After our dossier on the best neoprene vests to be worn under the jacket of the wetsuit, here is an extremely wide presentation of the best Winter gloves and socks. Some of them are simply of a thicker neoprene, of course not exceeding certain values as this would determine too much constriction in the movements. Some others have additional very clever design solutions, which utilize special neoprene material in extremely clever ways. Let’s see them all.
Spetton
The Spanish company goes well beyond simple thicker gloves for Winter. They have sent us what we believe are among the most interesting solutions on the market, the Winter Design socks and gloves, but also the SCS Metal Gold Termic socks and S1000 Elastic gloves.
Winter Design
The Spetton Winter Design gloves and socks line is extremely valid. The externally smooth neoprene helps to keep gloves and socks dry most of the time, and so have good thermal insulation even when moving with the boat. Just as we saw in the neoprene vests dossier, with the Spetton Winter Design 1.5 mm vest, the internal lining is in a special Nylon, called BGX. It is a thermal Nylon, with zero water absorption, and Ultraspam, which has incredible elastic capacities, and so leaves good freedom of movement. Clearly, the internal Nylon also makes the Winter Design gloves and socks very easy to wear.
Winter Design gloves
The Winter Design gloves are offered in 3.5 mm thick neoprene. Another key aspect of their design is the wrist area. In fact, the neoprene of the palm and back of the glove is connected to the wrist area with an overlapping. This generates a step between the two layers of neoprene, a solution that hosts precisely the sleeve of the jacket for a perfect match and consequent best water tight solution. Additionally, the smooth surface of the glove and the open cell internal surface of the sleeve adhere, sealing even more the connection. The smooth neoprene on the wrists also helps grip when pulling the gloves during the wearing phase.
The palm, the internal part of the fingers and the upper part of the superior surface of the fingers are covered with a very strong Supratex cover for extreme protection to cut and wear.
Winter Design socks
The Spetton Winter Design socks are available in 3 and 5 mm thick neoprene. The external sole of the socks is in reinforced anti-cut Supratex. For best comfort though, the Supratex does not continue on the heel or the toe, which are instead covered with a softer double lined neoprene. The finishing of the edge of the sock is beautifully manufactured, with an additional Nylon cover and double seams for a strong and resistant solution.
SCS Metal Gold Termic socks
The SCS Metal Gold Termic socks are another extremely clever solution to improve thermal insulation, going beyond the simple increase of thickness of the neoprene. Offered in the 5 mm solution (E50 Gold), but also available in 3 mm (E30 Blue) and 7 mm (E70 Silver), the SCS Metal socks have an internal surface in open cell neoprene covered with a thin metallite inner layer. Such layer creates a heat reflective barrier. On the one hand it reduces the heat loss by 30%, and on the other hand it improves by 20% the water sealing effect.
Externally the SCS Metal Gold Termic sock are in lined neoprene, while the surface under the foot is covered with a good quantity of printed rubber elements to ensure the best anti-skid effect.
The seams are all blind to avoid the passage water and so generate the best thermal insulation. The border around the calf of the leg is well finished with folded Nylon and internal and external seam.
S1000 Elastic gloves
The S1000 Elastic gloves are offered in 3 and 5 mm thick double lined neoprene. The wrist area is preformed and has a longer profile in the upper part. This is a useful solution to be pulled when wearing the gloves. The palm and internal surface of the fingers is covered with rubber dots to improve grip.
Sigalsub
Sigasub has recently proposed a new line of gloves and socks, the Comfort Evo. This follows the constant process of widening of the product offer in each sector by the Italian company.
The Comfort Evo gloves and socks are available in 1,5 (lilac) – 3 (ciano) and 5 mm (purple) thick neoprene, and nicely recognizable by the colour of the graphics printed on them. Evidently the 5 mm and somehow the 3 mm are indicated for cold water.
The material is a simple double lined neoprene, which makes the gloves resistant, but still sufficiently elastic and easy to wear.
The socks have a strong and useful Supratex material under the foot going up covering also the heel. The gloves have a nice anti-skid rubber pattern on the palm of the hand and internal surface of the fingers.
Seac
Seac has definitely a wide range of models of gloves and socks. For the Winter/cold water period the Italian company has sent us two interesting solutions: the Ultraflex gloves and the Anatomic HD socks.
Ultraflex gloves
The Seac Ultraflex gloves are available in 3 different thicknesses: 2 mm, 3.5 mm and 5 mm. These diving gloves offer great protection and touch sensitivity. They are made from a double lined Ultra Stretch neoprene. This material has indeed a very high elasticity which is one of the best on the market among double lined neoprene gloves.
The stitichings are very neat and applied both internally and externally for a strong and resistant solution. At the same time they are all blind, meaning no passing holes are created in the neoprene and the bondings remain 100% water proof for a great thermal insulation.
The entire glove is covered with rubber dots printed on the lining which have a functional anti-skid effect on the palm and the internal surface of the fingers. For the rest it is a nice aesthetical design solution.
The cuff is long to help put on the gloves more easily and generate a better water sealing effect.
Anatomic HD socks
The Seac Anatomic HD socks are simple but complete, with the main key solutions present to ensure resistance and thermal insulation. They are available in 3.5, 5 and 7 mm neoprene, specially designed by Seacsub.
The externally smooth neoprene at the ankle ensures greater adherence to the open cell internal surface of the pants of the wetsuit, for best water sealing and consequent thermal insulation. This solution also helps the grip when pulling the socks during the wearing phase. The internal of the Seac Anatomic HD socks is completely lined. Nylon buttons are available internally to reinforce quadruple junction points and critical areas.
Picasso
The Portuguese company led by Carlos Osorio has definitely a very wide range of neoprene equipment. We have received from Picasso one pair of gloves and one of socks, both called Thermal Skin.
Gloves and socks are available in 3 and 5 mm thickness. The offer sees a black, a camo green, camo red, camo brown solutions.
The key solution for both gloves and socks is the fact that the external part is in smooth neoprene, which evidently does not soak and dries quickly. In Winter, and in general moving with the boat, this determines that coming out of the water the gloves and socks dry quickly enough to regain their thermal insulation capacities.
But the external smooth neoprene has also another key effect, it adheres perfectly with the open cell internal surface of the jacket and pants. This sealing effect evidently improves the thermal insulation. The external smooth surface also improves the grip when pulling gloves and socks to wear them.
On the other hand, there is a specific care by Picasso to design extremely resistant gloves and socks. The remaining part of the gloves and socks, starting from the palm of the hand and the sole of the foot, are made in strong anti cut and anti wear Supratex. This also applies to the upper part of the tip of the fingers of the hand and the superior part of the tip of the foot. Internally, both gloves and socks are completely lined.
Mares
Mares, the company today part of Head Group, with its Mares Pure Passion line has definitely a very good offer in the neoprene gloves and socks sector. We have received two different models of gloves and two of socks. The top of the line Mares Polygon Black gloves and the simpler Mares Flex model.
Mares Polygon Black
The Mares Polygon Black line of gloves and socks sees very detailed neoprene accessories. The gloves are available in an extremely advanced solution, made of even 3 different thicknesses. The back of the hand is in 3.5 mm thick double lined neoprene, while the palm has a 2 mm thick solution, still double lined, to improve the feel of the hand on the speargun. The wrist area is in a 5 mm thick solution to improve the sealing effect.
The socks have a similar design, with a 3 mm thick double lined neoprene for the entire foot, except for the upper ankle area which again is in 5 mm, improving water seal.
Additionally, both gloves and socks have an externally smooth band in the wrist and upper ankle areas (Water Stop system). This solution is key to obtain the best sealing effect with the open cell neoprene of the forearms of the jacket and the calf area of the pants. The external smooth surface also improves the grip when pulling gloves and socks to wear them.
In the external part of the sole the socks there is no particularly thick neoprene, such as Supratex, to have the best comfort possible.
The palm and internal part of the fingers of the gloves are covered with rubber elements of a type of cross shape to improve grip.
Mares Flex
A simpler and more traditional design is the one of the Mares Flex gloves and socks. The gloves are in 3 mm thick double lined neoprene, where the Nylon cover is in Ultrastretch. The palm and internal part of the fingers are covered with anti slip dotted hexagonal rubber elements.
The socks are externally lined and internally open cell to improve adherence and thermal insulation. Still, the sole of the sock is in double lined material, for greater resistance. The inferior external surface of the soles has a thicker texture for an even stronger result.
C4 Carbon
C4 Carbon has sent us one model of gloves and two of socks, all of them with very specific and interesting design solutions.
Zero gloves
The C4 Carbon Zero gloves are available in 2.5, 3.5 and 5 mm thicknesses. They are double lined, but have some extremely interesting key details. One of them, specifically thought to improve water seal, is the aqualock system. This consists in having the last 1-2 cm band on the wrists with an internally smooth neoprene that can adhere at best with the skin of the diver. Additionally, such band is slightly tighter, meaning it has a progressively smaller diameter compared to the rest of the wrist of the glove. This determines a tighter fit, which does not at all determine any lack of comfort, but increases the pressure of the smooth surface neoprene on the skin of the diver and so improves the sealing effect.
Another interesting detail is present on the left glove on both the 3 and the 5 mm C4 Carbon Zero solutions. The three fingers, thumb, index and middle, have the tips covered, on the side of the palm, with a special rubber coating, as they are more subject to wear during the spearfishing phases.
The C4 Zero gloves are made with very soft and comfortable lined neoprene. The palm and internal part of the fingers is in a special thicker structure of Nylon, but differently from the classic Supratex, it remains extremely soft. The seams are all blind for best thermal insulation, and are only applied externally.
Zero socks
The C4 Carbon Zero socks are made to maximize comfort and resistance, utilizing different materials and a specific left and right design. The black double lined neoprene panel on the instep has maximum elasticity, still being abrasion and cut resistant. The grey lateral and rear neoprene is slightly more rigid. The sole area and the tip of the foot are covered with a Supratex solution. This is slightly less elastic, but extremely resistant to wear and cut.
All the stitchings are external and blind. This results in the best thermal insulation and comfort due to no internal seams. A special Nylon strap is glued internally to reinforce the heel area and to cover the internal seam for maximum comfort. The C4 Carbon Zero socks are available in 1.5, 3 and 5 mm thick neoprene.
Zero Plus socks
The C4 Zero Plus socks have the same cut of the Zero, but utilize a different material. The sock is in fact almost completely made of externally smooth neoprene, while internally it is lined. The smooth neoprene quickly dries and so has a better thermal insulation when exiting the water, for example on the boat.
The internal lining is particularly elastic. Soft seams are present only internally, while at the heel a special Nylon band covers the seam for maximum resistance and comfort.
The sole and heel have are one piece of neoprene with a Supratex cover, and no stitchings. The C4 Carbon Zero Plus socks are sold only in the 5 mm thick version and have a left and right design.
