You know that thing when you find something that works, then keep doing that? These sailing gloves are exactly that. Short lived but unrivalled dexterity and comfort, if there is anything better out there I have yet to find it
\nSailing gloves are a necessity, especially when handling spinnaker lines and anything where you need a little more grip or there\u2019s a risk of rope burn.
\nI know some people avoid them thinking they\u2019re dangerous and a snagging risk. If you\u2019re one of those bare handed souls who can handle all lines without issue, then this probably isn\u2019t for you.
\nBut for mortals like me, I rely on gloves for a range of uses on my boat and other boats that I skipper or crew on.
\nI have written a longer list of gloves we\u2019ve tested across our editorial team, so if Gill doesn\u2019t fit your hands, then there\u2019s others available that might. Best sailing gloves: 10 top pairs to protect your hands and keep them warm
\nI can\u2019t recall the exact time\/year I found the Gill Deck hand glove, but it was a bit of a moment. Trying them on in a shop, and realising I finally found something that actually fitted and moved easily,
\nMost sailing gloves I find in shops are stiff and not very compliant. They cause hand fatigue. The other problem is that a lot of the other gloves just don\u2019t fit. A mans size small isn\u2019t a womens size small.
\nSo here we are, the Gill Deck hand gloves. For a brief spell they made these in a women\u2019s sizes\/cut and these were possibly the most perfect fitting gloves ever. Since that brief foray a few years ago, Gill seem to have abandoned the mens womens different sizes and have gone back to offering unisex sizing.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re not without their faults, as can be seen in my used pairs, the material by the thumb disintegrates after a couple of years hard use.
\nBut I don\u2019t expect gloves to last much longer than two or three years anyway, so that is an acceptable attrition rate for me. If the material was harder wearing, then they wouldn\u2019t have the ease of movement that these have. I actually forget I\u2019m wearing them sometimes.<\/p>\n
When trying on gloves in the shop, one of the most important tests is can you make a fist? How easy it to make a fist? Do you have the fight the glove to make that shape? Can you grip some 6mm or 8mm line easily? (or the thinnest line you have onboard) My reef lines are 8mm, but my furling line is thinner and sometimes benefits from wearing gloves to pull that sucker in.
\nI have a pair of the deck hand pro gloves too. These are much tougher, but equally much harder on the hands. They have lasted 9 years so far and are still going strong.
\nSome gloves are pre-curved, such as the pro deck hand gloves. They need to be precurved as the material they are made from is quite tough. If they were made flat, then it would be really had to grip anything with excess material in the palm.<\/p>\n
Making a fist with the deck hand pro gloves is harder. I can feel more effort required to close my hand around ropes and lines. This is less of a problem when handling bigger lines. But I find I lose a bit of dexterity when wearing those compared to the softer, less hard wearing deck hand gloves.<\/p>\n
This later model seems to have sorted the thumb disintegration issue, but the finger tips are on their way out. They still feel lovely though. I just wish they did a half size smaller to make them a little more snug like my older women\u2019s specific ones were.
\nWe can\u2019t hold back the march of progress though can we.
\nOut of all the the gloves in the shops, these are still the best fitting gloves I\u2019ve ever found. Despite their flaws, I keep going back to them and buying them over and over again. When I posted this on to a popular women\u2019s sailing group on social media, the comments I received were almost universal \u201cHey you have my favorite gloves on!\u201d (Kit) \u201cI love those gloves\u201d (Daisy) \u201chaha I have the same ones! Not so worn though but love them\u201d (Maria) Another commentator recommended some Ronstan gloves, so I\u2019m going to go and check those out, because, you know, research. I am, if nothing else, thorough in my glove trials.<\/p>\n
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\nThe post The sailing gloves I\u2019ve bought over and over again appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You know that thing when you find something that works, then keep doing that? These sailing gloves are exactly that. Short lived but unrivalled dexterity and comfort, if there is anything better out there I have yet to find it … <\/p>\n