Pros: Lightweight; Good sensitivity; Wind protection
Cons: Care must be taken to keep hands from getting soaked while using
The Bottom Line: No single glove design solves the problem of hand protection for winter fishing; but these gloves are an honest attempt to meet the challenge.
morilla's Full Review: Simms Windstopper Half Finger Fleece Gloves
One of the biggest conundrums in cold weather fishing is how to keep one's hands from becoming blocks of ice while simultaneously maintaining the "feel" necessary for casting and playing a fish. This problem is doubled in difficulty when the angler is a fly fisher; where casting stroke, line manipulation, and fish playing are entirely about feel.
Gloves, the seemingly obvious solution, are a trade off. While the angler may be able to keep hands warm, the bulk of normal insulated gloves creates a disconnected feeling. On the flip side, thin, uninsulated gloves or liners (such as the Patagonia Capilene LW Glove liners) provide increased sensitivity, but offer little insulation and become virtually useless when wet.
Various materials, in numerous configurations, have been used over the years in an attempt to solve the problem: wool, silk, neoprene, along with synthetics including capilene and polarguard. In the end, there seemed to be no solution to the contradictory requirements of insulation, wind protection, waterproofness, and sensitivity.
Enter Gore's Windstopper technology. This variation on W.L. Gore's famous Gore-Tex is a membrane laminate layer that is highly breathable, water resistant, and windproof. The essential idea is to protect the individual from convective heat loss. Convective heat loss is where air trapped and heated next to the body is replaced by colder air; with the single, largest factor being wind.
Most manufacturers of gloves forced into fishing situations have used either bulkier insulation or special treatments to defeat wind and stop convective heat lost. In the late 1990s, Simms incorporated Gore's Windstopper technology into a thin profile, "fingerless" (more accurately, "half-finger") fleece glove. By using the Windstopper membrane, the amount of fleece necessary to provide insulation was significantly reduced. By leaving the fingers exposed, a significant amount of sensitivity for casting and line manipulation was maintained. Not to mention that, for fly fishers, the exposed fingertips allowed for the tying on of the often tiny flies (midges) commonly used in cold weather.
I do not remember exactly what year I purchased my pair of Simms Winstopper Fleece Half-Finger Gloves. It was sometime between 1997 and 1999 (which also gives you a sense for their durability and longevity) since this is when I began earnest, winter time trout fishing in environments such as the mountains of Northern New Mexico and the Ozarks in the months of November through January.
Available in sizes Small - Extra Large, the fit is fairly consistent with most well made gloves; i.e., I take a large sized glove and the Simms large fits perfectly. Bear in mind that these are not ski gloves. The fit is intended to be snug; therefore, constantly taking them on and off while trying to handle fish is more than just a pain, it is relatively infeasible.
How much of YOUR fingers are actually covered by the "half-finger" configuration is dependent upon the length of your digits. Are your hands "oranges with sausages sticking out of them" (like mine), massive "bear paws," or the delicate, graceful variety of the seamstress and concert violinist?
On the positive side...The Windstopper technology seems to work on the protected parts of your hands; wind has NEVER been a problem or felt. An elastic rib at the wrist helps seal heat in and serves to reduce bulk where a jacket's cuff would normally ride. The synthetic fleece dries reasonably well in terms of quickness, provided it isn't absolutely soaked. The design is thin enough that you retain a significant amount of feel when grasping the cork grip of a fishing rod. A synthetic pad is sewn across the palm to mitigate the inherent slipperiness of both the fleece and the fish; actually providing a more secure grip on a fish than (while offering the fish some protection from the protective slime removing properties of) bare hands.
Construction and sewing are excellent. Simms prides itself on its reputation for quality, both in products and customer relations. The majority of employees are, in fact, anglers. The company anticipates employees actively pursuing the sport; actually setting aside "work time" for them to do so.
On the down side...The exposed fingertips can and do get rather cold; particularly once wet. It seems a contradiction, but you DO NOT want to get your hands truly wet while wearing these "half-finger" fishing gloves. Even though the fleece is designed to absorb and retain as little water as possible, there is still no protection or insulation provided the fingertips. The fleece itself, when "wetted out" will do exactly what it was designed to do - drain or leech water - usually right on to the exposed digits.
For me, this is the biggest problem with the design. Individuals buy the gloves, assume they're protected, and behave as if it's mid-summer; dunking their hands to land or release a fish. This persistent wetness combined with the exposed nature of the design actually accelerates heat loss in the fingertips. Trust me. It doesn't take much cold or wind, once your fingers are wet, to go through the stages of discomfort, pain, and numbness in the fingertips.
Does this mean the gloves don't work worth the $34.95 you paid for them? Nope. It means that you have to be aware of the design limitations and work around them. First, don't get your hands soaked. I know this sounds impracticable when you're fishing. But, if you use a net (it doesn't do the fish a whole lot of good to "beach it"), it is relatively easy to keep from completely dunking your hands; even when releasing a fish.
If you don't want to use a net, after you release the fish or get your glove(s) wet, take a moment, remove the glove(s), wring them out, whirl them around a couple of seconds (like a dog shaking off water), wring them out again, dry your hands off as much as possible, and slip the gloves back on. [It's not as complicated or time consuming as it sounds. The whole procedure takes less than a minute.]
In an effort to address some of these issues, Simms now offers their Windstopper Foldover Mitt. In essence, this is a Windstopper Half-Finger Glove with a mitten-like end cap attached to the glove's back that can be "flipped" over the fingertips when you don't need them exposed for delicate tasks. You can view both of these gloves, along with other Simms products, at:
http://www.simmsfishing.com/
To see the gloves, select "Products," then "Outerwear."
In the end, there is no, single glove on the market - whether by company, design, or manufacture - that resolves the problem of hand protection for winter fishing. Particularly when it comes to fly fishing. What the Simms Windstopper Half-Finger Gloves represent is an above average attempt to meet the challenge of the seemingly impossible.
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