NRS Toaster Mitts

Mittens are better than gloves
March 16, 2013

If you have spent any time outdoors in the cold, you already know that mittens keep your hands warmer than gloves. Well finally someone made a neoprene mitten for boaters. These are quite good as far as warmth and the durability seems good as well. I am on my second pair, the first pair lasting about 4 years of solid paddling. The seams can sometimes rip a little in the palm, but it does not matter much because you will be grasping your paddle most of the time anyways, and even when water pours in, it warms up pretty quick. I think the cuffs are a little too long as there is just too much stuff around your wrist while wearing a drysuit/drytop and elbow pads, but that is easily remedied with some scissors. If you want more contact with your paddle, you can also cut out most of the palm (I did this with my old pair), which might not be as warm, but comparable to gloves or pogies. As an added benefit, that also allows you dexterity when you need it. Over all, I prefer these to both gloves and pogies when it actually gets cold out.

very toasty
January 11, 2011

Having very poor circulation, I've had difficulty finding kayaking gloves that keep my fingers warm. I tried normal waterproof, and specialty neoprene gloves and had to bail out of a trip early due to numb fingers. These mittens are incredible. My hands stay warm and dry even when my heartrate stays low.

warm at last
March 16, 2011

I kayak all year in puget sound and other western washington waters. I normally use a Greenland paddle so don't use pogies. I used these mittens this winter and they kept my hands nice and warm. Worst conditions paddled in: air temp 28; water temp high 30's (river). In prior years, I used various gloves and none kept my hands as warm as these mittens. I did lose some sense of feel with them on. This loss of feel didn't really impact my ability to paddle / roll but made it hard for me to put on sprayskirt and to know that sprayskirt was, in fact, sealed. So had to take mittens off to put skirt on. But hands warmed up pretty quickly once had mittens on. The opening of the mitten is tight -- a good thing, but makes it a little tough putting the mitten on when wet.

Perfect for a cold water rafting trip
June 07, 2011

These gloves are perfect for cold water/weather rafting. They keep your hands dry and toasty. Fit is true to size if you follow the measurement procedure. Good stuff!

Perfect for a cold water rafting trip
June 07, 2011

These gloves are perfect for cold water/weather rafting. They keep your hands dry and toasty. Fit is true to size if you follow the measurement procedure. Good stuff!

very toasty
January 11, 2011

Having very poor circulation, I've had difficulty finding kayaking gloves that keep my fingers warm. I tried normal waterproof, and specialty neoprene gloves and had to bail out of a trip early due to numb fingers. These mittens are incredible. My hands stay warm and dry even when my heartrate stays low.

warm at last
March 16, 2011

I kayak all year in puget sound and other western washington waters. I normally use a Greenland paddle so don't use pogies. I used these mittens this winter and they kept my hands nice and warm. Worst conditions paddled in: air temp 28; water temp high 30's (river). In prior years, I used various gloves and none kept my hands as warm as these mittens. I did lose some sense of feel with them on. This loss of feel didn't really impact my ability to paddle / roll but made it hard for me to put on sprayskirt and to know that sprayskirt was, in fact, sealed. So had to take mittens off to put skirt on. But hands warmed up pretty quickly once had mittens on. The opening of the mitten is tight -- a good thing, but makes it a little tough putting the mitten on when wet.