Hello! Manual wheelchair user here, and I’m wondering if anybody more experienced can share their strategies for going out in the colder months.
One thing I’ve yet to figure out is gloves. Do you guys wear gloves in the winter? I’ve yet to find anything that doesn’t make it impossible to grip my handrims. On a related note, is there anything that helps you grip better in the rain? I try to just avoid going out in it, but life happens, y’know?
I don’t really have any other specific questions (it’ll be my first winter since I got my wheelchair (technically second, but I barely went out last year), so I don’t know what exactly to expect), but any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated. _
Personally I use fingerless weight training gloves which have a rubber pad designed to grip the metal bar when lifting
For general warmth I’d be lost without my water proof quasi-sleeping bag. I don’t know what search term to recommend, but it’s basically a fleece lined water proof sleeping bag that goes up to your waist. It also doubles up as a great place to store extra blanket/hat/groceries
Hey I’m not a wheelchair so feel free to disregard my comment. I work outside in winter but still need good manual dexterity.
What I have found works for me is either flip back mittens. You know the ones that are fingerless but have a part that flips over your fingers when not using your hands. Or nitrile dripped gloves. They are elastic so they provide a tight fit and the nitrile provides great grip on wet surfaces. They come in both insulated and non insulated types. The best insulated ones I have found are made by polar penguin. Such as these https://www.glovestock.com/majestic-polarpenguin-winterhivis-glove-3396.html
I would guess for use the nitrile dip gloves would work better. But do not always let you use a touch screen. Also note not all nitrile gloves are made the same. I have found a big difference in quality between the cheap and expensive ones