Originally Posted by
tero
I wore latex gloves under my regular gloves this morning (temperatures were around 15F). Fingers were a bit chilly at first, but very warm after the 15 minutes of riding.
I had read that the latex gloves would help by blocking wind. In my case, they worked more like a
wetsuit. The warm sweat from my hands insulated my fingers perfectly.
Now, if only they made latex socks, I'd be golden.
What you are describing is a vapour barrier layer. Water cools your skin 25x faster than air, the water is not what is keeping your warm. What is really happening is the vapour barrier(latex glove or breadbags) is preventing the insulation in your gloves/boots from becoming moist, which compromises it's insulating power.
A vapour barrier is best worn next to the skin, directly over the hands and feet, and then covered up with a wool sock or fleece glove/mitten. Extended use isn't recommended... damp feet for days=very bad.
Vapour barriers were widely used by our troops in Korean war to stop people from losing feet to the cold, the boots the army made were called "bunny boots"