Waterproof glove technology is fundamentally flawed. It works like this: you make a leather/fabric outer glove, you then add, inside it, a floating waterproof liner that’s either not attached at all or just in strategic areas like the finger-tips because you can’t stitch through the liner without creating leaks. Then you add some sort of soft, insulated liner.

What then happens is that water leaks through the outer glove, which isn’t waterproof and collects between that and the waterproof liner – think a very thin latex glove, though it’s not latex, obviously – so you get a heavy, sodden outer which limits breathability as you’re trying to force vapour out through sodden leather ro whatever..

Even better, the different layers of the glove can all slide over each other, great when you consider that Gore-Tex uses PTFE which is the same stuff non-stick sauce-pans have on them, so you get that horrible, slippery on the grips thing going on and the lining can pull out.

They also take ages to dry because they trap moisture/water inside and outside of the waterproof layer.

Not great. The exception to that construction is stuff using OutDry, which is adhered to the inside of the outer glove so it’s effectively waterproof and the Neoprene stuff. Oh, and some heinously expensive Arc’teryx gloves which use a full Gore-Tex waterproof outer glove with taped seams.

I’ve been using minimally-lined MHW OutDry gloves, Plasmic they’re called, I think, with liners. Works for me, but there aren’t many cycling-specific gloves out there using the technology.

That was fascinating eh… 😉

My hands sweat and I’ve found SealSkinz gloves can get wet inside. I reckon it’s because they don’t breathe that well. There’s too much going on in the construction of the glove.

I’ve found that a pair of hairy thick wool gloves have been the best. I’ve used those in quite a few ‘Puffers even in light sleet. They’d get damp but stay warm. If they got too wet, I’d squeeze them dry and stick them next to my body to warm up and put on the other pair I carry. Unfortunately I can’t find these sort of gloves anymore – plenty wool, but not the hairy sort.

As for SealSkinz socks, they’re brilliant. If you’re the sort of person who complains about getting your feet wet in wellie boots, then they’re not for you. The water is getting in the same way. 🙂

What does affect their performance and breathability is what you wear over them. I found a breathable , ie non waterproof boot was good, and best was a pair of Keen sandals.

I’m pretty happy to accept that (barring the odd duff one) gloves sold as waterproof will actually be waterproof. So if you left them dipped in the bath or something overnight water won’t leak in or come through the fabric.

But in practice there will always be water in there. As mentioned there’s a big hole for water to come in down your arm, probably wicked down by your base layer. And even in dry conditions hands get clammy and that’s a surprising amount of wetness in there.

I’ve got some waterproof ski-type glove I use for winter hillwalking if it’s properly cold. I find that if I leave them on a bit too long when descending from a very cold ridge to a warmer valley they can easily get quite wet inside and that’s just from my hands sweating when walking downhill. It’s never going to work out MTBing.

IME no waterproof clothing will keep you properly dry in practice and the gap is particularly apparent in gloves and socks.

Like most waterproof stuff sealskins work best when it is cold and dry! I have their dragon eye gloves and I find the edges of the fingers let water in at the join and they are not particularly wind proof either. The socks are dreadful once they wet out.

I bought some of the new Sealskins All Weather Cycling Gloves recently and used them in cold and wet last Sunday and was pleasantly surprised. They seemed to breathe quite well so the liner wasn’t sodden and it didn’t pull out and make the gloves unusable, and it seemed to keep the rain out as well.
Usually for cold and wet I’ll wear a combination of liners and outer gloves, carrying a second pair of outers for after the tea stop when the lining has detached itself.

What is worth mentioning that for cold weather, especially the UK’s wet cold, there’s nothing to beat a pair of bar mitts (pogies) with thin breathable gloves to enjoy toastie fingers in even the worst weather, and even over 24 hour events.

A side benefit is thin gloves give a better feel at the controls.

Of course the sort of fashionistas who eschew mudguards for aesthetic reasons won’t like this, but they probably don’t ride long enough in cold conditions to ever feel the need.

That horrible feeling of water starting coming down into the gloves after the jacket’s sleeves finally gave up… 😯

Last night I tested Sealskinz Ultragrip GAUNTLET version, in pretty much very horrible weather (strong winds and horizontal rain). The ride lasted about 2 hours, I was absolutely soaking wet except for my torso (good jacket) and my hands! The longer “sleeve” on these gloves do make a difference. Pain in the **s to put them on though…