Love/Hate Neoprene Gloves!

[LI-ghtcycle]

I have a pair of NRS Neoprene kayaking gloves, and they are wonderfully warm even in the wet, but once I am home trying to dry them out is near impossible. I will hang them up to dry near the wood stove, and they never get too warm, but they never seem to completely dry out, the fingers still are damp inside even after drying for a day!

I'm sure there are fancy glove dryers that would help, but I need something more practical that I can take with me on the road, any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[amberwolf]

A small CPU fan stuck into the end of the glove, run off a 12V battery or part of your pack, etc., would probably help dry it out, as long as the fan doesn't completely fill the end up, so that air can flow out past it's sides. Just lay the glove down on a flat surface, then stick the fan into the end of it, so that it kinda keeps the glove "inflated". Might have to use a squirrel-cage type to get best airflow.

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

µwave oven?
some 10 watt power resistors or a halogen bulb
test tube type aquarium heater (fingers might not stretch enuf to fit).

 

[Jeremy Harris]

I reckon the easy way would be to go with the power resistors as already suggested. If you were to make up a couple of hand-shaped vertical fixtures, arranged so the fingers are made of resistors connected in series and pointing downwards, then fit the gloves over these and apply enough power to just keep them gently warm I reckon it should work OK. The secret is to have the gloves pointing finger side down, with the wrist opening at the top, because water vapour is less dense than air so will naturally want to rise out of the open end.

This is the reason that drying boots, gloves etc upside down takes so long, the water vapour just rises into the ends. It sounds a bit counter-intuitive to some to think of water vapour as being less dense than dry air, but quick look at clouds and usually proves the point. Anyone who's done some scary, through cloud, parachute jumps will also know that they fall faster through clouds than they do through the drier air beneath.

Jeremy

 

[spinningmagnets]

The majority of moisture is probably best handled by the previous suggestions, but for that last little bit that clings on tenaciously, perhaps pour in some iso-propyl alcohol?

I seem to remember that alcohol absorbs water quite well. Then pour the alcohol back into its container to be used again later. The small amount of alcohol left inside the gloves will evaporate quickly, but...avoid smoking and open flames if you end up trying this! Perhaps even do it outdoors?

Even if you don't do the alcohol thing for moisture removal after each ride, It may be useful once a week or so to suppress "fragrance producing" bacteria?...

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

So I should hang the gloves up-side down, fill them with resisters and top off alcohol, drop in an aquarium heater and add a CPU fan on top and start a camp fire, smoke and have a double shot of JD!

Got it!

J/K!!

Great ideas all, thanks much! I could use the SLA that will be solar powered to run resisters/fan, but I really like that idea about using the alcohol to take out the last bit of moisture, and the resisters sounds pretty simple, I wonder how much power it would take, and if my little SLA would be up to it?

 

[John in CR]

While I can't imagine using neoprene gloves except for diving in cold water, to dry them out first spin dry. Then use air drying. For the final bit of moisture stuff silica packets in them. You can recharge the packets by baking them in the oven at 250°F for a few hours.

 

[slowlane]

The gloves are not getting enough heat to force out trapped water in the semi-closed air cells of the material ( 100C / 212F ) . I used neoprene gloves for conifer botanical harvesting in snow conditions , wet to -15C . Switched wet for dry often , dried over a propane furnace in a camper van .
A poor choice for biking as its a moisture trap . Yesterday was -15C , cloth worked fine .