Gear Review: Glacer Glove's Synthetic-Palm Sun Gloves

We’ve long been believers in keeping our skin under wraps while spending time on the water. Fingerless gloves are preferred by many fly fishers, but they also take an absolute beating. Between putting them on and taking them off, rowing a drift boat or poling a skiff all day, casting to and handling fish, gloves can hardly be expected to last forever. We’re left to find a pair that is well constructed, doesn’t lose shape after two wearings, and lasts for more than a single season. We recently put Glacier Glove’s Lycra Sun Glove with synthetic palm (Model 007GY, $14.99) through the saltwater ringer and were quite pleased with the results. On of the big problems with “sun gloves” is that they typically don’t have durable palms. In fact we discussed the issue with a couple of manufacturers at this year’s Fly Fishing Retailer show. Interestingly, both thought that synthetic leather might hold the answer — natural leather isn’t durable when wet and becomes uncomfortably stiff after drying.
After a handful of trips through the tropics and extensive use on the water we’re pleased to report that the synthetic material in the 007GYs is holding up quite well. Besides dealing with the abrasion from regular poling, the glove has maintained it’s original shape and size despite being dunked repeatedly in saltwater and then dried. The other feature that stood out in this glove, which has a sun protection rating of 50+, is the extended cuff that amply covers the wrist and leaves no gap between shirt and glove. The cuff material is also doubled or “two-ply” and stitched very well, which seems to us to be a critical area in the construction of any sun glove that’s going to be given a serious workout.
You can find out more about Glacier Glove and their Dr. Shade sun protection products at the Glacier Glove Web site.