So just little over 3weeks ago I wrote the blog on “DrySuit time is here” & “Keeping the hand warm this winter!”
Finally Dry Suit seasons arrived so two of my new gears has finally tested- base layer and gloves
- Simms Fishing Products “EXSTREAM FOLDOVER MITT”
- Eddie Bauer First Ascent line Men “Midweight Freedry Merino Hybrid Base Layer Tops“
- Eddie Bauer First Ascent line Men “Midweight Freedry Merino Hybrid Base Layer Pants“
*Womens version of base layer link is at “DrySuit time is here” Blog
Let’s start with gloves. Today in Kentucky it was 37F and @10mph wind. I have to say I was pretty impressed with this mitt gloves which is fold over style. First I thought my finger was cold but after 10min warm up I stay quite comfortable for the entire session. I have a few gloves from last year but I was very impressed with this one. It is not waterproof so if you fall in you need your contingency plan but otherwise it’s an excellent products Only minor downside is that there is no a grip surface on mitt area so you have to grip your paddle firmly. Nothing that turn me off because my hands was not warm but I’m already thinking about spray “Flex Seal”(As seen on TV) stuff with few lines on the mitt area to help grip better.
My score on this Gloves I give 9 out of 10.
2nd in business is the base layer. Last year I wore Mountain Hardware “Men’s 32 Degree™ Insulated 1/2 Zip Top“ & “Men’s 32 Degree™ Tight Pants“. This year because I thought I was steamy inside my Ocean Rodeo drysuit last winter training figure I will try new wool and hybrid combined base layer from Eddie Bauer. First photo is my selfie shot after coming home with drysuit and removed right away showing the real time results of the base layer performance. I was pretty much drenched except for some reason I managed not to get sweaty on my quads. 2nd photo is both top and bottom flip inside out and shows how much it stayed wet. Needless to say I was bit cold toward end of 90min training. Simply I was cold because my skin was wet. This did not happen with Mountain Hardware I mentioned above. It is thicker but worth using over Eddie Bauer when your skin is bone dry. After all Eddie Bauer’s base layer is type of cloth which is most likely to be more suitable for hiking, mountaineering and normal outside activity that can able to let the heat out easily compare to fully sealed drysuit.
My score on this Base layer I give 1 out of 10.
Here is Eddie Bauer Base layer performance
Here is the Mountain Hardware performance
My score on this Mountain Hardware I give 9 out of 10 -I wish they made slightly thinner version of this
