Econo-super-gloves

[William]

A couple months back I stopped at the cafe in the middle of a cold
training ride. I had a conversation with an oldtimer on a custom
Mikkelsen who was wearing blue nitrile gloves. I didn't ask him why
he was wearing them but it got me thinking about emergency waterproof
stuff for cool and rainy brevets. I came up with a glove system where
I wore a pair of cheap knit gloves ($1 a pair at Joann Fabric) with
blue nitrile gloves over them. On a 45 mile hilly ride in constant
rain and temps in the mid 40's to low 50's, my hands were toasty warm,
not uncomfortably so on climbs, and still warm on fast descents. I
was very impressed. I feel like I've got a great glove alternative
that is 100% waterproof, essentially free, essentially weightless, and
packs to basically zero volume. These will be in my handlebar bag
anytime I think I might see weather. A few photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45758191@N04/sets/72157626131698281/with/5523131482/

[AmiSingh]

VAPOR BARRIER LAYER (VBL) in full effect!

A week and a half ago I performed an experiment, based on information
on VBLs I read in Robert Wood's Pleasure Packing, recommended by GP.

Below is my report, as posted to Facebook. My friends made a lot of
fun of me, but I'm okay with that :)

12:19 PM: I am wearing a plastic dry cleaning bag as a tshirt today
(rather than cotton or soft merino wool) as an experiment. It's called
a vapor barrier layer, and increases body heat by 15-20*F. It's also
supposed to modulate things like perspiration, temperature, etc. I
feel weird wearing it, but really appreciate it's added warmth. Just
thought you should know.

1:38 PM: So far, it's still weird and I make a crunchy noise under my
wool sweater. My secretary laughed at me when she saw the $1.99 on the
plastic bag that came untucked from the back. I still appreciate the
warmth and no sweats so far. I'm experimenting based on Robert Wood's
Pleasure Packing. For more on VB information Google Jack Stephenson +
VB shirt. I'll follow up with more at the end of the day. The
overwhelming feeling is that I still feel weird.

2:14 PM: Riding 15 miles to pick up my car at the repair shop. Adding
plastic grocery bags under my wool socks. I'm nervous. Let's see how
this goes ...

4:22 PM: Conclusion : it works remarkably well. Its around 35* with
sometimes a 20-25mph headwind. For my torso, I wore the bag, a thin
merino wool half-sleeved polo, and a light wind-breaker with pit and
back vents. Feet, plastic grocery bags, thin smartwool merino socks
and a pair of light puma shoes.

Plenty warm, no overheating despite repeat 90% exertion uphills. For
headwinds I felt surprisingly comfortable double-wind protection, even
better downhills.

Perspiration surprisingly regulated and I'm not thirsty!

5:28 PM: A surprise twist at the end. I am not sure is Facebook
appropriate, so I won't share the details of the lake of sweat that
poured out of the plastic shirt when I untucked it from my pants. It
was shocking, weird, interesting and gross all at the same time.

I was still exceptionally warm, wore only a few layers of clothing and
*think* I did not perspire as much as I would have normally dressed in
multiple layers of wool, nylon and sometimes down, whn not using the
VBL. Despite its wierdness factor, I will use the cheap and easy
plastic shirts and booties on future adventures when the weather falls
below 45* F.

Oh, you can use VBLs under your gloves too! Just slip on a
polyurethane or plastic glove before putting on your normal mittens/
gloves and be amazed at the extra warmth!

The Riv Family should feel free to make fun of me also. BUT, I have
the feeling that there are other quirky people here who will give this
a try ... if you do, make sure to post your experiences! :)

> http://www.flickr.com/photos/45758191@N04/sets/72157626131698281/with...