Cold, damp, and grippy

November 2, 2024 10:05 AM

I need gloves to wear to workout at the outdoor gym this winter so I can keep doing pull-ups and press-ups and dangling from metal rings. Googling suggests outdoor gym gloves are definitely a thing, but what are your recommendations for your favorite grippy gloves that handle cold and damp well?

Our community recently got a Fitness Court, and I really like it. I am an outdoor exerciser by nature and don't enjoy gyms or exercising indoors at my house. Going to the fitness court is the most likely way I'm going to do those strengthening and bone building things we're all supposed to do. But it's getting colder, and those metal rings and bars are chilly and damp. What gloves are the best gloves for outdoor gym workouts?

Special Snowflake Details:
-I have Reynaud's, so I'm most interested in full finger coverage, not open finger tips.
-And it's outside, where it rains and condensation exists, so they need to be able to handle getting wet without being damaged or just sucking all the heat out of my fingers. Maybe wool? I don't know. You tell me.
-Budget is low--under $20 unless there's some really good reason to spend more.
-We have Academy Sports and Dick's nearby, so I'd probably head to one of those first to look for your recommendations.

posted by hydropsyche to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

I love these for doing chores in the winter and driving. The leather palm is grippy enough for shoveling, moving stuff, winter sports, etc. and I think they would be OK for you to do exercises assuming the bar is not, like, coated in ice. Note the wool is directly on your skin-- I have to use a barrier hand cream or cheap liner glove because I'm allergic to wool. I tolerate this because my problem is I get too hot unless it's in the negatives, and wool breathes well.

This is a similar thing but with a fleece liner and a little thicker. I have these also and they work but the liner takes some adjustment to get used to.

Also look at your local hardware store for their warmer work gloves. There will be several options that will be warm enough and have actual rubber grips on them. It'll be similar materials to fancy athletic gloves but be $20 or under. I wear the Gorilla Grip rubber gloves to do car stuff in the winter and they're fine. You do sacrifice warmth for dexterity. These look pretty good to me.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:23 AM on November 2, 2024 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Some of the grippiest gloves for damp metal are inexpensive nitrile dipped work/garden gloves. You can get 3 pairs for $11 (US) from VGO gloves. Worth a try before you spring for leather (which is more slippery) imo. I also recommend their gloves more generally for good value and construction if you decide you want something more robust.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:01 AM on November 2, 2024 [2 favorites]

I've become quite fond of my cycling gloves -- they're designed to grip like your life depends on it, because it does. Mine are Giro brand (similar to these), and they have them with or without gel padding -- but I'm sure you could find many other varieties and many other brands out there. If you need more warmth, I'd suggest trying a thin liner glove inside.
posted by ourobouros at 2:02 PM on November 2, 2024

Seconding cycling cloves. The Giros that ourobouros mentions are an inexpensive test.
posted by dws at 7:21 PM on November 2, 2024

Best answer: If you want cheap and grippy, you can't beat nitrile dipped cut resistant winter gloves . Going to be way grippier than cycling gloves and cheaper by far.

I wear cycling gloves as my regular winter gloves, but they won't hold up well to the twisting and grabbing that a body weight workout will put them through.
posted by advicepig at 7:31 PM on November 2, 2024 [2 favorites]

Like others have said, cycling gloves and “lobster” mittens might be worth looking at. These are what I wear for winter work gloves and they are warm, waterproof, and grippy. They don’t breath, so if your hands sweat a lot you’ll want a dry pair of gloves to change into after your workout.
posted by highway40 at 7:51 PM on November 2, 2024

Best answer: I use Kinco Hydroflector - I know, the name is ridiculous - they are water proof not resistant, and they have the nitrile coating. They’re tough.
posted by kerf at 8:45 PM on November 2, 2024

I cycle in winter, usually until it gets down to about -5C. I have found for cycling in cold temps, I need to have a variety of gloves, because each glove will usually only work for a narrow range when exercising. Otherwise either my hands are cold or my hands are sweaty. You may need to get more than one pair. What works for a given temperature range is also very dependent on the person. When I bike with my husband, I will usually wear a warmer glove that he does for the same temperature range, because my hands get colder earlier, so when gloves have a temperature range, keep in mind that's really just a suggestion.

With your price range, I think cycling specific gloves are probably too expensive. I would look first at the winter work wear gloves.
posted by ice-cream forever at 6:28 AM on November 3, 2024

Response by poster: Thanks, y'all. It sounds like my first trip is to Ace Hardware. All of my work gloves are the canvas and leather variety with no dexterity, so I'm intrigued to try these maybe for more than just dangling from metal bars.
posted by hydropsyche at 1:51 PM on November 3, 2024 [1 favorite]

I also recommend the kind of gloves others have suggested here. I use them for wet winter yard work.

Also, you might consider mittens. I also deal with cold hands, and mittens have a few advantages: you can keep your fingers near each other for extra warmth, and put them into a ball to warm up between sets; and, if it's really cold, you can put a chemical handwarmer in the back of each for extra warmth.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:43 AM on November 4, 2024

Response by poster: Thought I'd bring an update. I went to Ace Hardware and bought their basic nitrile dipped work gloves. I thought they were some kind of a synthetic fabric, but the first time I wore them in cold, damp weather, it became obvious they must be poly-cotton blend because that fabric sucked all the warmth out of my hands. I had been thinking about maybe going back to Ace to look for an all-synthetic pair or stopping by the village bike store to ask for suggestions, but I hadn't gotten around to it.

Then yesterday I was helping clean up the clutter in a lab, and there was a pair of these nylon nitrile dipped HyFlex gloves that nobody recognized or wanted. They are absolutely perfect--warm and lightweight and grippy with no clammy cotton feel. I just used them at the outdoor gym and they performed exactly how I hoped. And it appears that if I want more, it will cost me $4.

So thanks again to everyone for the advice, but especially those of you that suggested the cheap nitrile dipped gloves. They really are perfect.
posted by hydropsyche at 2:01 PM on December 11 [1 favorite]