Gloves

What gloves do you recommend?

I had been using inexpensive generic leather palm gloves. These worked pretty well but I found some I liked better.

I found Wolvarine work gloves to be less bulky and more supple. I keep them soft with Neatsfoot Oil. They worked pretty well.

But today I was in a special tool store and found some gloves that just plain have me excited even though I haven't used them yet. I have held a rope with them on in the grip is great.

These are Flex Grip Boxer gloves from Custom Leathercraft (CLC). CLC has a large variety of specialty work gloves. These are especially nice because they have a tacky pattern on the palm for firm non-slip grip. They also fit very nicely.

How will they work? I don't know yet and am a bit concerned about their durability. They look very strong but are labeled for low abrasive applications. Does anyone think that applies to tree climbing?

They look strong enough to last so I will give them every opportunity to perform.

What gloves do you use and recommend?

Bill Wyatt

What I've found for the best cheap gloves is dollar store gardening gloves. They're like a cotton/poly blend that are covered in little PVC(?) dots that grip the rope real well. They're super cheap, and a really good bang for your buck. That's what I've got for my upcoming grove, and I think that's what Tim buys for the Founder's Grove.

-Josh

I like the cotton gardeners gloves that have the fingers and palm "dipped" in rubber. It flakes off after a while but you can get a good number of climbs out of a pair. They're about 3 bucks a pair and the tips of the fingers cut off real easy for better tactility. They come in lots of different sizes, male and female give you lots of choices.