20 Best Gloves For Kayaking (2022 Updated)

The gloves run a bit small but not drastically. Medium gloves often have some room on my hands but these mediums were so snug I almost returned them to upsize. Since I wore them, I’ll keep them but they saw their one and only kayak trip today.

My son and I both wore a pair today and 4 miles in, we had to take them off. The gloves hold water and don’t dry readily (it was sunny and mid 90s today), the uncovered portions of our fingers were soggy and sore.

While they might prevent blisters on the covered part of the hand, there is enough stiffness at the end of the fingers (palm side) to irritate the fingers. We were flat water paddling, not getting splashed in rapids, and the gloves seemed to attract every drop of water possible, making for an uncomfortable paddle.

My hands felt better the last half, without any gloves on at all. Very disappointed in this purchase and cannot recommend them.

Comfortable, relatively lightweight gloves for paddling. Overall I am happy with them although they’re not the easiest to remove, especially once they’re wet. The two middle fingers on each glove do have a slightly extended tab on the fabric to aid removal but they’re not that effective.

Still, a decent glove that helps prevent blisters, especially around the base of the thumb which can be a common issue, especially amongst beginner paddlers.

I was disappointed when I tried the gloves on and they were so tight I had to remove them immediately. I measured my hands per the size chart, and selected the next size up, XL. Way too tight, especially the fingers.

I don’t believe the XXL fingers will be significantly bigger, so back they go. My hands are not that big, I have always been OK with Large when the sizes are S/M/L.

Got these for the coming colder Temps. It’s warm out now but my hands were extra warm. Feeling confident these will work in the Temps i deal with

These gloves fit like they should, they are rugged like they need to be, and they look great!! I am in a wheelchair most of the time now, and have been thru two pairs of gloves before these. These are super, and are really wearing well.

Well worth the money!!.

Used them yesterday for kayak trip, and no blisters! Recommend for people with this issue. Size large for medium size womans hand.

I have had two pair of these gloves and each has lasted for several years (paddling 3x/week). I’m on a dragon boat team, and we paddle year round in all weather. Even on really cold days the neoprene does the trick to keep my hands from going numb.

The design is simple, the fit is perfect. Easy to wring out and they dry overnight. People on my team have asked where I got them. Sadly I haven’t found them in stock anywhere. I hope they will be available again soon.

It’s taken me nearly 10 years of weekly, 10 plus miles of paddling each time, to finally wear them through on the thumb. I’ve been in the retail sector of the paddle sports industry for many years. These gloves are a secret weapon for me.

I just finished glueing on some repair neoprene and plan on paddling with them for many many more years to come! The fit and pre articulation of the fingers is helpful. For reference I got a large and my palms are large and my fingers average in length size.

These paddle gloves are great. I appreciate the curved fit of the fingers and the functional fabric for water sports. Looking forward to putting them to the test on the Grand this August!

I thought I found a perfect glove several years ago, except REI didn’t have it in XS, until a brief period this year when I ordered 2. I paddle a lot and use 2 of these a year, sometimes more. However, within the last year the quality has deteriorated — the seam on the thumb gives way after a few paddles, and on the fingers the edges roll back.

Even though I hold the shaft lightly, the inner thumb gets to pre-blister stage after a 10 mile paddle. Two days of similar length paddling, I will get a blister. My hands haven’t gotten any bigger, my stroke style hasn’t changed.

Small is too large. This year I’m on my 3rd pair. Unless the quality improves or the price goes down, it doesn’t seem a good buy any more (the price has not increased). And I will need to find another glove for multi-day paddles.

These are the best paddling glove bar none. I race surfski, paddling twice a week through the Canadian winter, and 5-6 times a week in summer, plus racing in tropical waters, and long distance sea kayak tripping as well.

I wear these every time, unless it’s below zero. They’re super comfortable, great protection padding, light, and very hardy and long lasting. I love them, and hope they never go out of production.

I bought these gloves without reservations knowing that Kokatat name is synonymous with top-notch unsurpassed quality. Was I in for a surprise! After the first day of paddling in these gloves, although they were comfortable, I found sunburn on the back of my hands.

That never happened to me in my old NRS gloves, which provided 50+ UV protection. The Kokatat gloves don’t provide UV protection like some cheaper brands do. While the specs don’t claim that, and it is my fault that I overlooked the lack of UV protection, I must ask, why? Isn’t it common sense that paddling clothing should protect from sunburn? In my southern climate, significant part of the reason I wear paddling gloves is to protect hands from the sun.

“Mesh back improves ventilation to keep hands cool. ” IMO, keeping hands cool is the least of the problems in paddlesports: just dip your hands in the water, and evaporative cooling will be stronger than any ventilation can provide.

The gloves are probably wet anyway after some time paddling.

Great quality and a nice lighter-weight full glove. After going through tons of other light gloves that were just not high-quality enough and ripped/tore after moderate use, I finally went with these even though I had a feeling they’d be too much glove for most of my trips.

They’re actually surprisingly cool, even in black – I wore them on a 75ºF day with no issues other than the obnoxious tan line at mid-wrist. However, the seam design is terrible, with a thick seam right in the webbing of your thumb, causing more blisters than normal.

The silicone dots offer absolutely zero grip over just the raw materials, so it’s a waste, and in fact this is the most slippery paddle glove I’ve used. Overall they’re very close to an amazing glove, but for a big paddle-specific company to make such significant oversights is troubling.

I’m going to try to modify them so they’re more usable for long days.

Very glad I bought these gloves. I am an adult male with rather short fingers and an average to wide palm. I ordered the small size – they fit perfectly with even a little room left in the finger tips.

They are thin enough that I retain a sense of touch but thick enough to keep heat in on these cold spring waters. They grip the paddle perfectly – I don’t have to squeeze hard – and are an easy on/off.

Also like the little snap that holds the gloves together when not in use. Great product that I would certainly recommend.

Pleasantly surprised with these gloves! They are not waterproof, but they are close to it. In my testing water only leaked in through a specific seam between the fingers and at a specific angle. They make good paddling gloves, though I would not wear them when the air temperature is above 60 F, as it can get quite warm.

These are thin enough than I can put them in my tiny pfd pocket, so thats a plus from me. My skin is pretty sensitive and I have not yet had a rash while wearing these.

These are great gloves I paddle every weekend and this will be my fifth pair of gloves. They are very comfortable to wear and protect my hands from the sun. Freak sports online purchase was quick and efficient.

Communication on purchase and delivery was excellent. The price as usual very competitive.

The shipping was prompt. Reviews state size runs small so ordered a size larger than I normally wear, and they fit just fine. The UV protection has proven to be adequate. These are the best gloves that I’ve found for both paddling and cycling.

These gloves are absolutely perfect for kayaking. These are the best DESIGNED gloves for paddle sports. No other gloves on the market protect your thumb like these gloves. Can’t thank you all enough for the perfect product.

Comfortable, good fit, and sturdy construction. The downside is limited weather protection. Once they became damp win cut right through. Based on the description and reviews was expecting more robust weather protection.

If you are a whitewater paddler: these will do very little to keep your hands warm. They are very protective against blisters, and are great all around gloves. Would not recommend if you are looking for a dedicated warm glove, look for something thicker and more neoprene based.

These are very good gloves. I use them for paddle boarding. They aren’t very warm but provide good padding against blisters and they offer excellent friction against the paddle. I much prefer these over going barehanded.

My exposed fingertips are cold sometimes but the control offered by exposed fingers is worth it. A short warming break of fingers against neck is my cure for that (only an issue, for me, below 50 degrees).

I think it’s an OK glove at the closeout price, and I knew what I was buying. Having said that, I believe the silly artwork on the glove could be scrapped and the emphasis should be placed on actual design, performance, and durability.

I have worked up blisters between my thumb and first finger when paddling hard for a day wearing this glove, and it is doubtful that a pair will last more than a season if given much serious use. I wish quality would be the first concern with the specialized products that we buy for our outdoor adventures.

Instead it seems that we get a lot of imported stuff that must cost very little to produce and certainly does not appear to be designed to work all that well, or last very long, and yet the cost is pretty expensive to the purchaser.

I would buy a lot more stuff if I thought that I was getting a good value. I apologize for being so blunt, but I do not believe that I am the only one that feels this way, and perhaps it is good to tell you what I think in order that we could all see an improvement in our options of the type of items we can purchase for use in our favorite activities.

I am a sea kayak-er. I reviewed this glove earlier and I thought it was just OK, not great. I changed my opinion after more use of this glove. I get blisters on my right hand (control hand) every time I paddle moderately hard.

It is the placement of a seam with a lot of stitching between the thumb and forefinger that is the problem. I am back to using a worn out pair of HydroSkin gloves for the time being. I think someone that doesn’t feather their paddle or paddle with a more aggressive stroke might get by with this glove.

I’m honestly better off not wearing any gloves than using this version. I bought the woman’s version of this glove for my daughter when I bought this pair for myself. I am curious to see how it works for her.

I will be sure to have another pair of gloves on hand just in case.

I’m not sure what everyone is talking about with regard to the size of these gloves being too small. I measured my hands (palm width and wrist-to-tip of middle finger) and ordered medium based on that.

They fit fine. They are snug (which they are supposed to be), but certainly not too tight to wear or difficult to get on/off. If you are worried about the size, just measure your hand and order based on that rather than making assumptions about your size without a measurement.

I haven’t used them yet — I just wanted to comment on the sizing because there were so many other comments about it.

I use these gloves, along with other ‘sun screen’ clothing to mow and do other work out in the yard. I like the reinforced palms and got the XL which fit nicely. I am not a huge fan of the color or graphics but maybe that’s just me (a nice black or gray is more my style).

Also, I had an opportunity to contact customer service. I’m not sure what’s in the water in Idaho but I want to buy some. I spoke to one of the friendliest people ever regarding a question I had. Anyway, thanks NRS.

I picked these up mostly for UV protection staying out on the water literally all day fishing up whatever I could find and they’re really comfortable and don’t get in the way AT ALL. They feel natural on your hands wile also giving you a little bit more grip.

Love my purchase, but they wont help you get more fish, just hold onto the rod harder reeling in that big one and protecting you from sunburn!.

These gloves are nice and lightweight. Expect them more to be for sun proctection rather than for heavy duty use. The pads are positioned well so that they protect hot spots when using a fishing pole, or paddling a kayak.

But once again, not made for hard core use when paddling. They do have a bit of stretch to them, so better to order down a size, rather than up.

Used these to sea kayak and they worked great. Fit (size L) was just right, and they held up to the salt water and sun for a two week trip. Dried out within an hour or so in the sun. Padding also works well for biking.

Would recommend. I’m not a pro kayaker so they fit my needs well.

I bought some of these for my wife and I to use while canoe paddling, and we’re very happy with them–they’re adequately padded and are “water friendly” and dry out quickly if needed, and they’re built very well.

We didn’t want full-fingered or neoprene gloves, and these are a great solution!.

Good hand protection from oars and kept me warm all day on the river, the thin neoprene on the back stretches well and is very comfortable. They also aren’t too bulky like other fishing gloves I’ve worn and I am easily able use a bait caster reel with these.

The quality is great, but that doesn’t matter when the fit is so off. The wrist is super tight. Great to keep the water out, I guess, but it feels like it it’s cutting off circulation and very uncomfortable.

The glove part is comfortable, but it fits large. Three stars for quality. One for fit. Sadly, have to return these. Useless to me because I can’t pull them on or off during Zodiac trips.

Overall Very Good, the gloves are still a tight fit on my hands so would be good to have an XXL size. They are quite thick compared to some neoprene gloves, so you lose a little feel, but well shaped and grippy enough, very comfortable, probably best suited for the coldest weather for SUP or even better for kayak in cold choppy weather.

Perfect weight for spring paddling in Virginia last month.

The water remained annoyingly cold here for May (40-50F), but these gloves kept my hands totally comfortable. I went out for successive sessions, one with and one without the gloves, and the difference was huge.

Cold wind biting the hands while out of the water, biting cold while in the water, neither was even a concern when wearing the gloves. Because my last pair of cold-water gloves were too tight, I decided to go one size larger than normal (XL instead of L), and they still worked great.

Decent seal around the cuff of my wetsuit kept the water out most of the time; in a particularly harsh crash, water did get in, but it was still no big deal – like water in a wetsuit it soon warmed up and there was no evaporation to cool things down.

I would probably be OK with a L, but am happy with the XL. (Lesson learned from my other pair: don’t go too small for neoprene gloves, as it can constrict bloodflow. ) I had no issues handling the rig with these gloves on: jibes, tacks, waterstarts, uphauling – at no time did I feel like the gloves got in the way or otherwise affected my ability to do any of the maneuvers.

Having only used this pair for one (two-hour) session, there is no noticeable wear. It remains to be seen how well it’ll hold up over time, though I don’t expect to have to use these very often.

I have an inflammatory disease that causes pain in my hands and wrists. It is much worse when they are cold, and it’s gotten so bad that I couldn’t stay out in colder water. I bought these and holy smokes do they ever work! My hands are toasty and warm the whole time, and I can stay out as long as I want.

I fold the cuff of my suit down over the cuff of the gloves so there’s no flushing, and I can feel warm water run down into my suit if I raise my hands. I can surf again, but, man, do I ever look ridiculous.

I think I bought the 6-5-4 Amp3 wetsuit first, and then went on to get both the gloves and boots. I’m really impressed by the whole line. Amp3 seems to have almost all the features of much more expensive suits, but at a more sane price.

I was out on Christmas Eve off NYC and was toasty, and comfortable. I DID have to return the gloves because I ordered a size too large (the tighter fit is better, obviously), and Wetsuit Wearhouse had a new pair to me in just a couple of days with no hassles at all.

Of course, the big question is how long it lasts, which I cannot report on, but if you want to stay warm this winter and save some money for something else, this is amazing quality for the price.

This is my 2nd pair of Floso gloves and i have to say, they are the best gloves money can buy. Hardwearing,comfortable and very warm, my first pair are still wearable after years of abuse wearing them on long winter nights whilst our fishing I definitely recommend these gloves for any outdoors person.

The gloves are advertised as being unisex. I am a female with large hands but not like a mans and found the glove too tight. The fold back mitten section is great but there is no fold back thumb cover that my previous gloves of the same brand had.

Quality and price were good.

Excellent service yet again!! My son works outside by the sea & looks for these fingerless gloves each Christmas in his “Christmas Bag” of goodies. He can use his hands properly rather than wearing full gloves.

Thank you again. I thoroughly recommend them!!.

I bought these for my wife who’s into kayaking in all weathers with her chums and was constantly moaning about her thumb always being cold. The Palm Mitts really did the trick and she is delighted and keeps her hand and especially her thumbs warm and dry.

Cheers Palm. John.

Bought for windsurfing, looked grippy but they aren’t. Combine that with a very tight fit (despite ordering the right size according to their chart) and you get massive arm pump. Had to return.

Great mitts, love that they have a popper to keep them together and mittens are so easier to wash, dry, put on, take off, etc than gloves. Used them this morning for the first time and very grateful to have them.

Highly recommend.