Gill Sailing Gloves: The Full Range Explained

Cold hands ruin a day on the water faster than almost anything else. So does a glove that shreds through after a handful of sails because it was never built for the sailing you do. Getting the right pair matters, and at Sailing Chandlery we stock the full range of Gill sailing gloves to cover everyone from the club dinghy sailor to the yacht helmsman.

Here is an honest walk through the range, what each glove is for, and how I choose between them on my own boat.

We carry the complete line-up: the Gill Pro, the Gill Championship, the Championship Women's, the Deckhand, the Helmsman, and the Three Season neoprene glove. Each one is built for a different job, so let me break them down.

Gill Pro and Gill Championship. These are our two most popular ranges, and both come in long finger and short finger versions. They are the natural choice for dinghy sailors. More on how to pick between them below, because it is the question we get asked most.

Championship Women's. Cut specifically for women and available in long finger. Same trusted Championship performance, shaped for a better fit.

Deckhand. A short finger glove designed for light use on a yacht. It is the cheapest in the range, and that comes with a caveat I will be honest about later.

Helmsman. A warmer, insulated glove built to keep your hands completely protected. Ideal for yacht helms, RIB drivers, coaches, committee boat crews, anyone who needs to stay warm in colder conditions rather than constantly adjusting rope.

Three Season. Made from neoprene and built for winter and the harsher months. This one is my personal favourite, and I will tell you why.

Both are excellent, both are popular, and honestly you will not go wrong with either. The difference comes down to how hard you sail and how much grip you want from your Gill sailing gloves.

The Championship is the more basic of the two. It still has DuraGrip reinforcement on the palm and fingers for grip and durability, so it is far from a budget glove. It is a touch lighter than the Pro, and for most of the sailing season it is my own choice.

The Pro steps things up. It uses DuraGrip fabric across the palm and fingers for excellent grip with no loss of flexibility or durability. It also has Flexi Zone finger construction: notches set around the knuckles that let the fingers flex more naturally as you work the boat.

So the question I ask people is simple. Do you want the lighter everyday glove, or the extra grip and flex for harder, more demanding sailing? Both will serve you well.

This trips a lot of sailors up, and the answer is usually the time of year and the temperature where you sail.

Short finger gloves leave all your fingertips free, which is handy for untying shackles, working knots, and the fiddly jobs around the boat. Long finger gloves keep your hands warmer for the colder months, and they still leave the index finger and thumb free, so you can undo a shackle or tie a knot without stripping them off.

Beyond temperature, it comes down to personal preference. Plenty of sailors keep both and switch through the year.

Here is who each glove is really for.

Dinghy sailors: the Gill Pro and Gill Championship. These are built for constant rope handling and adjustment, which is exactly what dinghy sailing throws at a glove.

Yacht sailors: the Deckhand for lighter use, and the Helmsman when you want warmth and insulation in colder conditions.

RIB drivers, coaches and committee boat crews: the Helmsman. When you are not constantly working rope but you are out in the cold for hours, warm hands win.

Everyone on the water: the Three Season. Most popular with dinghy sailors in colder months, but equally at home for kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, and other water sports. It is the all-rounder of the range.

The Three Season neoprene glove is fantastic through the winter and the colder edges of the main season, so think March, April, September and October. It fits nice and tight, which keeps the warm air trapped close to your hands, and the neoprene is genuinely excellent at keeping wind and water out.

We all know how quickly cold hands and cold feet can wreck a day afloat. This glove is the one I reach for when the temperature drops, and it has never let me down.

Gill gloves are true to size, and their size charts are reliable. My biggest piece of advice is to take the extra couple of minutes before you hit buy: check the chart, measure up, and get it right first time. Then we will dispatch your gloves in our usual speedy way.

If they are not quite right, you have peace of mind either way. Our 90 day returns policy gives you plenty of time to send back unused gloves and swap them for a different size, and we turn that around quickly for you.

It is always tempting to grab the cheapest pair. Before you do, read the description and check what the glove is actually built for. It's also helpful to watch our video reviews which give you a closer look of the sailing gloves you're thinking of buying.

The Deckhand is our cheapest Gill glove, but it is designed for light use on a yacht. Put it to work on a high performance sailing dinghy or catamaran and it will burn through quickly and never last the season. That is not a fault of the glove, it is the wrong glove for the job.

Sailing gloves are a high wear item by nature. They are in constant contact with rope, and if you sail a dinghy those ropes are being tweaked and adjusted the whole time you are on the water. Harder wearing ropes, the kind built for higher loads, are tougher on your gloves too. So buy the right glove with the right protection for your sailing, spend the money once, and it will last.

To get the most from any pair: take them off properly rather than rolling them, leave them flat to dry, rinse them in fresh water, and seal up the Velcro so it does not catch on everything else in your kit bag. Look after them and they will look after you.

Order by 2pm Monday to Friday and we ship the same day. Fast dispatch, fast delivery, and you are back out on the water without delay. Every order is backed by our 90 day returns if they are not quite right, and by a five star customer rated service from a team who actually sail.