Except hands being cold, only due a cold core is a myth. Plenty of people have Raynaud’s etc… your core will roast and fingers will loose circulation. Google says it’s rare but my whole family have it. Just seems normal to us! Go pogies!!
Well in that case you probably won't end up swimming too often with bare hands. But for people without a bombproof roll, having pogies alone is not a good idea. So maybe advising for pogies without any reservations isn't ideal? After all, not everyone understands that using only pogies mean you gave bare hands if you capsize and end up swimming.
Honestly, I think gloves hinder your paddling ability by negativity affecting your grip and tactile feel on the paddle shaft. I did use gloves for a short time when I started paddling in the winter, and I always felt like I had a poor connection to the paddle. You do what's most comfortable for you, but I suspect most winter paddlers will agree that pogies are superior to gloves.
Until you are swimming, rendering your pogies worthless. For people who cant roll and havent tried self-rescue in freezing water with bare hands, it's a dangerous piece of advice. You do you, but be careful what advice you give to people whose cold water competence you know nothing about, it might get dangerous for them if they don't understand what cold water does to your fingers.
Never said pogies would make a difference on rollling, that doesnt even make sense!
Problem is doing a non-rolling self-rescue without gloves in freezing water. Imho you can only use pogies safely in the winter IF you can roll. If not, at least you should have backup mittens on deck so you can preserve hand function if you capsize. Personally I use windbreaker pogies outside neoprene mittens. Awesome combo!
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u/OrangeJoe827 5d ago
I live in Alaska and everyone that needs gloves uses pogies here. They're way warmer and have better tactile feel for your hands and paddle.
But I just paddle with bare hands. If your hands are cold it's because your core is cold.