Here in the UK, wetsuit gloves are a big-ticket prerequisite for partaking in water-based activities in every season except summer. Creating a barrier between the frigid waters and your extremities will prolong your activity time while keeping you alert and comfortable through it all.
Whether you enjoy the thrills of surfing, SUP or open water swimming, when the water temps start dropping, the neoprene gloves must come out. Luckily, brands like Xcel, O'Neill and Quiksilver are supplying both men and women with the right gear for the right season. Read on for the ten best surf gloves to buy on Amazon and Decathlon for all kinds of budgets and commitment levels.
Quick List - Top Wetsuit Gloves
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This simple buying guide has been created to make sure your hands won't be falling off by the frozen wayside this coming winter. By looking at the intended sport, season, thickness, type and features, we promise you'll be feeling warm and smitten next time you head out into the water.
For the most part, wetsuit gloves are styled in a certain way that makes them suited to most water-going activities and sports. However, there are certain styles and design features that you might want to look out for depending on how you like to spend your time in the water.
Although they could technically be used for other sports, some gloves tend to suit one or two particular activities. For instance, diving gloves are often classed in their own category for requiring a higher level of dexterity when compared to gloves for surfing and other water sports.
Similarly, swimming-specific gloves are often recognisable by a webbed finger design, making it easier for people to project themselves through the often cold and heavy sea water.
Wetsuit gloves for water sports like surfing, stand up paddle boarding, bodyboarding and such are more focused on warmth through construction than dexterity, offering different styles of gloves that are very seasonal in design.
Wetsuit gloves come in a few varying styles that instruct their warmth-giving ways, along with any areas of specialty. Standard five-finger designs give the best dexterity of all wetsuit gloves, but unfortunately, they're also the least heat retentive.
Three-finger or 'lobster claw' gloves give their user good dexterity with the thumb and index finger while wrapping your less-used middle and little finger together for maximum warmth. This style is popular in surfing and water sports where hands are less used than feet.
If you want the most cold-repelling glove there is, then you need your eyes solely fixed on mitten styles. These completely encasing wetsuit gloves tuck all your fingers (except for the thumb) into a penguin-style huddle to withstand the harshest of winter climates.
Intrinsically related to the season in which you intend to brave, the thickness of wetsuit gloves is an important one. In waters at or below 13°, 2-3 mm thick neoprene is a clever idea.
If you're a hardened sea veteran, you may laugh in the face of 13° water, but for most people, this is when protection starts getting serious, especially if there's some wind chill thrown in the mix. For most of the UK, these kinds of sea temps are typically reached by the end of October, meaning autumn is the time to start wearing gloves.
Once December rolls around, you'll want to equip yourself with 4-5 mm gloves to endure the rest of the winter and head into early spring with. By mid-to-late spring you'll be able to dust off your 2-3 mm gloves, and by summer, your hands can thankfully soak up some much-needed sun.
Glued and blind stitched (GBS) seams are a must-have for wetsuit gloves of any sport or season. Relating to the way in which the seams are constructed, these give the best chance of repelling the water and, therefore, the cold.
GBS seams are any seam that has been glued together first to create a solidly held bind, then stitched afterwards. Premium wetsuit brands will then go one step further by taping the inside seams with additional glue to create an entirely smooth and seamless inner glove for unrivalled comfort and protection.
If gloves don't mention GBS seams then there's a good chance they've been flatlock stitched. This is a basic, budget stitching method by which two panels are butted together then stitched, allowing water to flow freely through the seam.
Features help to define each pair of wetsuit gloves, bringing them out of the feature-less pack and into the hand-wearing limelight. With each brand putting worth into different aspects of their gloves, the features are where you can really dig your hands into a made-to-fit pair of gloves.
Securing features like hook and loops and Velcro straps ensure no gloves will be lost at sea. Features relevant to the flex of gloves are a common addition to premium wetsuit gloves where range of movement is constantly being tweaked and updated.
Inner fleece and thermal insulating linings are always welcome to increase the heat retention and comfort of wetsuit gloves. Webbed fingers are a swimming-specific feature of gloves to gain extra glide through open water swimming.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | XCEL 3 mm Infiniti Gloves | ![]() | Premium Warming Relief From the Market Leaders | |
2 | Rip Curl 5 mm Flashbomb Gloves | ![]() | Lobster Claws to Balance Warmth and Dexterity | |
3 | Mystic 5 mm Wetsuit Mittens | ![]() | Mystic's Winter Mittens Are a Marvel of Wetsuit Design | |
4 | O'Neill 2 mm Wetsuit Gloves | ![]() | Anatomically Sound and Tacky for Hands-On Activities | |
5 | Quiksilver 3 mm Men's Wetsuit Gloves | ![]() | A Men's-Specific Pair With 100% Stretch Flex Neoprene | |
6 | Olaian 3 mm Surf Gloves | ![]() | 3 mm Surf Gloves Keeping It Tight Yet Flexible | |
7 | Osprey 5mm Wetsuit Gloves | ![]() | A Thick, Mid-Range Option for Winter Water Sports | |
8 | Osprey 3 mm Wetsuit Gloves | ![]() | Five Finger Gloves for Dexterity When Diving and Jiving | |
9 | PawHit 3 mm Wetsuit Gloves | ![]() | Inexpensive Diving Gloves With Anti-Slip Palms | |
10 | Tagvo Webbed Wetsuit Gloves | ![]() | Webbed Mitts for Swimmers to Glide in Grace |
Xcel are the wetsuit brand that all other brands answer to. Through their unrestrained convictions to bring the people premium products in every sense of the word, they have been leading the protective charge since the '90s.
These are their 3 mm Infiniti gloves with quick-dry fibres, grip palms, extended cuff lengths, thermo lite infrared inner and taped GBS seams for the kind of comfort and warmth normally associated with winter gloves. It's just about perceivable to weather the entire winter in these if you're already accustomed to British winter waves and water.
Get the lobster claw look with Rip Curl's Flashbomb winter gloves. This unique shape ensures your less-used fingers can stay collectively warm while giving your index finger and thumb a chance to move.
Added to the 5 mm thickness, and it's clear these will keep even the most susceptible shielded and stoked through the harshest winter months. The updated E5 flash lining is an ode to its warmth giving powers, while the stitch-less and taped construction takes seeping water completely out of the equation.
Mystic's winter mittens could possibly be the warmest 5 mm gloves on the market to date. By tucking in each of your fingers into the one huddled grouping, you'll notice an incredible amount of warmth will be generated and retained.
The polar inner lining will increase the heat even more, and the extended cuff lengths with included Velcro straps are designed to repel any wayward water that tries to sneak its way in. They are more suited to surfing and water sports where movement through your hands isn't such a vital thing, but warmth sure is!
It's clear just by looking at these 2 mm gloves how anatomically fitted they are. The O'Neill Epic wetsuit gloves are a remark on tight-fitting gloves by anyone's standard. This makes them perfect for anyone who enjoys a little extra sensitivity from their gloves.
The tacky grip makes them a great pair for diving and snorkelling as well as kiteboarding and windsurfing where you'll be holding and steering your kite or sail. The fluid-flex neoprene used in their build adds another level of flex to an already sharp and aware pair.
Quiksilver's 3 mm Syncro Plus wetsuit gloves are ready and waiting to be whisked away on your next surf trip or session. The 100% stretch flex neoprene coupled with the liquid flex taped seams ensures these gloves will repel water while also remaining incredibly flexible to offer a commendable amount of comfort.
The five-finger design offers increased dexterity and instructs these will be a great pair of gloves for all types of water sports in the spring and autumn. Although 99% of gloves are considered unisex, this particular model is tailored for men specifically.
With a clear jump in quality, Decathlon's water sport brand Olaian have produced a very clever pair of gloves for an astonishing price. For just under £25 you could be equipped with 3 mm of flexible yet tight-fitting neoprene, ideal for tackling the chilly waters of spring and autumn.
The GBS seams have been taped on the outer areas for a dependably water-tight glove. This, coupled with the synthetic fabric lining for increased wear, sets these gloves to a very high standard considering the price. Sure, Olaian isn't as well respected as the iconic surf brands, but they're ruffling a few feathers with products like this.
Another valiant mid-range offering from trusty Osprey next, only this time around, it's all about the winter months. The 5 mm super-stretch neoprene used in their construction has GBS seams running throughout to create a tight water-resistant seal.
These winter gloves are a versatile option, suiting all kinds of water sports just as well as diving and snorkelling. Again there is a Velcro strap and rubberised palms for grip, helping their sense of touch along.
Each year Osprey produce and supply more wetsuits to the UK market than any other brand. This is their 3 mm five-finger glove with GBS seams, benefiting from a good range of movement to suit diving and water sports in general.
A Velcro strap is included along with rubberised palms, making for a solid under-£20 pair to test your commitment levels in the colder months for less.
PawHit are an entry-level wetsuit brand offering decent gear for very reasonable prices. For just over £15 you could be diving the British seas and throwing your hat into all types of water sports with an assured level of warmth.
Thanks to the GBS seams, you'll notice the inside of the glove will feel smooth and almost seamless, offering good water resistance and comfort. With 3 mm of neoprene, these gloves are best suited to spring and autumn in addition to prolonged times diving in the summer.
Give your swimming stroke a little extra pep in the open waters with Tagvo's webbed wetsuit gloves. Through their five-finger webbed design, you'll be slicing a path through any bit of chop or current that happens to come your way.
The Velcro wrist strap will provide a tight and secure fit, ensuring these gloves know their place and it isn't at the bottom of the sea. Unfortunately, there's no mention of the neoprene's thickness, though this isn't surprising considering the very budget-friendly price.
No. 1: XCEL|3 mm Infiniti Gloves
No. 2: Rip Curl|5 mm Flashbomb Gloves
No. 3: Mystic|5 mm Wetsuit Mittens
No. 4: O'Neill|2 mm Wetsuit Gloves
No. 5: Quiksilver|3 mm Men's Wetsuit Gloves
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