If you’re anything like us and live in a climate that sees seasonal drops in temperature, you’re going to want to stock up on a variety of riding gear that’ll keep you dry and warm when that mercury begins to sink. We here at The Watercraft Journal have been trial testing cold and foul weather riding gear since our launch in 2013, and frankly, there have been quite a few losers (and some winners) over the years. For us (and many of you, we presume) keeping your extremities warm is paramount – namely your ears, nose, hands and feet. Given how quickly windchill can plummet while riding at speed, keeping these sensitive areas comfortable can become a chore.
In the past month, we’ve seen a couple of cold snaps that have brought with it freezing rain and a little bit of snow. Taking that as our queue, we hit the water wearing a newly acquired pair of Golovejoy Thermala Premium Thermal Windproof Gloves. In researching these Chinese-made gloves we found that they are sold under a handful of names and brands, and can be found readily on Amazon.com as well as through other online vendors like Zephyr Gifts, albeit for a significantly large price increase (from $9.95 to $19.99) despite the identical build quality of the two offerings.
Touted as being waterproof, the flexible high-density neoprene glove is only slightly resistant when submerged. Instead, the gloves do wick water spray and heavier splashes off quickly keeping your hands and fingers relatively dry. The non-rubberized zipper on the back of the hand cinches the glove tight. Even when ordered in extra large, the fitment of the glove was snug which is likely intentional given that loose fitment lets in cold air and moisture. The gloves are cut a little longer, pulling up higher on the wrist as well; when paired with a quality windbreaker or jacket with sealable cuffs, the two keep air from traveling up the sleeve.
The thermal gloves feature a silicone print on the palm and up every finger to provide added grip, while the tip of each finger is wrapped in conductive fabric. This allows for true operation of touchscreen devices like your smartphone, tablet and smartwatch. And since we did all of our winter testing on our Sea-Doo Wake Pro 230, we were able to adjust our music selection, take photos and make social media posts without taking off the gloves. That alone made these gloves worth the minimal cost of admission in our book. There’s a handful of color variations and patterns to choose from so you can match your riding gear or the livery of your watercraft as well.
