cold hands

[jim mckenzie]

Warm your hands with your breath...anybody tried this?
http://www.ianovated.co.uk/
My friend talked about this long, long ago, but we never did it.

[bwd]

I'm tempted to try, it's cheap and easy to make although I'm not sure how easy it would be to get it under a wetsuit. More info here if you haven't seen it:
http://boardsurfr.blogspot.ca/2012/12/t ... d.html?m=1

http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums/viewtop ... c&start=20

"As a test of the concept you could copy my early prototype which was-
3Meters of 11mm external diameter plastic tube, circling round my neck, both ends then going down the neck seal of my wetsuit, crossing over inside the suit and running down each arm to come out the wrist seals. For a mouth piece I simply half cut away the tube to create a hole to to blow down that was on the inside of the tube loop facing my mouth. "

[downwind dave]

i tried this on friday, out paddlesurfing with a rig made of 1/4" tube i had lying around. it is just a short section of tube to a T-junction to tubes down each arm. my rashie holds it in place till the wetsuit is on. my first impression was the tubes felt weird in my arms and i thought it was fatiguing me prematurely. might be less of an issue sailing vs paddling. it also wasn't very cold out either so i couldn't tell if i was getting warmed up. Puffing air into my gloves was kinda neat though.

[shaggy]

Liquid transfers heat much more efficiently than air. So how about a catheter?

[nanmoo]

You know I was just about to say the exact same thing Shaggy. Glad to see I'm not the only one thinking that way, and by that way I mean thinking like a Genius.

You try it first though.

[more force 4]

Hey I was wondering if anyone had tried just putting a short section of tube in the gloves and bringing the glove close to your face while one-handed sailing. That would avoid the gasket leaks and would encourage balanced harness lines for WS. Wouldn't be able to give yourself a blow job (much more satisfying than a catheter!) at will, but according to the videos you only need to give a warm boost from time to time. CHeap too!

I have Reynauds syndrome, but strangely I find that I don't seem to get it working in cold water - maybe I'm just not noticing because my fingers are numb anyway. But anything to keep the hands warm seems sensible - the info on Reynauds says to keep you hands out of cold water if you suffer from it. I'm more worried about it coming on while skiing, when frostbite even in just-below-freezing seems likely ....

[JL]

Kus: Well, since we are having a love-in in regards to gloves on the message board, I can weigh in a little. The cramps are due to you having to work against the glove or lack of friction: the thinner the palm or the more friction the less cramping....imho not temp related. As to abrasion, s$&t boom wrap (old), increased time on the water or fresh water = worse wounds. Get palmless gloves, newer boom, stop and tape up before your skin/ blister explodes - Monday December 23, 6:22PM
Grantmac: I've actually gone from a roller to a hook because I find the roller harder on the hands, plus it unhooked too easily. I'm still getting used to the difference in feel. Also I'm hoping going to a stiffer boom will help with sailing overpowered. - Monday December 23, 5:40PM
Winddude: it's just the cold water plus the extra restriction on blood flow from the mitts and gloves. I can sail for hours in 50knots in the gorge, but 25-30knts in the cold with mitts on, within a few runs my forearms are cramping. - Monday December 23, 1:37PM
Ozy: A way to help with the grip on gloves or mitts is to lightly spray 3M super 77 or similar contact cement onto palms. works awesome - Sunday December 22, 9:54AM
Voodmon: Grantmac, sounds like you are on the right track, generally speaking when you are hooked in you shouldn't need to gorilla the boom anyway except in transitions, just use your body weight and the harness, having your harness lines positioned correctly helps too so everything is balanced, I have been kind of cheating using a reactor bar, hook for years and years which makes everything much smoother, also correct sail setting, enough downhaul etc also helps. - Saturday December 21, 11:39PM
Grantmac: I've done with and without palms, prefer them cut out since then I can flip them back to use my fingers plus feel far less clumbsy. The ones I've got are plenty big. I don't feel the cold much at all in my hands once I've let them acclimate. I debated doing my standby of adding thick nitrile tattoo gloves that day and wish I had for the added protection on some areas which were slightly raw from Monday but ultimately didn't and should have. I made some equipment adjustments for Wednesday but the damage was largely done Monday. Working on a different hand position to avoid gripping with the palm rather than fingers. Unfortunately finger strength isn't a strong point for me so I've got to work with what I have. This is an issue I have lifting weights as well. Hopefully the new RDG boom I have arriving will also be a help on this issue. - Saturday December 21, 1:57PM
Voodmon: Grantmac, maybe more harness, less hands, I spent my first 12 years windsurfing in Ontario and the winters on lake Ontario long before the dakine mitts existed, we were using military survival suit mitts, all kinds of crazy stuff, window washer gloves with wool gloves inside, I still fail to understand why you would want to cut the palms out in the first place, key is to buy gloves or mitts that are too big, so if you need a medium buy a large esp with the dakine mitts and don't cut the palms out, same with cycling gloves, circulation is always the issue! Oh and try some cayenne with your breakfast before you go out, it promotes peripheral circulation, blood flow to the extremities! - Friday December 20, 9:05PM
Sandy Beach: Winter trip to a sunny beach with warm winds and water also helps to prevent brrr cold hands - Friday December 20, 9:18AM
Grantmac: I've got Dakine mitts. I tried gloves but get arm cramp like crazy. I think I need to adjust how I hook my hands on the boom plus double check i don't have a rough spot where I cut the palms out. - Friday December 20, 8:35AM
Voodmon: Grantmac, get some gloves or mitts, the cold will wreck your hands and the Dakine mitts work well, or you can get some cycling gloves, there are lots of options, no reason to wreck your hands by trying to be a tough guy! - Thursday December 19, 7:22PM

[JL]

I use https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5023-623/Pacific-Pogies for kiting.

[KUS]

thanks JL, yeah that catheter thing genius thinking is right, Tony maybe coupled with a reservoir for repeat application, haha

[nanmoo]

For all those windsurfers out there another serious suggestion is to kite in winter. I was skeptical too but its insane how much easier it is. Lighter grip required and lower hand position help heaps with circulation. No unhooked periods mean no need to clamp. 3 or even 5mm gloves and you can session for hours. I used to use palmless mitts windsurfing and that was marginal but now I kite down to below zero and don't even think about it.

[HiyoSilver]

I found with my new 6mm suit my hands don't really get cold anymore; it's so toasty warm my body can afford to send more blood to my extremities I guess

[nanmoo]

I found with my new 6mm suit my hands don't really get cold anymore; it's so toasty warm my body can afford to send more blood to my extremities I guess

You're a pretty furry dude too. 😋😉

[HiyoSilver]

You're a pretty furry dude too. 😋😉

Yes, that helps, too!