Grenade Schizoid Glove

So its still early in the season, meaning everything but resorts in NZ and South America are closed up till at least November around here (hopefully earlier?!), and there's no way I'm demoing anything new at a preseason rail jam. 08/09 gear it is then!

Now I don't care what some people might say about price or quality: I love and swear by Grenade Gloves. Back in the day I used to rock a pair of Burton gloves made with Gore-Tex® (the "Burton Gore-Tex® Gloves" perhaps?) and they held up ok, but they weren't that warm and for all you locals, you know what our winters can get like. Not to mention I felt like I had total sausage fingers; working zippers, adjusting bindings, using a camera-nearly impossible. Then I stepped it up to some Grendies.

I originally bought the Grenade Reign in Flood (Shane Flood pro model) gloves, expecting them to be nice and big gloves that would actually keep my hands warm. When I finally picked them up at Eastern Boarder I found they were not at all what I expected: they were small, lightweight gloves and they were wicked warm. They were lined with Thinsulate™ and had a soft leather outer. For those extra-cold days I could just throw a hand warmer in the top zippered pocket. Best of all, the lightweight design of these gloves didn't leave me pawing at small things like zippers or buttons.

Sadly, these gloves (along with a lot of other gear...) were stolen from me early last season. To combat my depression, I self-medicated with some retail therapy and treated myself to a new pair of the Grenade Schizoid gloves. These are pretty much the updated version of the old Reign in Flood gloves minus the sweet studs on the knuckles and the straight-jacket straps on the wrists. Though slightly less bad ass, these gloves fill the void in my heart for those beloved gloves that were stolen. They're nice and easy to move your fingers around in, yet they're nice and warm at the same time. Another plus is that these are under gloves for all of you out there who also like tucking gloves into your sleeves. If you like to rock your gloves over your sleeves...well, more power to ya I guess...

The bottom line:
Pros

• Warm despite minimalist design
  
• Lightweight and easy to move in

Cons

• The leather is not very waterproof in spring/rainy conditions
  
• The leather is soft, so constant contact will cause it to wear away