Although Sealskinz sells these gloves as a hunting glove, the only shooting I used them for was with a camera. They also offer the same glove, but with a fold-back index finger. It’s their shooting and/or photography glove, and it allows you to expose one finger without removing the whole glove. Since I have been out in temps as low as 20 degrees, I have no desire to expose my finger, even if only to take a photo. That’s how I came to review their hunting glove, but for photography.
Premium materials are used by Sealskinz on these gloves. For the outer lining, it’s 88% nylon, and 12% elastane (also known as Spandex or Lycra). That gives it abrasion resistance, and some stretch. Inside, Coolmax is soft against the skin, and helps wicks away sweat. Between the two is a micro-porous membrane. This allows moisture to travel in one direction – out. So sweat evaporates, which helps keep your hands warmer, longer. Sheepskin for the palm and index finger provide an excellent sense of touch. Note also the stitching is fine and even throughout the gloves. This is another sign of their quality.
Of course, none of that matters if they don’t fit, so I followed the Sealskinz size guide, and ordered them in XL. For a glove that doesn’t stretch a lot, they fit great. Across the palm, they are perfect. Between my fingers, they’re not too short. At my fingertips, there is the smallest amount of extra space, but not much. Given that we are all different shapes and sizes, they may not fit you as well. In my case, I couldn’t ask for much more.
Needless to say, wearing them is nothing but joy. My hands stay warm and dry, and I have had no trouble with my cameras. I can setup a tripod and mount my camera, plus swap lenses, zoom, and manually focus. Even finer work, such as adjusting exposure via the dials and buttons, can be done without error. Instead of using my fingertips, I just use the pads of my fingers. And the gloves also let me keep a good grip on my expensive gear.
As mentioned, Sealskinz markets these as shooting gloves, and their one with the fold-back finger as photography gloves. Both would do the job well. Regardless of which ones you choose, the big selling points are, warmth, dexterity, plus water and wind resistance. Prior to this review, I hadn’t found a glove that offered all of that and fit well. If they were warm enough, they were too bulky. Good sense of touch meant frozen fingers. But Sealskinz has all that, although at a bit of a premium. And I think they’re worth it.
You can see the full line of Sealskinz products on their website. Check back soon for a review of their excellent waterproof socks too.
Brian
I’d like to extend a thanks to Sealskinz for providing their gloves for this review. Photographing wildlife in Utah’s cold winter is now much more enjoyable.
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