How Do You Choose Swim Gloves to Keep You Warm While Swimming?
Most people ask: How do you keep your hands warm when swimming? Well, you could use the best swimming gloves to keep your hands warm.
Of course, in addition to wearing water shoes for swimming, you also need to protect your hands. The only way to keep the hands warm, especially when swimming in cold water, is to wear swimming gloves.
Some people also ask: Are swimming gloves any good? They would not be so popular if they were not. After all, there are so many of them on the market.
So, how do you go about choosing the best one since there are so many of them? Well, here, we have done all the hard work for you.
Also read: Can you swim in the ocean with a yeast infection?
We bring you a couple of the best swimming gloves to keep hands dry and warm when you are swimming.
Keep reading!
The Best Swimming Gloves Reviews
Swim Gloves | Features | Check Price | |
Xuker Water Gloves |  | Made of 5mm Neoprene material For cold water swimming Ambidextrous | |
Synergy Neoprene Thermal Swim Gloves |  | 2mm neoprene material is flexible Has webbing for more flexibility Long-sleeve design | |
Blueseventy Thermal Swim Glove |  | Has metal cell lining to prevent absorption Long-sleeve design to warm the wrists Made of neoprene material | |
ZONE3 Neoprene Swim Gloves |  | Long enough to tuck under swimsuit Made with 2mm neoprene material Velcro strap for closure |
Swim pool gloves can also help keep your hands protected from the cold when you are enjoying open water swimming.
If you are a lady, you know how much you invest in making your nails look so cute. Thus, you need to protect them from the water. You can do that by wearing the best swimming gloves.
1. NeopSkin Water Gloves for cold water swimming
You can buy NeopSkin Water Gloves for cold water swimming on Amazon.com
These swimming gloves look really puffed up, but looks can be deceiving because they are quite flexible. They are perfect for swimming in cold water since they are made with 3MM neoprene material.
The extra thickness of these gloves helps a lot when you are swimming or snorkeling in water with debris. Sticks, rocks, and stinging animals cannot penetrate these gloves easily.
You will also realize that, thanks to the patterned design of the palm, these gloves enable you to hold items well. If you would like anti-slip gloves, these can be a good choice for you.
Since there are not many things to grip when you are swimming, you can use these gloves for just about any other adventure.
For instance, you can use them for kayaking, canoeing, and even stand up paddle boarding in cold water. You can also use these gloves for off-water activities such as biking.
You will also notice that these swimming gloves for cold water have adjustable straps at the wrist.
Thus, you can adjust them accordingly and fasten them with the Velcro closure. Tighten the closure so that water cannot get inside.
These gloves are available in a wide variety of sizes. Besides, the adjustability at the wrists makes them easy to wear for many people.
Another thing that you will love about these gloves is that they are also available in 5 MM neoprene.
While thicknesses of 2 MM and less are good for warm-water swimming, 3 to 5MM varieties are perfect for cold-weather swimming. They will keep your hands warm.
Pros
- Extra thick for more warmth
- They are ambidextrous by design—for either hand
- Good for wet and dry adventures
- Thick but with good flexibility for finger movement
Cons
- The cuffs could be longer
- They will take longer to dry when you wash them
2. Synergy Neoprene Thermal Swim Gloves
You can buy Synergy Neoprene Thermal Swim Gloves on Amazon.com
These are downright the best aqua gloves that you can wear to protect your hands when you are swimming.
The gloves are made with 2mm neoprene. As you can see, it is neither too thick nor too thin. Thus, it will fit just right, like a second skin. Neoprene is the same material that is used to make scuba diving wetsuits and boots.
These are not ordinary gloves. You see, they come in a webbed design, which increases flexibility, propulsion, and power in the water. After your hands get used to them, they become like a second skin. You almost don’t notice them.
For durability, the gloves have double stitching on the seams. Also, the seams are heat-taped and then vulcanized. They will stay intact for almost all of their life.
The cuffs of these swim pool gloves are long enough to protect a large part of your hand. The last thing that you want when you are in the water is to have your hands cramp from the cold.
When you wear a long-sleeved wetsuit, the gloves can go under the sleeves, giving you a complete look.
Finally, the design of these swimming gloves is such that on the exterior, they are contoured. But in the interior, they are smooth-skinned, so they fit well on your skin.
When you buy your Synergy water gloves for swimming on Amazon.com, you will find the sizing chart alongside the product description.
Pros
- You can use these gloves for scuba diving, kayaking, and other water sports
- They are easy to wear since they have a smooth interior
- They are durable
Cons
- They might not come true to size
3. Blueseventy Thermal Swim Glove
You can buy Blueseventy Thermal Swim Gloves on Amazon.com
Unlike the Synergy gloves that we have reviewed here, the Blueseventy thermal swim gloves are not webbed gloves for swimming.
But not to worry, because to make up for the lack of that feature, they give you a more natural feel of the water when you swim. Your hands are not webbed, are they?
These are neoprene gloves for swimming. Therefore, they will not keep your hands dry, but they will keep them warm.
They work on the same principle as wetsuits, which are made of the same material. The work of neoprene is to cling to the skin and prevent body heat from escaping to the surroundings.
It also prevents the cold from the surrounding water from getting to your skin. It does this by creating a buffer zone.
The construction of these gloves is different from most because they have a metal cell lining. Therefore, they do not allow in as much water as other neoprene gloves. Instead of using too much of your energy to heat the water in the glove, you can use it for swimming.
To keep you warm, these swimming pool gloves come with long cuffs. Thus, they fit well under your long-sleeved wetsuit. They are perfect for swimming in open water or in cold water.
You will find it so easy to get the gloves on and off. They have an SCS coating, which makes them quite robust and easy to slip on and off.
Pros
- These swim gloves keep hands extra warm
- Good for cold-water swimming
- Light in weight and non-webbed design enables you to swim naturally
- You can use them for off-water activities such as biking
Cons
- The gloves cost quite a lot
- They might not come true to size
4. ZONE3 Neoprene Swim Gloves
You can buy ZONE3 Neoprene Swim Gloves on Amazon.com
The limbs suffer from the cold most when you are swimming. That is why you need to protect your hands with the ZONE3 neoprene swimming gloves.
They are made of neoprene, and they come in many sizes. Besides, they are unisex, so both men and women can wear them.
These gloves have longer cuffs than most. Thus, you can tuck them nicely under the wetsuit for swimming.
Of course, a longer cuff is better because it will keep you warmer for longer. You will notice that these swim pool gloves also come with Velcro straps at the top. Thus, you can secure them on your wrist so that water does not find its way inside.
These neoprene gloves are 2 mm thick. Thus, it is best used for swimming in water that is not too cold.
At the same time, the palms are contoured to give you a better grip on things, even when you have just come out of the water. Such palms also offer more stability to your hands when you are swimming.
The fit for these neoprene gloves is tight enough so that there is no space between your skin and the glove for water to lodge. This means that your body has less water to warm. Thus, you can preserve your energy for swimming.
Pros
- Nice logo and color combination
- Extra long for more protection
- These gloves for swimming are very comfortable
- Quite flexible because they are not bulky
Cons
- If you have a petite frame, the gloves will feel too long
- Not good for cold water swimming
Buying Guide for Swimming Gloves to Keep Hands Warm
As you can see, there are many cold-water swim gloves. Thus, for a first-time buyer, you can find it a bit daunting to choose a good pair.
To help you choose a pair that is going to give you good value for money, here are a few guidelines:
Swim glove design: webbed vs non-webbed swim gloves
If you get the best-webbed swimming gloves, they have their benefits. However, even the non-webbed ones also have their benefits.
For instance, the webbed swim gloves give more power in the water. Their only downside is that your hands do not respond as naturally as they would if you were swimming without gloves.
Here, what you buy depends on your taste. Thus, if you want gloves to help you build your swimming speed, try the webbed ones. If you just want to stay warm and feel natural in the water, the non-webbed ones will be fine.
Both glove designs will give you good value for money, so you can choose one pair with a webbed design and the other one without.
Adjustable wrist strap
Your palm is wider than your wrist. Therefore, the swim glove opening can be too wide so that it allows water inside. To prevent that, most swimming gloves come with a Velcro strap. It helps you close the glove tightly.
Some gloves come without this feature. However, they are tight-fitting since they fit close to the skin. Luckily, neoprene material can stretch really well without losing its elasticity.
Long vs short-cuff swimming gloves
We assume that you want to buy swimming gloves because you want to keep warm in the water. Longer cuffs are better if you intend to wear a long-sleeved wetsuit. That way, the sleeves of the wetsuit will go over the gloves.
Closed vs open-finger gloves
For swimming in the pool you can always go with open-finger gloves. These reach up to the knuckles. As you can see, they will not protect your hands fully when you are swimming in cold water.
Closed-finger gloves cover the entire hand. They might also come in a webbed or non-webbed design, while the open-finger ones come in non-webbed design only.
If you do not particularly care about power and speed when swimming, you could also go for the Speedo swim mitts. Such are cheap, and you just slip all the fingers into one pocket. Only the thumb stays separate.
Thickness (2 to 5mm)
Just like wetsuits for scuba diving, kayaking, snorkeling, and even swimming, swimming gloves come in different thicknesses. This usually starts at 2 mm, and it can go all the way to 5mm.
If you intend to swim in open water, make them thicker. You could opt to take the 3mm or 5mm gloves.
For swimming in cold water, 5mm gloves would be better. The thicker a glove is, the more warmth it offers.
Also check that the palms are gripped to make the gloves more flexible. A contoured design is also better since it makes it easy to hold things even when you are in the water.
Price
What are the best swimming gloves? Are they the cheapest ones or the costliest ones? High price does not always mean high quality.
Likewise, a low price does not always mean low quality. Therefore, before you even consider the price, look at the features that you will be getting from the gloves.
It is always better to pay more money to get more features than to pay a little money for fewer features.
Generally, you can pay anything from $10 to $60 for a good pair of swimming gloves.
Best gloves and socks for cold water swimming
If your hands feel too cold swimming in cold water, you can be sure your feet are going numb. This is why you need to get the best gloves and socks for swimming in cold water.
The secret to keeping your feet and hands warm with swimming gloves is in the choice of material. Choose neoprene material for warmth.
Neoprene swimming socks and gloves absorb water, and then they create a vacuum between your skin and themselves. Thus, your body heat will not escape, and the cold water will not get onto your skin. That’s how you stay warm.
There is also the little matter of the right thickness of neoprene gloves and socks. For cold water, choose at least 3mm-thick gloves.
If you make them too thick, your fingers will not have the kind of flexibility you would like. If you make them too thin, they will not do a very good job of keeping your hands warm.
Remember that the thickness of the gloves and socks should depend on the temperature of the water. For instance, the 3mm neoprene gloves will not keep you warm in water temperatures below 6 degrees Fahrenheit.
What do you wear on your feet to swim in cold water?
Do your feet get wet in neoprene socks?
Do swimming gloves slow you down?
Swimming gloves to keep hands dry
When you read about swimming gloves to keep hands dry, it is about the best waterproof swimming gloves. If you use neoprene gloves, they will let in water because they have to get wet to keep you warm.
You will mostly need waterproof swimming gloves for swimming in winter. But that’s not all.
If you have eczema, you might need these gloves to protect your hands. You have to find a way to keep your hands completely dry. The one way to do that is to find a good pair of waterproof swim gloves.
In such a case, you will need gloves to swim in summer. These gloves must be made of a material that is 100 percent waterproof. They must also have a cuff seal which will prevent water from entering.
However there are not many options in the market for waterproof gloves that you can wear alone to keep your hands dry.
However, I found a product that can fit your needs perfectly. This is the DarkFin Webbed Power Swimming Glove that you can buy on Amazon.com.
See the picture below:
Wear thin waterproof gloves under your neoprene gloves
One option is to wear a pair of thin, waterproof gloves under your regular swimming gloves. These gloves can be made of latex or other material.
As you can see in the image above of the DarkFin Webbed Power Swim gloves, you can see they come with a really thin profile.
They are also webbed swimming gloves. They will help you sweep a large amount of water away, thus helping you swim faster.
When you are swimming in the summer, you can wear these gloves alone. They are designed to keep your hands dry, not warm. However, for cold water swimming, you can wear neoprene gloves over them.
The main benefit of these gloves is that they make it very easy to handle things underwater. For instance, if you are using an underwater camera to capture footage, it will be easy to press buttons and things.
If you wear these gloves under your regular wetsuit gloves, you can keep your hands dry and warm. You get an extra layer to keep your hands warm.
Not only can you use these gloves for swimming, but you can also use them for snorkeling and other water activities. They are flexible and soft and they allow proper finger movements.
Conclusion
You need swimming gloves to keep your hands warm, whether you are swimming in the pool or in open water. Swimming gloves will help you stay longer in the water, especially when fall sets in.
Even if you will not wear your gloves for every swimming lesson, it is best to buy a pair. If you swim with a wetsuit for warmth, there is no sense in covering up the rest of the body and leaving your hands exposed.
To buy or not to buy swimming gloves? To buy definitely! There are more pros than cons. The cold water of the pool can cramp your fingers badly.