking to replace my NRS creeking gloves that I use for kayaking "bony" rivers and creeks where rock contact is a real possibility. The problem that I have with them is that the seams are not done very well or neoprene is simply not conducive to hanging onto many seams so they tear easily.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the only glove on the market that is designed for this purpose. I was thinking of perhaps goretex gloves that offer some degree of padding on the fingers and knuckles and don't really need to be waterproof as long as they resist tearing in wet conditions. Their purpose is not to protect against the cold but against impact, so wetness is OK.

So I was thinking about perhaps dirt bike or mountain biking gloves of some kind. Or perhaps some gloves that commercial fishermen use. Any suggestions that would meet my needs?

Answer 1

Go to your nearest builder's supermarket, or even check a normal one, and look for worker's gloves. Or mechanic's gloves. Such as are used by people building houses or repairing cars. Those are very resistant and cheap. I've bought my ones for about 2-3$ (price in Poland, but I've found similar gloves in Germany too, only it was a small craftsman's shop).

The companies making 'dedicated extreme sport equipment' tend to charge unimaginable sums for fancy equipment, where something simple and cheap is just enough.

Answer 2

You could look at sailing gloves such as these. There are loads of different varieties with open or closed finger versions depending on your preference.

As mentioned by others many sailors also use rubber gardening or builders gloves. These are much cheaper but wear out a lot faster. I'm not sure how much of an issue this would be for kayaking.

Answer 3

I use these regularly for Kajaking, since i nearly ripped off my flesh while getting out of my yak at a stonewall. They're not waterproof, but they're very durable in my opinion and they dry very quick, and as an extra they are windproof. And also the seams don't rip at your fingernails while paddling as many others did which i tried.

The palms are made out of durable leather And the top is made out of some goretex-like material The knuckles are protected by a hard plastic, can be taken out if you don't need it

The model i supplied isn't available anymore, but they where from the SWAT series from Under Armour

Answer 4

I've had trouble finding kayaking gloves with adequate grip on my paddle (unless they grip too much to rotate the shaft in my left hand). So you may have trouble. However I'm looking for warmth and it doesn't sound like you are.

Cheap cycling gloves with suede-like palms have good grip in the wet. Unfortunately they usually have padding - either foam, which will absorb water, or gel. I suspect either will get quite uncomfortable as the grip on a paddle shaft isn't quite the same as on handlebars, so minimal or no padding would be a good idea. Cycling gloves often have the thinnest backs they can, so you don't get too hot; you may want the opposite. A few mountain bike gloves have protection for the backs of the fingers; these tend to have more palm padding.

Overall I'd be tempted to try something like these from PlanetX (despite the padding), but for me they wouldn't be wasted if they weren't useful on the water as I could use them for winter cycling